“What’s up, Wolf?” Ben answers on the second ring.
“Meet me at the bar.”
“Is everything okay?” He asks and I hear shuffling coming from his end.
No…fuck, no. “I need a beer.”
“On my way.”
The line goes dead and I tuck my phone into the back pocket of my jeans then walk the three blocks to the bar, trying to get my head straight on the way.
As soon as I enter, I scan the bar and see Ben sitting alone at one of the high-top tables.
“You want the usual?” Maggie asks from behind the bar as I pass her.
“Yeah.” I pull out a five and slide it to her as she passes me a bottle of Alaskan Amber. As soon as I take a seat across from Ben, I put the bottle to my mouth and tip it back.
“What’s going on?” He questions wearily.
“Josie just came to visit me.”
“Who’s Josie?” he asks, then his eyes close in realization. “Shit, what the fuck did she want?”
“She came to tell me that she lied to me and Lea.”
“What do you mean, ‘lied to you and Lea’?” His voice has an angry tinge to it.
“She kept us separated, because she didn’t want Lea to suffer the same fate as her. She didn’t want Lea to loose me the way she lost Jacob.”
“Are you shitting me?” He slams down his beer bottle, making the table shake.
“You know I searched for Lea. I begged her mom to tell me where she was, and she always had the same story Lea had moved on, and I needed to do the same. Only, Lea didn’t move on; she was hurt and alone, thinking I was living my days happy without her.”
“Christ.”
“Yesterday, I told Lea I hated her.”
“You did what?” His eyes get big and I rub my forehead once again, bombarded by the memory of the way she looked when I told her.
“I was pissed! Seeing her brought everything to the surface.” I scrub my hands down my face.
“Rhonda hung out with Lea and Josie yesterday.”
“I know. I saw them together while I was with Anna.”
He nods, tips back his beer, and then puts his elbows on the table, taking a deep breath.
“She told me Lea seems depressed, that even though she smiled, she could tell it was forced.”
“She just found out her mom only has months to live,” I remind him.
“Yeah, she also has no one here besides her mom.”
“Jesus.” I know he’s right, but there is still so much pent-up anger inside me when it comes to her.
“Ro told me to tell you to be nice to her.”
“She did, huh?” I laugh. Rhonda has Ben wrapped around her finger and is the one person my best friend is afraid of.
“She also invited her to the baby shower.”
“Good.”
“Wait…what?” he asks.
“Lea’s a good person. She was always sweet, and she needs a friend right now. Rhonda’s a good one for her to have.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?” I ask, confused.
“Are you going to be her friend?”
“I need to let the past go. I need to let Lea go and finally move on with my life.”
“That didn’t answer my question.”
“I’m going to try to be her friend, and hopefully, when she leaves town, I can finally get the fuck on with my life,” I say, while deep down I know it’s not going to be that easy. Nothing ever is.
“What about you and Anna?”
“You know it’s been coming to an end for a while.”
“Interesting,” he mutters, and I raise a brow, indicating for him to continue. “Nothing, Wolf.” He shakes his head, smirking. I know what he’s thinking, only he’s wrong. Lea and I aren’t kids anymore, and the only thing I have to offer her is friendship.
*
Lea
I look around Ben and Rhonda’s backyard and force a smile at yet another person as they walk past me into the house. Since showing up here an hour ago, I’ve received a lot of looks—most of them pity. I’ve also received a lot of smiles—most of them just as fake as the ones I was giving.
Growing up in this town held its benefits. The community was close-knit, everyone knew everyone, and if there ever came a time you needed something, there was always someone around to help you out. The thing that made this town special was the thing that was working against me now: everyone knew Austin. He was well liked, and so was his family. I knew people spoke about me leaving, that they probably knew about Austin and my history, and more than likely, they hated me just as much as he did.
“I’m sorry about your mom.” I turn my head and look up at Ben, who is holding a beer in his hand. “And I’m sorry about the way I spoke to you.”