Page 112 of Fighting Spirit

“Please just tell me what’s happened?” she asks again.

I finally relent, just so she’ll stop asking. “Marshall. He was using me for his film.”

“How?”

“The whole thing was about when we were together, it was about us.” A fresh wave of tears threatens to escape.

“Oh my god.” She pales, covering her mouth. “Oh, shit, I never thought-”

“You knew?” Rowan cuts in, his voice like granite.

My knees almost buckle.

“No, not like-no!” she stammers, squirming under what I can only imagine is one of Rowan’s hard looks.

“Georgie, did you know?” I ask again, fighting to keep my voice level.

“He just said you inspired him,” she rushes out, “that he’d based a character on you. I thought it was sweet!”

“What the fuck?” I’m finally allowing myself to get angry, and it feels really good. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t think it was a big deal!”

“He put our most private moments out there for anyone to see!”

“I didn’t know he was gonna do that!”

“You should have warned me! You should have said something so I wasn’t completely blindsided!”

“Ruth-”

“How could you do this to me? You’re supposed to be my best friend!”

She quirks her head to the side.

“I am?”

It’s like she’s set off a grenade. The room falls silent as the confirmation of all my fears echoes around the space.

The worst part is she doesn’t even look embarrassed. Her brows are furrowed in confusion because she genuinely has no idea what I’m talking about.

Holy shit.

It was all in my head. Our whole friendship, I just projected feelings onto her. I basically forced her to hang out with me so that I wouldn’t feel so alone. I’m not even angry anymore. None of this is her fault. I just can’t believe how stupid I am.

“We should go,” Rowan says as he starts steering me toward my room.

“Ruth?” Georgie asks.

“Just leave it,” Rowan tells her. “I’m gonna take her to my place.”

Chapter Forty-Six

ROWAN

Isteer Ruth’s stiff frame into her bedroom and deposit her on the unmade bed. Jesus Christ, this is all such a fuckin’ mess.

Every cell in my body is screamingfix it, fix it, fix it,but there’s not a God damn thing I can do for her.

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