by S. P. West
“Brooke. It’s so good to see you.” She smiles in that patronizing way that tells me that she’s lying.
“Joely.” I grimace.
“So. Where have you been?” she says with preamble. “You disappeared into thin air.”
“That’s right, I did. Thanks for stopping by.”
“Oh come on now. You don’t disappear on your friends and expect them not to worry.” Beside me, Hope chokes on her drink.
“I don’t ever remember us being friends, Joely.”
“Oh, sugar, I wasn’t talking about me,” she says sweetly. “I was talking about Brody. He was out of his mind with worry.”
If I wasn’t stuck between my best friend and my sister, I would probably be on top of that stupid grinning bitch, pummeling the shit out of her fake face right now.
“I’m sure you gave him a lot of comfort.” Even I can hear the bitterness in my tone. This only seems to spur Joely on.
“I sure did.” She smiles evilly. “Anyway, I didn’t come over to talk about Brody. I came over to make my introductions to handsome here.” Joely rakes her eyes over Jake’s body as though he were a piece of prime meat.
Jake looks between us before offering his hand. “Jake.”
“Joely.” She purrs.
Bitch.
“So, you and Brooke go to school together or something?”
“Nope.” I interrupt Joely before she can open her mouth. “And she was just leaving. Bye.”
“You both know Brody.” Jake asks, confusion written all over his face, not getting my blatant hint that I want the skank gone from my air space.
“Yeah.” Hope pipes up. “In the biblical sense.”
“The what?” Joely asks.
“Ohhhhh. I get it. You’re her.” Jake looks at Joely with a disgusted expression. “Sorry, I don’t do STDs.”
“Excuse me,” Joely says, placing her hands on her hips. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Your reputation precedes you, and it’s not good.” Jake moves to stand. “I’m going to go get another drink. You ladies want anything?”
Hope and I shake our heads in tandem. Jake grins, shakes his head, and disappears off toward the bar.
“What did he mean my reputation precedes me?” Joely’s reedy voice alerts me to the fact that she’s still here.
“In simple terms, he knows you’re a whore,” I say, plastering a fake smile on my face.
“Did you just call me a whore?” she shrieks so loudly the whole bar falls silent. Everyone is looking at us. Good.
“Would you prefer slut?”
“How dare you?” she says through gritted teeth.
“How about woman of dubious character?”
“Ohhh, I like that one,” Hope interjects. “It sounds kind of classy.”
“I don’t have to listen to this,” Joely rages.
“You see, I think you do.” I smile. “Because as far as I can tell, no one has ever called you out for your behavior, little princess.” Joely’s face turns beet red as I continue. “Tell me. How many relationships have you torn apart? How many lives have you destroyed?” She says nothing. “Don’t you have any respect for yourself? Or do you think it’s all a game.”
“Oh I see.” She sneers. “Is this because of Brody? Is this because he wanted me, not you. Do you know why he came to me? He came to me because he was bored with you. He was bored with living a ho-hum life with his plain looking fiancée. He wanted to touch something beautiful. You just didn’t cut it anymore, sweetheart.”
Before anyone can stop me, I’m out from behind the table and landing a punch on her perfect face.
“You bitch!” she screams, holding her hand over her bleeding nose, while I see nothing but red. The next thing I know, I’m being lifted by a pair of strong arms.
“Let me go, Jake,” I yell, flailing my arms as I try to get back to Joely so I can beat her some more.
“She isn’t worth it, baby.”
“Brody?” I stop struggling, allowing him to pull me away from Joely. “What are you doing here?”
“Keeping an eye on you, slugger. Guess I was a bit late.” His mouth is pressed to my ear.
“Where’s Jake?”
“He’s got ahold of Hope.”
“And skank face?”
In the background I can hear the wail of sirens. Shit.
“I’m here du bitch.” Joely is sitting in the booth with a bloody tissue held under her nose. “I’m pressing fucking charges. You deserve to be fucking locked up, you psycho.”
Brody’s arms tighten around me as I struggle to get loose so I can lay another hit on her ugly face. This bitch is going down.
“LET. ME. GO,” I rage, stamping down, hard, on Brody’s foot. He doesn’t flinch.
“Easy, tiger,” he whispers so that only I can hear. “Take it down a notch, baby. Joely’s only trying to wind you up and it’s working. “
“I need to slap the shit out of her one more time,” I say through gritted teeth as I push against him.
“See, I don’t care if she gets hurt, but I care about that pretty little face of yours. I don’t want to only be seeing it behind glass for the next few years. Just let it go.” I turn to see that Brody is smiling down at me, giving my dead heart a little jump start.
“Awwww. Disn’t dat cute.” Joely slow claps her hands as she walks toward us. It would have been effective if she didn’t have a tampon in each nostril. “Brody and Brooke, together again.”
“Back off, Joely.” Brody warns.
“Dat is even cuter, you trying to be all alpha male.” She stops just before us. “You know your father was more of a man dan you, don’t you?” I can hear the shocked gasps from everyone looking on. “At least he could get it up, unlike you.” She holds a crooked little finger in front of our faces, sadly shaking her head. There are a few sniggers from the audience but I ignore them. My heart is pounding out of my chest. Brody didn’t sleep with Joely?
“What?” Brody exclaims. “But you told me…”
“I lied.”
“I don’t understand. You said…”
“What I wanted boo du hear.”
“I didn’t have sex with you?” he says, releasing me. “Why would you…you said that I did.”
“I tried my best to get Little, and I mean little,” she says, holding her thumb and forefinger an inch apart from each other, “Brody to stand at attention, but it was too much hard work.” She sighs. “Then you fell asleep and that was that.”
“You lied,” Brody says slowly, ignoring the fact that people are openly staring at him. “You told me we had sex.” I wince as he says it. “You blackmailed me into dating you, then you lied to me about having sex with you. I lost the chance to get back with my girl because you fucking lied!” he seethes. I’ve only seen him this angry a couple of times before, it never ends well for the other person. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I place my hand in his, giving his hand a squeeze. He looks down to our joined hands, the anger drains from his face briefly, reappearing when he looks, once again, at Joely. “I wondered why I came up clean when they screened me for STDs.”
“Now, now, Brody,” the bitch says, shaking her head. “No need to be so nasty or I’ll spread all your family’s secrets across town. Poor Judy. She already knows that I fucked her husband. What will it do to your dear old mom if she ever found out I fucked her youngest son as well?” Somewhere behind me I hear a loud gasp from Hope. “Or that you have a half sister?”
There is a low murmuring amongst our onlookers as they digest that bit of news. I look back at Hope to see that her face is contorted with rage. What on earth possessed Dair, Caden, and Brody to touch this slut? A willing vagina, I suppose.
“Oops,” Joely continues, bringing her hand to cover her mouth. “Did I say that out loud? I guess I did.”
“Bitch,” Hope yells. “Let me go, Jake!”
“Anyway,” Joely says, looking bored, “I’m over it. I’ll just wait for the pol
ice because I will be pressing charges.”
An auburn blur whizzes past me, and the next thing I know, Joely is on the floor screaming while clutching her face. Hope stands over her with her chest heaving.
“If I’m going to do jail time for you, then it should at least be worth it. Bitch.” Hope spits, pulling her leg back to kick Joely. Jake tackles her away from the prone figure before she can.
“Come on, baby. Orange just ain’t your color.”
“That was for my sister,” Hope shouts over Jake’s shoulder as he carries her toward the exit. “And for fucking my ex-boyfriend.”
No one tries to stop me as I walk over to Joely and crouch down beside her. Keeping my voice low so that only she can hear, I say, “I hope your crotch rots off and your fake nose melts. You’ve wrecked the lives of a lot of people in this town, people that I know and love. You get one warning and that’s it, so listen and listen good. If you ever, ever, think about screwing me, my family, or my friends over again, then I will make it my personal mission to ensure that your life becomes a living hell. Understand?” I have to stand quickly to avoid the blood covered phlegm from hitting me as she tries to spit in my face. “Temper. Temper.”
“Screw boo. I hope they throw away the key.”
In the doorway, two sheriff’s deputies stand surveying the scene before them. One of them, Herb Whittle, shakes his head and starts walking straight toward me.
“Hey, Herb.”
“Brooke.” He smiles. “Long time no see. It’s good to see you.”
“And you.” I return his smile.
“You do this?” he asks, lifting his chin in Joely’s direction.
“Yeah.”
He lets out a long sigh. “I’m gonna have to take you in. The sheriff will be wanting to ask you some questions.”
“Okay.”
“He’ll be mightily disappointed in you and your sister.”
“I know.”
Herb takes his hat off and scratches his head. “He promised your daddy that he’d look out for the both of you if anything happened. I don’t think this is what your daddy and the sheriff quite meant though. Come on, let’s get you both down to the station.”
“Don’t you need to interview anyone?”
“Redmond will do it,” he says as he heads to the door.
“Don’t you want to cuff me?” Behind me, Brody snorts with laughter.
“Why would I do that for?”
“Because I’m being arrested?”
“You’re the daughter of a police officer. I’ve known you your whole life. I think we’re good.” I turn to look at Brody who shrugs and mouths, I’ll follow you, as I trot to catch up with Herb, stopping just as we reach the bar entrance.
“Wait one moment, Herb. I’ve got to get my purse.”
“I’ll wait here for you.”
All eyes are on me as I walk back through the bar to where Joely is now sitting with an ice pack attached to her face.
“Joely?” I say, taking my purse from Brody and hooking it over my shoulder.
“Get lost.”
“Remember my warning.” I smirk. “I know you have secrets, and I’m going to find them. All of them.” For a brief moment, Joely looks scared, but soon her features fall back into the resting bitch face mode.
“Enjoy jail,” she says, and flips me off. I wink and walk toward the ever patient Herb.
Brooke
“Thanks for bailing us out.” I smile sweetly at Jake as he opens Lola’s front door.
“Don’t thank me. I didn’t pay your bail.”
“What do you mean you didn’t pay it? Of course you did.”
“Nope.”
“Seriously?” I ask. “But you said…”
Jake puts one hand over my mouth and indicates for me to keep quiet. He looks around to make sure that Hope is still in the cab of Brody’s truck, talking on her cell to Zane, then whispers quietly. “Brody paid it.”
“Brody!” I say, louder than intended.
“Shhhh. Keep your voice down.”
“Brody paid it?” I whisper shout. “There’s no way Brody could have gotten ahold of twenty thousand that quickly and”—Jake steps back as I poke him in the chest—“why are we whispering?”
“Shhhh.”
“Don’t keep shushing me. Just answer the goddamn question!”
“Believe me or not. I went to pay, but Brody had gotten there first. His brother gave him the money. I overheard Brody talking to him. His brother is going to arrange an attorney to see if he can get the charges dropped, which is the reason why I’m whispering. You know how upset Hope gets when her ex is mentioned. Telling her that he bailed her out won’t end well for any of us.”
“Great. Now I suppose I’ll have to thank him,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Don’t,” Jake says, placing his hand on the small of my back and ushering me through the door. “Brody doesn’t want you to know.”
“He said that?”
“Yeah, when he realized I’d overheard him, he asked me not to tell you.”
“Why?”
“How the fuck should I know? All he said was don’t tell Brooke. I even offered to give him the money, but he refused to take it. Told me he got this.”
“Wow.” I breathe, as I throw myself down on the couch. “Did he say anything else?”
“No.”
“But…”
“Don’t think about it, okay? Just make sure you call Lola to see if you can stay longer, seeing as you’re stuck here until we can get this mess sorted out. I’m going to have to head home in the morning, but I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll ask Zane to do some digging into Joely’s background. See if we can find some dirt on her. The attorney that the McAllisters hired should sort you out with the legal side. Now, killer, I think you’ve had enough excitement for one night. Off to bed with you,” he says, kissing the top of my head. “I probably won’t be here when you wake up. I’ll text you when I get home. Okay?”
“Thank you. For everything.”
Jake gives me a small smile, holding out his hand to help me stand. “That’s what friends are for.”
“Did I ever tell you that you’re the best friend a girl could have?” I yawn.
“You forgot to add most handsome after the best.”
“Modest as well.”
“Some girl is going to be lucky to have me.”
“You’ll never settle down,” I say drowsily.
“True.” He nods. “You want me to carry you up?”
“Nah. I’m good. Go and check on Hope.”
“K.”
“Jake.” He leans back through the door. “I hope you find the right girl for you one day. Sorry I wasn’t it.”
“Your heart belongs to someone else, darlin’, knew that from the first time I met you. He’s a lucky guy,” he says before disappearing off to find Hope.
“Yeah. Thanks, Lola, really appreciate it.” Hope looks at me questioningly, and holds out her thumb horizontally, like some old roman emperor waiting to give his decision whether a gladiator would live or die. I shrug my shoulders and try to concentrate on what Lola is saying.
“An extra day or two is all I can offer you, honey.” Lola’s breathy voice echoes down the line. “You know I would if I could, but Momma and Pawpaw are coming to visit. I don’t think I’ll have room.”
I give Hope the thumbs down sign and mouth, try Green Ivy Motel, to her. She makes a face, then heads out of the room with her cell to make the call.
“Did you hear me, hun?”
“What? Oh yeah, sorry, Lo. What was that again?”
She laughs sweetly. “I said I’m really sorry, babe. I would offer you the couch but with my sisters coming as well...Try calling Billy up at the Green Ivy, he might have some room.”
“Hope’s trying him now,” I say just as Hope walks back into the room, shaking her head. “Looks like that’s a no.”
“Well I could try…”
“No, don’t y
ou worry, Lola. You’ve done too much already. Hope and I will work something out. Let us worry about that.”
“Just a shame that Emmerton doesn’t have anywhere else for you to stay.”
“Believe me, if we could, we’d be gone by now.”
“How long do you have to stay?”
“Until we get this sorted. We’re forbidden to leave the town limits unless Joely drops the charges, or we go before the judge.” I sigh. “The snow’s started clearing as well, it would have been a nice drive home.”
“That’s good to hear. I meant the snow, not the fact you’re now a master criminal.”
“I understood.” I laugh. “I guess I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
“Yeah. I know it’s not the best circumstances, but I’m looking forward to seeing you both.”
“Me too.”
“Take care, hun.”
“Bye,” I say, ending the call. I look up to see Hope watching me.
“So I take it from the phone call that we’ll be homeless in a few days?”
“Looks like it.” I take the seat next to her. “What happened with Billy?”
“Apparently, he doesn’t rent out rooms to convicted felons.”
“We haven’t been convicted of anything…yet.”
“I know that. You know that. The whole town knows that, but Billy was adamant.”
“What are we going to do?” I lean my head against Hope’s shoulder, letting out yet another long sigh.
“We could go on the run?”
“Could you imagine the uproar? Cop of the century, Deputy Elderhouse’s daughters disappear with criminal convictions over their heads? Dad would turn over in his grave.”
“Nah.” She chuckles. “Dad would laugh and plan our escape.”
“Yeah. He would,” I say quietly.
We sit in silence for a while until Hope squeezes my hand.
“Brooke?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“I miss them.”
“I do too.”
Hope turns her face toward mine. For a fleeting moment, I’m reminded of the little girl who was once my shadow. Everywhere I went, Hope went too. Everything I did, Hope tried to copy. Every time she was sad, I’d hug her tight as I vowed to protect her from the boogeyman. I see my vulnerable little sister again and I know in that instance that Caden McAllister still has the power to rip her apart.
