AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 14
I wanted Bella to be happy and to enjoy her bachelorette party but I was reaching the end of my ability to squeal at random intervals and consume a fruity drink through a penis straw. I didn’t know any of her friends well except for Kennedy, who she had been friends with since high school. For the most part they ignored me and for the most part I was okay with that. My role was silent observer to the party.
Stifling a yawn, I made an attempt to take a picture of Bella but she yelled at me. “Ew, stop! I wasn’t ready for that.”
“It’s candid. I’m capturing a beautiful moment with you and your girlfriends. It’s spontaneous, not posed.”
“Delete it!” Bella was super-drunk. Her words were slurred. She pointed a manicured fingernail at me. Coffin-cut acrylics. I knew that’s what they were because she had told me three times.
It was unusual for Bella to get trashed. She didn’t like losing control like that and she didn’t need the social lubricant. She was far too worried usually about how sloppy behavior would reflect on her. This actually had me a little concerned. The whole week had been weird. She didn’t seem happy so much as she seemed manic.
“Okay, it’s gone,” I said, pretending to delete the photo. I wanted to look at it later and see if she looked as off as I thought she did. I was glad I had made the decision to stay sober. I had only had one beer so far and one girlie shot the other bridesmaids had forced on me that tasted like flavored water. “Are you okay?” I asked her, knowing what the response would be, but feeling compelled to inquire nonetheless. “Maybe you shouldn’t drink anymore.”
Bella snorted. “Everything is fucking awesome. Everything is great. I’m getting married, Soph. Fucking married. And I’m going to drink until the bar closes. Because I can.”
Being a babysitter to a gang of drunk women wasn’t my usual Wednesday night but I figured I didn’t have much choice. I wasn’t going to convince Bella to go home. This was her second bachelorette party. The first had been the “real” one, a cruise out of Baltimore to the Bahamas, that we had allegedly surprised her with. Meaning my mother went to great lengths to pretend Bella had no clue, packing a bag for her and creating a whole bait and switch of going to a concert in Baltimore and then jumping on a ship. Also allegedly, I had planned the whole thing. Which of course the wedding planner had done, not me. I had spent the majority of the three days bored, ready for all events in ten minutes while the other girls spent ninety minutes getting themselves primped to eat dinner. But it had been fine overall. No objections.
This little outing seemed an unnecessary add-on to what had frankly been a damn nice bachelorette trip. This was like a desperate, last-minute attempt to be wild by a woman who was not wild. Or something like that. I had no clue what was going through her head.
Cain had texted me a couple of times and I wanted to answer, but at the same time I didn’t because there was no way I could meet up with him and I didn’t even want to be tempted. It was so easy to be tempted with Cain. But I couldn’t manage his intensity, his kisses, when Bella seemed to be determined to jump on the Hot Mess Express.
Christian had been watching the bachelorette party all night. He seemed to be flirting with all Bella’s friends, and even a little with me. Which disgusted me. But Bella seemed oddly interested in him. She kept insisting she go to the bar to get another round and she had taken some selfies with him, which seemed way weird. I hoped like hell she wasn’t drunkenly posting them on Snapchat.
“Give me your credit card,” she said, holding out her hand to me. “I lost mine.”
“You lost your credit card?” I gaped at her. “Isn’t that Bradley’s credit card?” I had seen it. A little black thing with his name on it. Not good. “You should text him and let him know so he can cancel it.”
“I’m not texting him. Tonight is all about me.”
Tonight was all about vodka. “Let me go get the drinks. What do you want?” I was not handing her my freaking debit card. She might lose that too.
“Get me whatever.” She waved her hand, rolling out her bottom lip in a look that she would never do in public sober. Ever.
“K.” I jumped off my chair and walked to the bar, texting Bradley about the credit card. The guy deserved a heads-up.
He texted me back immediately.
No big deal. I’ll cancel it. Hope Bel is having fun.
Loads of fun.
I wasn’t sure that was entirely accurate but I wasn’t about to get involved in their relationship at all. I went up to Christian at the bar. I wished there was someone else to order a drink from, but he was it. “Hey, can I get a cranberry juice with a small, almost nonexistent splash of vodka?” That way I wouldn’t have to lie to Bella if she asked if it had vodka in it, but it might increase her ability to metabolize the alcohol already in her system if she was not continuing to drink more.
“Are you pretending to be a cool girl?” he asked with a smirk.
“No.” I didn’t like him. I couldn’t like him after what he had done to Cain. I didn’t explain anything further. I couldn’t care less what he thought of me.
When I took the plastic cup and turned around I drew up short. “Oh! Hi.” Cain was standing behind me.
I had figured he had gone home by now. But not only was he standing there, he had a stormy look on his face. He was pissed I hadn’t texted him back, that was obvious to me. The wolf wasn’t hiding. He was out in full force. I actually shivered. I had never seen his anger directed at me and it was intimidating. I didn’t like it.
“You didn’t answer me because you’re too busy talking to my brother?” His voice was low, drawn out.
Yep. Very angry. But I wasn’t taking responsibility for that. “I ordered a drink for Bella,” I said. “She’s trashed. And I didn’t text you back because I was afraid if I did I would beg you to take me away from here, where I’m stuck being the world’s worst babysitter. It’s not a role I excel at.”
“You could have just told me that in a text.”
“You’re right.” I didn’t say anything beyond that. I wasn’t going to apologize for not being in constant communication with him when I had made it perfectly clear this night was about Bella and I had sister shit to do. He may not like that, but too bad.
