Page 45 of Manhattan Tormentor

“Out with it, I wanna hear what kind of trouble we’re dealing with.”

Thatcher laughs, knowing Raene’s flare for drama too well. I thought once they might get together, but as they both tell it, they have zero chemistry. How incestuous that would be if they dated seeing as our dad once dated Thatcher’s dad years ago. Besides, we decided Raene couldn’t date anyone. We can’t let her loose on some poor guy, she’d fuck his entire life up and how is that fair to humanity?

“I’m going for cheer captain next semester now that Sofia graduated. That means more practices. You two will be left to your own devices without me to bring sparkle to what is already two very dull existences.”

Thatcher looks at me and we both crack up laughing.

“I think we’ll manage, Raene.” He tells her, ripping into the bread basket. “Now someone call over the waiter before I chew the table.”

We order a table full of eats and entertain Bunny as always.

It’s when she’s on her second dessert, I’m waiting for her to finish so I can pay and get home, that she talks about her visit with Theo.

“Remember that teammate of his, Tommy someone?”

“Kind of, why?”

“No reason. I saw him. Bexley is friends with him, how weird is that?”

I shrug, not really caring. Theo’s not the kind of guy who would worry if his girlfriend had male friends.

“He’s annoying, anyway.”

“Baby-girl,” Thatcher starts, “do not throw your hat into the ring with a college guy and not one Theo can’t stand.”

She blusters, and that’s when I take notice of her pink face.

“As if! God. I only mentioned it ‘cause it’s weird.”

“Yeah, sure. Gimme your phone so I can look at your search history. 10-1 you’ve stalked him.”

“A college guy, Bunny? You’re fucking aging me.” I stress, rubbing my eyebrows from side to side.

“Purlease. I’d rather eat out of the dumpster than be interested in him. He’s ridiculously up his own ass.”

She tries to act nonchalant, but Bunny forgets I know her too well. I need to have dad ship her off to a country with no boys.

Busy in my head while Raene and Thatcher argue over the last bread roll, I’m mentally arranging how I can get Bunny on a boat to a deserted island when a snatch of electricity grabs the back of my neck.

Fate hates me, that’s for damn sure because they keep putting him in my field of vision. I crank my head to see Finn, for once without his backward cap, swaggering through the tables, following a smartly dressed lady.

He clocks me too and we have this weird five second stare off before I turn back to my friends.

The moment I heard him discuss screwing some girl the other night, I was done with my tormentor. Done letting him control how I feel about him.

It doesn’t stop my razor-sharp nerve endings going nuts, and I sense his stare from five tables over. They seat them in my eyesight. My luck wouldn’t deserve anything else.

“You guys done? I wanna get home.”

“Hold your horses!” Bunny huffs, without looking up from her phone. “I still have more than an hour before I have to be home.”

I let all the air out of my lungs and press my back into the booth seat, unable to stop my eyes from going left for a second. Sure enough, he’s watching me while the lady opposite him is talking to him. He smirks and flips me his middle finger.

It’s not long after, while I’m tuned out of Thatcher and Raene’s banter, that I see a familiar face. Smiling as he strides through the tables, I’m on my feet in time for Marc to yank me into a back thumping hug. My ex-boyfriend is way too demonstrative with his tactility. “Hey, man, thought it was your golden locks I saw over here. How’ve you been?”

“Good,” I answer. “You back in town?”

“Only for the week visiting the folks before I head back to Cali. I was gonna call…”

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