Page 66 of Wreckage of Me
“Yeah, that,” he starts laughing, seemingly relieved that I get it.
“We should probably go to bed now,” I pat his hand, then stand up and stretch. I still feel pretty queasy, and I definitely don’t want my brother to have to clean up after me if I started puking all over the place again.
“It’s still early,” Colton looks out the window where the view of our back yard is just perfection. The sun is starting to set, its reflection in the water of the creek that’s running through the back of our property giving it this surreal vibe.
“I’m really tired, Coltie,” I tease him with the name Mom used to call him when he was little. “I need to rest my old bones. I got an early morning.”
“If your bones are tired at twenty-three, how are they gonna be at forty-three?” he calls me out on my bullshit.
“I guess I’ll have to let you know then.” I give him a tired wink, then head upstairs to where the bedrooms are. “Be good,” I call behind me as an after thought.
“I’m always good,” he yells up the stairs.
The smile I had on my face while with him dies as soon as I am inside my bedroom. I close the door behind me and walk to the bed blindly. I drop on it and fall back on the soft comforter. I might just spend the rest of the early evening and into the night staring at the ceiling.
My cell phone starts buzzing from the nightstand, forcing me to stand up and walk around the bed to reach it.
I almost don’t answer when I see it’s Emily calling. I’m sure she just wants to see what the scoop is. But I know she’ll try again if I don’t answer now, so I decide to do it.
“Hey,” I murmur into the speaker, making myself comfortable against the headboard of the bed.
Emily’s voice sounds a lot more subdued than I would’ve expected. “Are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah, I’m okay. I’ve been better,” I choke out. “But I’ll be okay for sure,” I insist, mostly to myself.
“I didn’t know my dad was having Dylan over,” she tells me apologetically. “I guess he is friends with his mom. And they both knew David, from when he lived in Texas.”
“It’s okay, Em. It wouldn’t have made a difference,” I assure her. At least I don’t think it would’ve made a difference. I mean, maybe I would’ve been mentally prepared to see him? While on the arm of another man?
“What happened with Oliver?” Emily asks me like she can read my mind.
“Well,” I snort out, “he drove me home, told me some pretty terrible things.” I take a deep breath in before continuing as I recall the events of the day. “Then I got sick in his car…”
“Oh my god, are you okay?” Emily is the closest I have to a best friend, and I appreciate her caring like this more than I thought I would.
“I’m fine,” I wave her off. “His car on the other hand…”
“No,” she gasps in horror.
“Oh, most definitely yes,” I chuckle, but it’s not a happy sound. I feel like crying. “Then he brought me in the house, helped me to my room.”
“I am so sorry, I should’ve followed you home to make sure you’re okay. The whole thing with Dylan…”
“Was a mistake,” I cut her off. “I should have never left the party when he dragged me away, and now…” I start crying.
“Aww, Becca, please don’t cry,” Emily almost sounds like she is in tears herself.
“I should’ve never allowed him in my hotel room back in Texas,” I sniffle. “That’s how I got in this whole mess, you know?”
“I shouldn’t have asked you to go to Texas with me six months ago,” the guilt pours out of Emily. “I didn’t want to go by myself, and my dad said…”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Em,” I interrupt her again. “Thank you for being my friend,” I add. I probably should tell her this more often.
Ever since my parents died, I’ve had such a hard time getting too close to people, and she’s the only one who’s been able to be a part of my life as much as she has. Other than my brother, of course.
“Our lives seem so complicated all of a sudden, right?” Emily surprises me with her question. She sounds sad and gloomy, not like her usual perky self.
“What’s going on, Em?” We haven’t talked as much in the last two weeks. It seems that I can’t date while also maintaining good communication with my friends. Social multitasking has never been my friend.
