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I am mortified.
I feel like I’m going to be sick following Leo into the house. He fixes me with a look I can’t read as he ushers me inside and then tosses my bag behind the couch.
That duffel bag, the one that now holds all my worldly possessions, made a pretty decent body pillow this week. For a moment he stares at the spot where it lands with a thump before turning back to me.
I don’t want to face him, don’t want to face Max, and I don’t want to see Olivia for fear that I’ll upset her once she sees the state I’m in.
“Hi!”
Instead I’m greeted by a girl who looks to be around my age. Long blonde hair, glowing skin, stylishly dressed in a snug cropped sweater over high-waisted shorts. I look down to the floor, mentally comparing my tear-stained face and bargain bin clothing to hers, only to see the gold Tory Burch emblem on her sandals and her shiny red pedicure.
“Um, Skylar, this is Lexi. She came by with Max and his girlfriend.”
Lexi the lawyer. Right.
“Skylar?” Her smile is over the top enthusiastic. I’m more hurt than confused, but still, I am wondering why she’s looking at me like we’re long lost friends or something. “You’re Olivia’s babysitter!”
I bite my lip and nod, still trying to absorb the impact from this blow.
“Sheadoresyou.”
Lexi is putting out the wholeI’m looking to make friendsthing, but there’s a condescending bite to the way she delivers her words. Or maybe it’s the look in her eyes. Or—deep breath—maybe sheisbeing nice and I’m just being a sore loser and a bitch.
Leo looks hella uncomfortable. He opens his mouth to say something right as Olivia lets out a high-pitched wail. I start walking in the direction of the back door but Leo stops me. “I’ve got her.” Glancing in Lexi’s direction and then back to me he says, “Wait here,” like it’s an order.
He’s walking back through the kitchen a moment later with a screaming Olivia over his shoulder, and her shrill cries only get louder when she catches sight of me. “Skylar!”
“It’s all right, sweetie. Get some sleep and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Noooo!” she protests, the sound echoing off the walls and then finally fading as he closes the upstairs bathroom door behind them.
“You look like you’ve had a rough night.” Lexi is leaning a hip against the kitchen counter, studying me. She takes a sip from her bottle and then snaps out of it, giggling and shaking her head like she’s just had some epiphany. “I’m sorry. Do you want a beer?” She opens the refrigerator like she’s familiar with this kitchen, like she’s a frequent guest. Turning back to me, she smiles when she asks, “Wait, are you even legal?”
“Is there any reason you’re talking to me like I’m a child?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it.”Sure you didn’t. “I just figured you’re the babysitter, so you know…Anyway,” she chirps, ”how oldareyou?”
“Same age as you, I’m guessing. Maybe a year younger. Did you just finish your first year of law school or what?”
“How do you know I’m in law school?”
“Leo told me about your date. He said you were a lawyer, but I think he got that part wrong. You don’t look old enough.”
She takes the beer she was planning to give me and opens it for herself. “I’m going into my second year.” She smiles and breathes in deep before asking, “He told you about our date?” and without waiting for an answer she adds, “That’s interesting.”
I smile. “Not according to him.”
And I hate myself in that moment. Hate that I’m being unkind to a stranger who’s never truly wronged me. Hate that I am so envious of this girl. But tonight has been an absolute clusterfuck, and walking intothis? A cozy double date? Maybe I should be grateful to this girl instead of hating on her. Maybe this will serve as the final slap in the face that I sorely need.
Max and his babe join us in the kitchen. Max looks curious and downright wary when he greets me. “Skylar…Everything all right?”
“Peachy.” I just don’t have it in me to be civil to anyone right now.
The other one holds out her hand. “I’m Nadia.”
And I proceed to shake it like we’re in a business meeting. “I’m Skylar.”
Can this night get any more absurd?
