Page 49 of Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal
“Guy!” I shout. “Fuck, I meant to sayGuy. Please don’t leave me. You’re all I have.”
His nostrils flare as he picks up his water glass, letting my plan roll back up. “I told you not to make that mistake again. I’m out.”
Motherfucker.
Good-for-nothing friends.
Ha, I wouldn’t even call them that.
More like frenemies.
Not a single ounce of help from any of them. I should have known better. They don’t like to be involved in anything epic. Real bores.
I make my way down the steps of Cole’s house, my plan rolled up under my arm, and head to my truck, where I open the door and shift inside, shutting the door quickly, because fuck, it’s cold out.
No matter how long I’ve lived here, the cold night air still?—
“Atlas,” I hear someone whisper as I get into my truck.
What the hell was that? I glance around, looking for the voice.
“Psst, Atlas.”
I turn to the right to find Storee tucked half on the floor of my truck and half on the passenger seat.
“Holy fuck!” I shout, nearly wetting myself. I lean back against my seat and take deep breaths. “What the hell are you doing, Storee?”
“I wanted to talk to you in secret.”
I glance toward her aunt Cindy’s house, which is next door. “Weren’t you walking your aunt Cindy back?”
“Yes, but then I came here because I wanted to talk to you. Took you long enough.”
“Why are you hiding?”
“Because I don’t want Cole to see me talking to you.”
“Why?”
“Because . . . I . . . uh . . . I want to help you.”
“Wait. Really?” I ask, hope blossoming in my chest.
See, there are good people in this world.
“Yes, under two conditions.” She holds up her finger. “You don’t tell Cole that I’m helping you.”
“That’s easy. He’s dead to me at the moment.”
“And the second condition is you listen to me. If we’re doing this, then we’re doing this right.”
Pretty easy conditions to follow if you ask me.
“Okay, I think I can manage that. Can I offer some input?”
“Of course, but you can’t go rogue on me. There’s a delicate process to wooing someone, especially when they’re someone you don’t get along with. Trust me, I have experience.”
“Right, because you and Cole hated each other, but then you flipped the switch and are now married.”
