Page 23 of The Devil's Tattoo
“The other night at the Hi-Fiback in Melbourne,” she continued as if she’d read mythoughts.
Oh, I remembered what he was doing back in Melbourne. Letting some random chick rub her tits all over him. He probably took her out back and fucked her. The thought had my pulse racing with something akin tojealousy.
“He was all over that girl,” I saidsullenly.
“He was hardly paying attention to her. He was too busy seeing if it pissed you offornot.”
I felt my cheeks turning red and thought about the death glares I’d shot at him. They were pretty epic. Some ofmybest.
“Will’s into you,” Simone declared like it was a done deal with a happily everafter.
“Too bad,” I shot back with a little too much anger in my voice. “I don’t want a fling. I don’t wantanything.”
It was silent for a while after that, and it seemed like Simone had gotten the hint. I did not want to talk about Will Strickland or any reference to my love life—ever. So Simone’s next question came right out of left field and caught me offguard.
“Did something happen to you?” she asked carefully, breaking the silence with a resoundingcrash.
“Yeah,” I heard myself saying from somewhere very far away. Simone had that effect on me. The one where she was easy totalkto.
“Do you want to talkaboutit?”
I sighed, glancing out the window at the passing countryside. “I went through a bad break up,” I began. “Everyone believed him, and not one of them believed me. I ended up with a broken arm and a broken life. If it wasn’t for Dee, I don’t know where I’dbenow.”
“Fuck,Zoe.”
“It’s muchbetternow.”
“Yourarm…”
“Dee started the band to help me,” I said, ignoring her. “I owe himeverything.”
“Well, I’m glad,” she said. “Cos I got to be friendswithyou.”
I looked over at her then, and she glanced back to the road with asmile.
“We’re besties, right?” sheasked.
I let out a small laugh, the tension easing from my shoulders. “Besties.”
She held up her fist and declared, “Sisters beforemisters.”
Cracking a smile, I bumped my fistagainsthers.
