Page 24 of Black Wave

We pull into the bar parking lot, and by the looks of it, the place starts getting packed quickly. We notice a few cars belonging to our friends and look forward to seeing everyone. The music is loud on the outside deck, so we go there knowingthat’s where our friends will be. Sure enough, we see Zach, Brodie, and Crispin out here, along with Piper sandwiched in the middle. We move faster toward the tables and hug everyone in all our southern hospitality. Piper is throwing her hands up in the air along with her beer can, singing along to “Say It Ain’t So”by Wheezer.

“I love this song!” she screams at us over the music. Piper returns her focus to the band.

“As if we couldn’t guess that,” I say jokingly, to no one in particular.

“R-ight.” Brodie laughs at her dancing around. “She’s not driving home tonight, is she, Zach?”

Zach shakes his head. “Definitely not.”

We all laugh, knowing we are just getting started.

The night continues, as do the drinks. We take lots of shots, and I take pictures for Liv. I hope she knows that she is missed. One of the pictures is of our discarded shot glasses piled high on each other, resting on a napkin with the words,I wish you were here,written in Sharpie marker. Being a nurse requires always having a Sharpie marker in your possession.

I grab my clutch and excuse myself to go to the bathroom. When I turn the corner, I stop abruptly at what and who I see in front of me.

CHAPTER 13

Emma

Ican’t believe what I am seeing. That motherfucker. I quickly make a turn and head back around. I don’t think he has seen me. I hurry back to our table toward Val and Ainsley. They are in a heated debate on whose turn it is to buy the next round. I tug on Val’s sleeve, and she faces me.

“Emma, what do you think? Didn’t I buy the last round?” She twists her lip up in a snarl at Ainsley. I throw my hands up at her face.

“Hey, Val! Focus. I need to show you something.” I look at Ainsley and put my finger to my mouth to silence her from asking more questions. “Bring your phone and follow me,” I say, dragging them by the hand to bear witness to the act. Their interest is now piqued, and they follow me eagerly. I slow down before we get to the corner, where I see that jerk. I halt, throwing my hand back and signaling them to stop. I turn around to face them.

“What is it, Emma?” they ask in unison.

I bring them in closer as if he can hear us around the corner, despite the loud music infiltrating through the open patio and the multitude of voices carrying over from the crowd gathered here tonight.

“I have just seen Brodie making out with some girl around this corner.” I hear a gasp from Val as she puts her hand up to her mouth.

“No way!” She looks over to Ainsley, who looks back and forth at us, waiting to see if I am joking. I am, in fact, not joking.

“I swear, guys, it’s him. I was so shocked. I headed to the bathrooms, rounded the corner, and he had some girl he was making out with and groping her against the wall for everyone to see.”

“What should we do?’ Ainsley asks.

Val shakes her head in question. “Should we confront him?”

I contemplate the best form of action at this point. “I think we need proof—proof to show Liv once and for all that he is a lying, cheating scumbag. If we just tell her, she may not believe it. I think we should video it, and then she can determine whether or not she wants to pursue this”—signaling air quotes—“relationship.” This whole long-distance relationship is making her more unhappy due to the uncertainty of their situation. Are they together or not? From what I saw, I think not.

Val nods in agreement. She turns the corner with her video ready to record. I hold Ainsley back because I don’t want to draw any other attention to us, and I want to ensure we get this on tape for Liv. After only thirty seconds, but what seems like an hour, Val faces us with a look of disgust on her face.

“Come on, girls, I think I got enough footage. We need to watch this.” She pulls us outside onto the deck that is a bit quieter and away from where the band is playing. We head outside, and she shows us her phone, hitting play. We all lean in to look at the scene on her recorded video.

The video zooms in on Brodie off in the corner by the bathrooms. He has a girl with long black hair pushed up against the wall. One of his hands is on her thigh as he holds her leg around his waist. She has a short black skirt with a purplehalter top. Her breasts are smashed against his chest. They are grinding against each other to the music, and his face devours the side of her neck. Her head is thrown back in ecstasy, and his other hand is locked onto her very prominent, most-likely silicon, boob.

A guy begins to walk across the screen as we look away, not needing to see any more. Val shuts the video off. She sends the footage to Ainsley and me to have as copies in case one gets deleted.

“What should I do, guys?” Val whines and stomps her foot. “I can’t send it to Liv. It will devastate her.”

I agree with Val about this. “But I do think she should know about Brodie,” I interject.

Ainsley volunteers to send it, and we don’t have a problem letting her take the reins on that one. Ainsley types something out, her thumb hovering over the send button as she looks at us for confirmation. We both nod in agreement, and then she hits send.

After that, the girls and I fight off a bout of melancholy at having to disclose this information to Liv. We decide to call it a night and go home. We return to our table of friends, tell everyone good-bye, and plan to meet by the pier in our usual spot tomorrow. We don’t see Brodie after that, and when we go to the bathroom before leaving, he is no longer there with that girl. Scandalous.

The drive home is somber. I turn on the music to fill the silence, and “It’s No Good”by Depeche Mode sounds throughout the car. The girls drop me off at my place first, and they wait until I make it into my apartment and turn on the light in my bedroom before they pull out of the complex.

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