Page 18 of Be Your Somebody
“Um, not yet, but I promise to look at it soon.” I’m glad she isn’t standing in front of me because my expression most likely screamsliar.
“Okay, good. It’s such a fantastic opportunity for you. Okay, gotta go. Love you, bye,” she says before hanging up.
“Love you, too, Bri,” I say into the phone while shaking my head. My stomach grumbles for the second time this morning, alerting me that I have yet to eat. I don’t have the patience to make an elaborate meal. So, it looks like it's a Greek yogurt and a bagel type of breakfast today. As soon as everything is ready and plated, I grab my coffee and head outside. I place my breakfast on the small, matte-black, round table between matching Adirondack chairs with yellow cushions. I take a moment to inhale the crisp spring air, enjoying the serenity it brings before having to get ready for work. It's still early morning, so the atmosphere is chilly and the dewdrops shimmer like diamonds across the grass in my front yard. I close my eyes and focus on birds chirping and cars driving on the main roads.
My eyes are still closed and I’m enjoying my uninterrupted bliss when a high-pitched giggle startles me. I decide to ignore it, knowing it’s probably one of the neighbors, and focus on the taste of coffee hitting my tongue. Then it happens again, but this time, I hear someone grunt. What the fuck?I think before opening my eyes to investigate what’s going on.
I look over to the house on my right, seeing nothing. My body freezes as realization washes over me. The sound is coming from Cas’ house. I find myself unable to resist the urge to look over, and that’s when I see Cas with some random girl. My stomach feels like I have eaten something that has expired. My throat thickens with emotion, seeing Cas with his hands on her ass and her legs wrapping around his waist. I can't see her face, but I know the type: long, blonde hair with curves for days under a tight red dress. I’ve time-traveled back to high school when he would hook up with girls similar to the one who’s tongue-fucking his throat. Now, I get a front seat to a porno I never wanted to watch.
“Get a room!” I shout in their direction. I didn’t sign up for breakfast and a show. Their lips part and Cas looks in my direction, annoyed at the interruption. I can barely resist rolling my eyes when the blonde shoots a glare my way. Of course, she’s beautiful. She’s a man’s walking wet dream.
“Fuck off and mind your business!” she shouts.
“Hey, back off of her, okay?” Cas replies to her before forcefully removing her legs from around his waist and dropping her to the ground. She looks at him with a pouty, disappointed expression.
“It's my business when you’re going at it in front of the house. I'm trying to eat my breakfast and want to keep it in my stomach. Thank you very much,” I say, returning to my food.
When I thought this was all done, she struts toward my house. Oh,hell no. I donotwant this bitch anywhere near my house. I stalk toward her, trying to keep her from stepping onto my property.
“Giselle, stop. Seriously, leave her alone,” Cas demands, trying to reach for her arm to pull her back, but he isn’t fast enough.
“No! This bitch thinks she can talk to me this way, so I'm going to give her a piece of my mind,” she says. Her eyes shoot daggers into mine. She sneers at me before continuing. “Don't come at me with this all high and mighty shit. It’s not my fault you can’t land a man like that, so don’t come at me with your petty, jealous bullshit,” she scoffs.
“Jealous? Honey, there’s nothing to be jealous about. I just don't want to see you two pawing at each other while I'm eating breakfast,” I say and turn around to make my way back to my house, already over this conversation and mentally thinking of ways to play human bowling with Cas and my car.
“Someone’sbitter they aren’t getting laid. Aw, but it’s not your fault you were born looking so…plain. You look like the type of girl to complain to Mom and Dad. Privileged little bitch,” she says.
I wince before turning around to face her again, tears stinging my eyes. My parents’ death can be a touchy subject for me, but something tells me Giselle won’t care. She takes one look at my state and starts laughing. My face feels like I’ve spent too much time in the sun and embarrassment floods my body.
“Tears? God, how pathetic. Go on now. Run along to Mom and Dad. They’ll tell you how fuckingspecialyou are. You’ll never be able to please a man like I can, honey. Girls like you could never do what I do. When men want to be fucked properly, that’s when they come to me.” She smirks.
I shoot a brief look toward Cas before walking away. Of all people, Cas knows how much their death has taken its toll on me. Hell, he fucking knew them.
It took two steps before I heard Cas going off. “That was uncalled for. You haveno ideahow special that woman is. She's a far better person than you’ll ever be. It's time for you to go. Now!” he yells. Well, at leasthe got one thing right this morning. I am special, but he sure as hell isn’t treating me like I am.
“Her? I mean, look at her. You seriously think a girl like her will do all the things we did last night?” Giselle’s tone screams TBS: toxic bitch syndrome.
“Get the fuck out of here. Oh, and lose my fucking number.” Those are the last words he says to her before he starts calling my name.
Chapter 13
Avery
We can’t keep doing this
Ifeelasifmy anxious thoughts are a rip current, threatening to pull me under and take me away. Why does Cas do this? More importantly, why does he do this tome? Cas continues calling after me, but I can’t deal with him now. I slammed the door behind me the second I entered my house, my breakfast and coffee quickly forgotten. My body collapses onto the floor and the dam holding back my tears breaks. I hear him knocking and shouting my name, but it hardly registers with how hard I’m crying. How could he just hook up with someone like her? It's like high school all over again. I remember him strutting around with girls like Giselleall the time and it completely gutted me, knowing I would never be the girl he wanted.
After a few moments, the knocking stops and the silence of Cas’s absence is deafening.Did he leave?A part of me is relieved he left, but I can’t shake the disappointment that he didn’t stay and fight for me more. The sound of a soft sigh from the other side of the door startles me.
“Avery, I'm sorry. Giselle was out of line. Can you open the door? Please?” His voice sounds rough, like he smokes a pack of cigarettes a day.
So, we’re having this conversation. My knees pop with how quickly I stand up to open the door and with enough force to knock Cas backwards.
I’m pushing into his chest, pushing him back further. “Seriously, Cas, her? God, it’s like you haven’t changed at all. Doing the same old shit that you did in high school. You probably won’t stay sober long, either.” Heartbreak pours out of me with each quivering word I spew. I’m so wrapped up in my pain that I don’t realize the words that left my mouth before it’s too late. I don’t mean it. I’m drawing in my sadness that my emotional brain told my rational brain to take a hike. His whole-body flinches from the impact of my words; his eyes are a storm cloud of agony. Guilt rises like bile in my throat. “Cas, I didn’t—" but he ends up cutting me off.
“I deserve that. I’m sorry, I won’t bother you again,” Cas says before walking away.
With a heavy sigh, I walk inside and close the door, unable to watch a dejected Cas walk away from me. Fuck, I shouldn’t have said what I said. Using someone's insecurities against them is one thing, but using someone's illness against them? That’s a new type of low. It makes me feel no different than Giselle, if I’m being honest. As much as I want to open the door and run after him, I don’t. Emotional exhaustion takes my body hostage and my back feels superglued to my front door.
