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LOVE HURTS
HILARY STORM
LOVE HURTS
What in the world am I doing with Slade in my bed? His sister is sure to kill us both. This can’t be what my best friend meant when she encouraged me to move on from my latest heart break… but damn if I’m not thinking at all about how bad Love Hurts.
CHAPTER 1
HADLEE
“You need this, Hadlee. Besides it won’t hurt you to spend a night out with your best friend.” Emma has been relentless in her attempts to convince me go to the club with her tonight. Even with a week’s worth of warning, I’m not anywhere close to being in the right head space to be in a room full of people… let alone a club full of drunks. I glance over the top of the covers and squint in her direction as she holds up a few of my shirts before tossing them to the ground, hanger and all. “We really need to go shopping. Where are your sexy tops.”
“I don’t have any. Remember Jared trashed anything that showed even the slightest bit of skin.”
“Fuck Jared. We aren’t saying his name.” I flop my head back on the pillow and cover it with the blanket, silently wishing for some miracle to come that would shift Emma’s attention to anything except going out tonight.
I don’t have to voice my agreeance on the Jared issue but I decide to add a little jab of my true feelings on the matter. “Fuck all men.” My days of silence and being couped up has been all the proof she needs of my distaste of men. I’ve been through some shit relationships in my time and this one doesn’t even top the list of hurt I’ve seen. Emma has been here to pick up the pieces every single time my heart has been broken.
“I agree. Let’s go fuck as many men as we can tonight. Run through them just like they do us. It has to be better than this.” She yanks the covers from the bed and tosses a towel on my face. “Go shower. There’s fun and orgasms to be had.”
I slide my hand over the towel and start to cover up with it just before she yanks the pillow out from under my head. “Chop. Chop.” This time she glares at me with a little tilt to her head, daring me to defy her any longer. We both know that her persistence is much stronger than the energy I have to fight with her.
“Fine. But I’m not promising that I’ll be staying the entire time. Don’t get mad if I catch an Uber home.” I slam the bathroom door and consider my departing words a win when she doesn’t yell at me through the door.
The shower begins to steam quickly while I let Emma’s words and the continued nightmare of my love life play through my mind. I can’t believe I’m here again. Same story, different day. It’s infuriating.
Men really are giant trash dumpsters with no emotion or regard for the consequences of their actions. I can’t even say I’m in love with Jared. The ghosts of an old relationship always seem to overshadow any connection I attempt to have. I’ve tried the fake it until I make it bit quite unsuccessfully for two years now. But just as much as we aren’t saying Jared’s name… we most certainly aren’t going to even think about him.
The smell of my bodywash begins to pull me out of the numbness just as Emma opens the bathroom door. “You know, we haven’t been out just the two of us in months. I’m looking forward to this! We can start with a few drinks here or even go by my place if you want. Maybe you’ll feel more like going out in public once we have a few drinks.” I can see her silhouette through the textured glass as she sits on the toilet and continues to convince me of the fun this night will bring.
“Yeah, okay.” Emma and I have been friends for more than half of our lives. We met in third grade and have been best friends ever since. I can’t think of a time where we weren’t talking to each other through the shower doors or picking each other up from one of life’s heart breaks. We’ve definitely had our fair share of heartache.
“Change of plans. We’re going to a house party. My brother finally messaged me back. He said he will be leaving again tomorrow.” I don’t object to a house party over the club. The idea of ditching the crowded dance floors and chaos sounds perfect. Not to mention, I could probably find a room to disappear to at a house.
“When did he get back to town?” Her brother, Slade left a few years ago when he had a few mishaps with the police and was thrown out of the house by their father. I’ll never forget the screaming matches those two would get into. Their dad was a horrible human being that Slade clashed with daily without all of the extra trouble added to the mix.
“Literally this morning. How does he think he can come and go within twenty-four hours and I would be okay with that?” I start washing my hair faster, knowing her patience is about to come to an end. Emma and Slade were pretty close growing up. You have to be when your parents are almost nonexistent. I guess rich people don’t have to raise their own kids. Slade decided to rebel. I say it was to get attention but he always tried to put up a front and act like he didn’t have feelings. Someone without feelings wouldn’t watch over his little sister and her best friend like he did.
“Toss me a towel and go get us a shot.” And just like that I went from the sad loner under the covers to the best friend who is here to make sure Emma has a fun night with her brother that she hasn’t seen in years.
* * *
“Take a right here, then it’ll be at the end of the street.” Emma tells our driver where to go just before we see the wall of motorcycles lined up along the front of the house. She looks back at me before she opens the door, no doubt catching my what the fuck have you gotten me into expression. How can I not be nervous about what we’re about to walk in on. There are at least twenty motorcycles out here plus trucks and cars are squeezed into every spot possible.
I’m fresh out of a situationship and not really looking for a night on the wild side. Something calm and chill sounds amazing. The distinctive yelling over the loud music, combined with obnoxious laughter and half naked women draped over the guys would be the exact opposite of my idea of calm and chill. But I love my friend and I will do anything she asks.
We’re not to the porch yet when Slade runs up behind us, his boots stomping the ground with each step and startling both of us. He picks up Emma and lifts her in a big bear hug. “These are my little sisters. Not a single one of you mother fuckers better touch either one of them. Hands off.” His voice echoes over the music, turning every head toward us and drawing much more attention than I had hoped we would gain the entire night.
“Slade. What the hell? I’m trying to get our girl here to snap out of her funk and have a little fun. You just blocked us for miles.” His smile doesn’t falter when she slaps him on the shoulder as he reaches to pull me into a tight hug.
“What’s causing the funk, Hads?” He speaks against my ear before breaking his hold on me.
“Aww. Nothing.” I try to play it off with hopes of changing the subject immediately.
“Men are assholes… that’s what has her in a shitty mood and we were hoping she’d get distracted tonight and forget all about the ones that shall not be named so don’t do that crap anymore. If it’s good for you to hang around with… it’s good for us.”
“Dickstracted, huh?” He turns to look at me again and smirks as the play on Emma’s words fall from his mouth.
