Page 56 of Last First Love
Okay, petty, but it works enough that she comes right up next to me, jabbing her finger right in my face. "You're full of it. A man like that wouldn't look twice at a girl like you. Besides, everyone knows he's not boyfriend material. That man can't finish an entire sentence without making himself look like an ass."
And with that, I lose my mind for long enough to hip check her. She falls down with an undignified squawk and then I "accidentally" spill my drink on her.
"Oops. Boy am I clumsy. Better watch out around big girls like me." I sneer at her, baring all of my teeth. "You quit talking shit about my boyfriend before I let my temper get the better of me."
My pulse is pounding in my ears and my heart is racing like I'm on a runaway train. I do not do conflict, and I was willing to let her snide comments about me go by, but I'm not going to stand here and listen to her trash Ken. Especially not because he likes me. That's definitely the line in the sand for me.
She wipes her wet hair from her face and moves to stand up. "I'm going to kick your ass as soon as I can see all of it."
As if by magic, K.T. appears. "Well then. Nobody invited you, so maybe you'd better get out. Before I make you get out."
At this, her friends screech out their protests. And yeah, I did actually hit her first but she started both the shit talking and the getting physical part. Besides, K.T. is my friend and she's part of the very secret Girl Club. There's zero chance she's not taking my side today and every day.
That's like the third or fourth rule of Girl Club. We have each other's backs. I can't believe I've gone this long without having a crew of lady friends before. It's incredible.
The mean girl smirks hard and flips us both some deuces. She calls out to her little group of lackeys and they all head toward the door.
"And don't come back," K.T. yells as they head out. Then she turns her attention back to me. "Are you okay?"
I nod, finally allowing myself to take a few deep breaths. "I'm really not good with conflict. I hate that kind of stuff."
Her mouth kicks up right at the edge. "Apparently you're better at it than you think. You didn't really need me."
My hands are actually shaking now, and I go ahead and sit back down. "I didn't maybe. But you know what I do need?"
K.T. eyes me. "I hope you're going to say alcohol, because I'm not lending you any sex toys."
"Wait, what?" I squeak out.
"What?" She answers blandly. Then she gives me a little wave and heads over to the bar again.
I see her saying something to Darcy, Delilah, and Angie and the remaining members of Girl Club come hustling over to see how I'm holding up in the aftermath of my showdown with the mean girl.
Darcy pokes me. "You know this is Girl Club, not Fight Club. As in you're not supposed to actually fight other people."
I shrug. "First rule is we don't talk about Girl Club." I go ahead and drink my beer with a little more gusto than usual. "Besides, that bitch had it coming."
Delilah nods. "I probably would have hit her. I'm not normally violent, but we all go a little crazy when people talk shit about our appearance." She rubs a hand across her hourglass curves. "I love every inch of myself, but I still don't want to hear anyone else's opinion about what I should look like, dress, like, or act like."
I flash her a smile because she definitely gets it. I don't know how hard she had to work to get that kind of attitude, but it's certainly something I hope I grow into. "It wasn't about me though. I mean, she definitely wanted to drag me about my appearance, but I'm used to that."
Darcy's face tightens and she lets out a creative series of swear words that makes Angela look away again. "Women need to stop being shitty to each other about the way that they look. We should be lifting each other up, not trying to pull each other down."
Oh Darcy. She's so naive sometimes. I give her a little tiny pat on the hand. "It's not like that though. You know that, and let's keep it real. You're a beautiful, badass tough girl. When you're a bigger girl like me, women and men alike will stand in line to tear you apart about your appearance."
The other girls both make noises of affirmation. Darcy stares at each of us one by one. "Well that's some bullshit."
I nod. "It is. And I'm beyond glad you're not that way, but there are way fewer of you nice pretty girls than say... Toni D'Souza's in this world."
At that, Angela drops her gaze to the floor and Delilah clears her throat.
"Toni's not all bad. She's a bit... fierce sometimes." Angela says, finally looking back up at me. "She's been friends with me since we were in high school."
I flinch. "Sorry girl. I didn't know she was your real friend."
Angela gives me a little hug. "It's okay. We're more like frenemies than actual friends. She's not an easy person to be friends with."
Delilah laughs. "She's not an easy person to be enemies with either."
