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“Why the hell would you think I’m stupid?” I asked. “I’m not stupid for loving the men I grew up with. I’m not stupid for wanting to be with them. I’m not even stupid for being with them.”
“Look, screwin’ around with them is fine. That’s what they do. But something long term with men like them?”
“You sound like Whitney now. Since when did the two of you ever agree on anything? Why can’t my friends just be happy for me?” I asked.
“Because I had all of them once, too, Katie.”
I felt my blood run cold as my gaze landed on my best friend.
“What?” I asked.
“I didn’t wanna tell ya nothin’, but shit happened when you were gone. We got close ‘cause I missed ya, and they were tryin’ to help me get over not seein’ ya as much. And it just—yeah. It wasn’t a big deal, and it was lots of fun. But once they got what they wanted from me, they left me high and dry.”
“That’s not what they do,” I said. “They would’ve been up front with you.”
“Like they’ve been up front with you?” she asked. “Katie, you’ve been worryin’ yourself sick over this shit. And they were havin’ damn meetin’s!”
“They were planning on talking to me. Wyatt told me,” I said.
“Wyatt’s a good one. Believe me. It was easy for me to believe him, too. But when they were done, they were done. Blocked my damn number, stopped comin’ by. That’s how it works with them. A few months later, I saw ‘em all out with another woman at a restaurant. Cozyin’ up to her like it wasn’t nothin’.”
I felt my world being ripped out from underneath my feet.
“They did that to you?” I asked.
“Katie, I’m not sayin’ ya can’t get your fun. Hell knows you’ve deserved it. But don’t try long term with them. It don’t work. They’ve got history scrolls that roll out four fuckin’ miles provin’ that shit. And my name’s on it. I’m sorry, Katie. I really am.”
“This isn’t true,” I said as tears welled in my eyes. “They know how much you mean to me. They could never have treated my best friend that way.”
“But they did,” Lizzie said as she came and sat on my bed. “They did. And I’m good with it. I got over it. But it wasn’t pretty when it was happenin’. Whitney was tryin’ to warn ya, and when we talked, I knew I’d have to try, too. Don’t do this to yourself again. Have your fun, but guard yourself. Otherwise, you’re gonna be in for a world of hurt. Like I was.”
“Why didn't you tell me this before? When it was happenin’?” I asked.
“You were strugglin’ at college, Katie. Whitney was helpin’ ya, and I didn’t feel like it was right to put all this on you. So, I talked with Whitney ‘bout it. That’s how we got close. Didn’t ya ever wonder how we became friends in the first place?”
“I thought it was because you videoed me all the time, and she was always lurking over my shoulder.”
“Come here,” Lizzie said. “Come on.”
I felt my heart shattering into a million pieces. It all made so much sense. Why Whitney was so adamant about me being careful. How Lizzie and Whitney had gotten to know one another so quickly. Why I didn’t know about any of it. Why Lizzie was encouraging me to have a good time without getting tangled up in things. Why the brothers didn’t really like Lizzie in the first place. Maybe it was their guilt.
I didn’t know what to do. I choked back tears as Lizzie held me tightly, our bodies rocking side to s
ide. It hurt. It hurt more than I could stand. No one had ever told me this before, and now that it was in front of me, I couldn't ignore it. How could they have treated Lizzie that way? How could Wyatt have treated her that way?
“I’m so sorry,” Lizzie said with a whisper. “I’m sorry, Katie.”
“I need a shower,” I said as I sat up. “I need a long, hot shower.”
What I really needed was time to wash them off my skin, time to scrub their scents away and erase the memories I had of them. I couldn’t be with men like that. I couldn’t be with men that treated women they’d known for years like a piece of dirt.
It made me sick to think about.
“Want me to make you some breakfast?” Lizzie asked.
“No. What I want right now is to be alone,” I said.
“You sure that’s smart?” she asked. “‘Cause I got all day.”
