Page 107 of Pierced

A) That weird woman who used to sit in front of Pierce’s office, but now has one of her own because he accused her of having a secret sex identity last summer, and oh, hey, turns out she does have a secret sex identity, because she only has one job at Le Man now. Throwing a Halloween party. Which, turns out, had a sex club theme.

B) The kind of person who blows off a commitment, twice, ruining any hope some perfectly sweet do-gooder named Pearl had of saving the TDH community center.

And C) a woman who waits around for a man to call and make her whole again, even though he lied to her and made her feel like a complete fool in front of two hundred people. Twice.

It’s all three of those things. But C), in particular, bothers me the most.

And there is only one way to fix that.

Just one.

I pack up all six pieces of my Tiffany luggage, call a car service, and go to the airport.

Because I need a do-over. I need a reset.

I am the tiger who woke up, realized I’ve been living content, fat, and happy in a cage, and decided… I’ve had enough.

Because this is not me.

This is not who I am.

CHAPTER THIRTY - PIERCE

“Saturday night!?” That’s Eden. I’m in the kitchen of her and Andrew’s apartment. Local election results are on in the background in the other room.

“Yeah,” I say.

“Dude!” That’s Andrew. “Why are you just telling us now? And why are you telling us? Why aren’t you at Myrtle’s right now?”

“She said, very clearly, that it could never happen again. So, y’know, I figure that’s that.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Andrew asks.

“What the fuck is wrong with me?” I don’t feel super supported by my old pal right now.

“Yeah, Pierce! What the fuck is wrong with you?” Eden pretty well shouts at me. I feel even less supported by his girlfriend.

“Why are you both yelling at me?”

“Because you need to be yelled at!” says Eden. “You tell a woman you love her and then you let her feel humiliated and embarrassed and just walk away?”

“She’s right, man. That’s messed up,” Andrew says.

“Um, no offense, but do I need to remind you two about what you went through with each other just a few months ago? Pot? Kettle?”

“Don’t change the subject!” Eden squeals at me.

“Let’s all just…” Andrew takes a breath and presses his palms toward the floor, encouraging us all to calm down, I guess.

“Listen,” I say, “Has she, y’know, called you at all?” I ask it of Eden.

“Me? No. No, she hasn’t. And even if she had, it’s not my job to play go-between for you. If you want to talk with her, talk with her yourself.”

“How come you were never this assertive when you worked for me?” I ask her.

“Rock climbing,” she says.

“What?”