Page 57 of The Has-Been

I shake my head. No. A party is not what I need right now.

Reid rolls his eyes as he slams the driver’s side door closed, murmuring something about me being a dumbass and leaving me alone in the car. But he’s wrong about one thing: It’s best this way—to keep her away. Because clearly, I hurt her worse than I ever realized. Something I did but didn’t even notice.

And since when does Reid give such good relationship advice? It’s freaking me out.

I sit there for several minutes, trying to sort out the past, everything that happened that night...but each time I try to go back to that time in my life, my mind goes blank.

How could I ever remember, when all I want to do is forget?

CHAPTER 11

TRIVIA

AUBREY

NOVEMBER

“And how is trivia of all things supposed to cheer me up?” I ask point-blank to Reese as we walk into Melbourne’s bar.

Winter has sunk its claws into the campus, with snowfall quickly reaching double digits. But having lived here our whole lives, Reese and I are more than accustomed to it and ignore the grumbles of the large group we walked in with.

I’m excited to spend some time with Reese, even if that means suffering through trivia to do so. I haven’t seen much of her this semester, which I know goes against my whole “making the most” of this year slogan. Between my classes, my clinical hours with the team, and her time tutoring Reid, we only see one another when we cross paths at home. Which, here of late, seems not often enough.

I know she was bummed when I bailed on June’s Halloween party last weekend, but I wasn’t in the mood to be around anyone wanting to have any ounce of fun. Let alone dress up as a hot nurse or whatever costume June picked out for me.

I told myself it was because I didn’t feel like socializing, but really, I was worried that Liam would be there. June invited Brennan and Reid—hell, practically the whole college, for that matter—but after our blow-up argument two weekends ago, I’ve been avoiding him like the fucking plague. Which is hard because the universe clearly has it out for me, as I see him everywhere. Clinicals. Melbourne’s. Lover’s. He’s like a fucking shadow.

“You’ll have fun. It’s not as lame as it seems,” Reese encourages, pulling my attention back to her. Her long legs cut the distance to the bar, quickly ordering us two beers.

Thankfully, Reese, unlike June or Rory, takes after me when it comes to her taste in alcohol.

The cheaper the better.

We clink our glasses in a way of cheers before we each throw back the liquid. Reese gulps hers down, nearly drinking half the glass in one breath.

I’ve said it before: Reese might act like the innocent one of us four—but that girl can drink us all under the table when she wants.

“How was June’s party?” I ask.

Reese shrugs. I eye her slowly, my gaze anything but subtle. She’s totally hiding something, so I try again, “Who won karaoke?”

June has been throwing her “famous” Halloween party at our condo since her freshman year, and my sophomore one. And each year, there is a prize for the best costume and karaoke performance.

June wins the costume contest every year, so not many people put much thought into it. But winning karaoke—that’s an honor nearly as valuable as the Frozen Four championship that the men’s team hasn’t won since 04’.

“I, uh, I can’t remember.” She admits, clearly uninterested.

My focus zeros in on her. That might work on Rory or June, but it sure as hell isn’t going to work on me. “Mhm.” I tick. “June seemed to approve of the outfit Reid picked out for you. Must have been something,” I say, trying to get Reese to spill the beans. “I think you’d better stop making bets with him, you always seem to lose.”

I chuckle, but she only counters with, “Absolutely not. One day, I will beat him at his own game.”

“Competitive much?”

Reese’s eyes narrow to slits.

No matter how hard I try, she holds her ground, refusing to say anything else regarding Halloween or how tutoring with Reid is going. I’m assuming not well, since she seems to dislike him as much as she did at the start of the year.

Eventually, I wave the white flag of defeat and decide to let it rest. I know what it’s like to want to keep your own secrets, which is hard since my cousins are somehow painfully aware of every move I make.