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“Are you kidding me? You? I never thought I’d see the day.” He looked at me over his sunglasses. “Things going good with her?”
“Actually, no. They couldn’t be worse.”
“What happened?”
“Let’s see. What hasn’t happened? For one, my mother tormented her until she finally quit her job here.”
He nearly spit out his drink. “You were messing around with the help?”
For some reason, that really offended me. “She used to work here, yeah.”
“She must be one hot piece of ass.”
I kind of wanted to punch him. But truthfully, that’s how we typically talked. When it came to Raven, though, I was hypersensitive about everything.
“Yeah. She’s beautiful, but there’s a lot more to her than her looks. We’ve really been connecting, although I’m pretty sure I scared her away the other night.”
He laughed. “What…did you take out your monster dick?”
I gave him a look that must have told him exactly how little I was in the mood for his shit.
“Sorry, man. I’ll be serious. What happened?”
“The night she quit, I chased after her. She basically left after being insulted one too many times. It was torture witnessing it. A little part of me died every time my mother disrespected her. Her quitting was such a relief.”
His eyebrows climbed. “Wow. You’re really into this girl.”
“We ended up at this private beach that night and…one thing led to another.”
“You fucked her?”
“No. Things didn’t go that far. Believe me, I wanted to, but she’s actually a virgin.”
A genuine look of surprise crossed his face. “Okay…”
“Yeah…so understandably, she’s wary, especially about someone who’s leaving at the end of the summer.”
“So, you messed around a little. What’s the big deal?”
“She’s been avoiding me ever since, and I think she might regret what we did.”
It was weird that I didn’t want to go into the sexual details with him. But something about that seemed like I’d be violating Raven’s trust. In the past I’d had no problem detailing stuff I’d done with girls, yet everything felt different when it came to her.
He snapped me out of my thoughts. “Dude, why are you getting involved with anyone before you leave? I mean, I could see if you just wanted some ass, but it seems like you’re getting yourself into something else altogether here.”
“I know letting the whole thing go makes sense, but I can’t stop thinking about her.”
“Damn. Alright. It’s like that, then. Well, you’re infatuated right now. But that will probably fade over time.”
Staring at the rays of sun glistening over the pool, I said, “Maybe I needed her to do this. Maybe I needed her to stay away in order to not get myself wrapped up in it any further. Maybe this is for the best. I don’t know.”
“You know I broke up with Morgan before I went away to Brown, right? It was the best thing I could’ve done. I couldn’t imagine being tied down right now.”
“I know you’re right, but…”
He finished my sentence. “But it doesn’t change the way you feel.”
“Not at the moment, but I’m hoping sensibility sinks in at some point.”
“If it’s bothering you that she’s not talking to you, why don’t you go to her house and see what’s up?”
He’d just given me an idea. I was surprised I hadn’t thought of it sooner.
“Actually, I may not have to do that. I have another source.”***Marni had taken a job at a pretzel place in the mall near where she and Raven lived. I decided to go visit her and see if she could give me any information.
There were no customers in line when I walked up to her kiosk, which smelled like butter and baked bread.
“Hey,” I called out.
She looked up. “Rich Boy! What are you doing on this side of town?”
“I guess I just missed you, Marni.”
“While I’d love to believe that, something tells me there might be more going on.” She handed me a cup of pretzel bites.
I took it. “Thanks.” Popping one into my mouth, I asked, “Has Raven told you anything recently about me?”
She took a fresh tray of pretzels out of the oven and said, “If she did, I wouldn’t tell you. You and I might be cool, but my loyalty lies with her.”
“Okay, fair enough. Can you at least tell me if she’s okay?”
Her expression dampened, and I didn’t like what I saw. Not one freaking bit.
“Something is going on. Tell me, Marni.”
She blew out a frustrated breath. “You’re right. Something is going on, but it has nothing to do with you, Gavin.”
My heart started to palpitate. “Is Raven in some kind of trouble? Renata hasn’t been at work, either.”
“All I will tell you is that it has nothing to do with you. You did not hear anything from me, but maybe you should go check on her. Maybe she’ll tell you what’s going on if you do.”
