Page 24 of Be Your Somebody
Radio silence speaks volumes
Early Summer of 2023
Myanxiousmindholdsmy sanity hostage as more time passes from my last conversation with Cas. He couldn’t have changed his mind, could he? Yet, his radio silence speaks volumes. My mind is an aggressive game of tug-of-war between wanting to stand my ground or cave and go to him.
Bri picks up on my sour mood and brings up my least favorite nickname, her little Eeyore. She tries to invite me out multiple times,but I always decline. After the fourth time of declining Bri’s invite, she shows up at my door in a tight black dress that stops mid-thigh and six-inch heels. With her wavy chestnut hair down, she’s a complete knockout—she always is.
“Bitch, we’re going out. No excuses. Now, get your Eeyore ass upstairs and change out of those clothes.” When Bri has her mind set on something, there’s no changing it. I let out a frustrated growl as I headed upstairs with a smug Bri trailing behind me. She spends no time going through my closet and tossing out a pair of high-waisted jean shorts and a white crop top. Not wanting to attract attention, I apply the minimum amount of makeup: tinted moisturizer, lip gloss, and a coat of mascara. As soon as my sandals are on my feet, she’s dragging me out of the door.
Our town has few bars, so we end up at Aces,despite Bri’s pleas to go elsewhere.
“Hey, you’re forcing me out tonight. So what if your boo happens to be here.” I smirk.
“I am not opposed to murder, Ave. I’ve watched enoughLaw and Orderto know how to hide a body.” Her smirk has me rolling my eyes and I let out an unladylike snort. The bar is busy, but we find a spot off in the corner. I give Bri my drink order as I save our spots. Two people are working behind the bar tonight. One is Asher, but the other is someone I haven’t met. From afar, he’s total eye candy. With gauges in both his ears and arms covered in tattoos, all the women in the bar seem to be eye-fucking him. He’s not buff, but he’s not super skinny, either. The second he notices Bri, a sinister smile plays across his face, blinding me with the sexiest dimples I’ve ever seen. He walks over to her, but not before I catch him smirking at Asher.
Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the bar, Asher is shooting daggers at the man. Oh, poor Asher. He wants Bri, but she’s not giving him the time of day.
A laugh escapes my lips right as I see someone head toward me out of the corner of my eye. I’m preparing myself to turn down anyone who hits on me, so I take a defensive stance. When they come into full view, my face turns into a scowl.Giselle.The last person I wanted to see when I was trying to rid myself of thoughts of Cas.
“Well, look who it is,” she purrs.
“Giselle,” I murmur while looking back at the bar. She follows my gaze and lets out the most villainous laugh I’ve ever heard. She condescendingly pats my hand before opening her stupid mouth.
“Honey, if you can’t get a man like Cas, what makes you think you can get someone like him?” Her words ooze liquid venom. I want to snarl at her, but I refrain, knowing that’s what she wants.
As if that statement wasn’t enough, she leaned in and whispered, “It was my name Cas screamed. I know how to make him come. I don’t think I can say the same for you. Maybe I should visit your friend Cas. Go for a repeat performance.” She smirks.
Before I can say anything, Giselle is falling backward. “Got a problem?” Bri asks.
Giselle turns toward Bri and looks down her nose at her. “It’s none of your business,Brianna. I was telling yourfriendhere to stay away from what’s mine.” Giselle all but snarls Brianna’s name. Giselle is an azalea—pretty on the outside and deadly on the inside. She gives off bitch pheromones. Giselle’s gaze glides up and down Brianna’s body like she’s scoping out her competition.
“Oh, Giselle, it’s been a while. I can see you’re still a bitch who likes to cause drama for the fun of it. If you think any of the guys you hook up with actually want you, you’re fooling yourself. They see you as a fuck and dump. No man will ever actively choose you,” Bri snarls. I’m momentarily stunned by Giselle's sharp intake of breath and the brief look of what appears to be hurt. The guilt I feel—despite Giselle being an awful person—is brief when she decides to open her mouth. The curse of empathy, we even feel bad for the assholes.
“Funny, that’s not what Asher said the other day. Pity someone with your, well,curves,can’t land a man. I mean, some men are into plus-sized women, so I’m sure youcouldfind one.” Giselle’s smile rivals Maleficent’s, while Bri’s scowl could cause anyone to burst into flames. Giselle dramatically flips her glossy, blonde tresses while wiggling her fingers before shoulder checking Bri on her way out.
Bri snarls at her back before turning to me. “Hey, Ave, are you okay? You know she’s just being a bitch, right?”
Giselle’s bitchiness killed our happy vibes, so we paid our tab and exited the bar. We head back towards Bri’s car in complete silence. I’mso in my head about the conversation with Giselle that Bri has to slap my arm to get my attention.
“Huh?” I ask.
“I asked if you were okay. You know Giselle was doing that on purpose, right? She’s a real snake.” Bri’s concern warms my heart. God, I love this girl.
“Yeah, I guess—Giselle’s on a power trip or something. I'm not sure why she’s so mean to me. Before tonight, I’ve only interacted with her outside of Cas’ house.”
“It’s because she’s jealous. She hates her own damn life, so she goes and destroys other people. She’s the type of girl who peaked in high school. Trust me, I went to school with her. I was even friends with the bitch. She’s fucking awful.”
“You went to school with her? Wait, you were friends with her?” My face shows my shock and my voice comes off incredulous.How did I not know this?
“Ugh, unfortunately. I don’t know how I was ever friends with her. Giselle was always a nasty bitch. I tried to forget about her the second I left high school. She hasn’t left her petty bullshit behind. Seriously, Ave, Giselle isn’t someone to stress about. You have to focus on you and Cas, and what’s happening there. Whatisgoing on between you two?”
I relay our conversation while she listens. I tell her about my demands and the regrets I’m battling with. I tell her about Cas’ radio silence and my fears that he’s changed his mind.
“I don’t think he's changed his mind, Ave. He's probably trying to figure out how to make it clear he's trying. Girl, that boy would do anything for you. You verbalized your expectations, and I’m proud of you. As much as you want to go back to him and say screw it, don’t. Hold your ground and let him come to you. If you're tired of going in circles with him, you need to stick to this. Trust yourself because you know what you're doing,” she says.
I nod in agreement and put her words aside to mull over later.
“Omg, wait. How are you feeling about what Giselle said? I don’t believe Asher hooked up with Giselle. He’s way too into you to do something that stupid,” I say, watching as a kaleidoscope of emotions plays across her face. Bri can deny it all she wants, but deep down, there’s something there with Asher. But, of course, Bri being Bri, she just shrugs it off.
