Page 15 of Ever's Last
Natalie at least takes to eating the grits and the onions. To her credit, she even nibbles on the ham. Rachel takes a spoonful of the grits and almost chokes, kind of like how she did on my cock. She starts to talk about the cooking and has the nerve to say it was horrible. This makes Natalie dig into the ham and take seconds of the grits. Rachel’s disdain for the food makes this decision easy.
I know what I have to do. Bye-bye, Rachel.
“I’ve made my decision.” I put my fork down and dab at my mouth with my napkin.
Both girls put down their forks and blink, waiting patiently for me to talk. I don’t keep them waiting long.
“Rachel, you’re very pretty, but I’m not that into you.” Her mouth falls open at my announcement to the whole world. I wonder if anyone is actually watching this load of crap.
Natalie graciously smiles as I give her a daisy. There are no roses on this show, only daisies.
Rachel doesn’t take any of this well. If I had to be honest with myself, Rachel is darting looks of death at anyone and everyone. I almost wonder if she’s mentally stable because her eyes are wide with fury. That could be because I just dumped her on national television.
“So, it’s okay to have your dick down my throat, but you’re not that into me?” Rachel screeches, I smirk, and Sal winces. This will be great television.
“Exactly. If you’re that easy on day one, who is to say what would happen on day ninety-two. You’re a slut after my money.” She lunges at me, claws out.
“Security,” Sal calls out and soon she’s hauled off of me and thrown into a van, kicking and screaming.
He got his ratings. I’m sure people will love this, but they might hate me even more now. I think he needs to explain to me again how this is helping my image.
“Natalie, would you like dessert?” She nods and Shane brings out a dish of homemade peach ice cream.
This is a sweet victory.
Chapter Eleven
Ever
That was a move none of us saw coming. He picked Natalie over Rachel. Holy shit. I would have guessed Rachel would have been around longer after last night.
“Why am I so invested in this?” Ivy snorts.
“Because it’s happening right before our eyes.” We get to see everything, even the stuff that happens off-camera. I think back to that night when I almost watched Rachel give Memphis a blow job. That’s not something the public would ever see unless a sex tape was leaked. I bet Memphis has a few floating out there in internet land.
And I’m suspecting that Skye is trying to weasel her way back into Memphis’s heart. Such a snake. I think all the girls are putting on a front. None of them really know Memphis, nor do they want to. Do they know that his favorite band is Linkin Park? Or that he loves country music? That his favorite food is waffle nachos, a version of chicken and waffles? Do they really know him at all? He likes sky blue, he’s afraid of bees, he always wanted to be an MMA fighter. I know these things because that’s what friends find out about each other, even though he probably doesn’t know any of that about me. I guess time will tell if they want to know the real him or if they are after the fame and fortune that comes with him.
“Want to stay over?” I ask both Linc and Ivy, wanting to forget about Memphis for a while. We’ve done this every once in a while. It gets Linc out of the house and I don’t feel lonely. I have my dad, but it’s not the same. Too many things lead back to the asshole staying at the end of the hall.
“How about a dip in the lake?” Linc suggests.
“Sounds like fun.” We change and head to the lake.
Both of them have clothes at my house. Linc has a full closet because he stays out in the barn sometimes when things get bad at home. I hope he gets everything straight soon. Like me, he’s an adult. It’s his house, but I can understand why he doesn’t take action. He’s trying to keep one parent happy. I tolerated a bitch just to keep my dad happy.
We’re swinging on a tire we put up a couple years ago when some of the crew wander down and join us. A few of the girls brave the lake as well. My dad even jumps in. It’s the first time I’ve seen some of the contestants relax.
Been so long since I have. I can feel the tension roll off my back.
One person is absent— Memphis. He’s missing out on the fun.
Don’t know why I care. I shouldn’t. But some part of me still wonders what could have been.
“Surprised you fit into a suit.” Remember when I said Skye had been leaving me alone and what a blessing it was? Well, I guess that blissful silence has ended.
I turn to face her, older and wiser. She can’t push me around. I’m not the scared little nerd I was in high school.
“Surprised you can even show your face. Wrinkles aren’t a good look for you.” I need to work on my insults.
