Page 63 of Broken Butterfly
“Alright, sweetheart. If you need anything, no matter what it is, call me.” Rick hands me one of his business cards. “My personal cell phone number is on the back.”
“Thank you, Mr. Barnes,” I tell him and slide his card into my back pocket. He walks off to join a deputy standing near the track.
The place is lit up like Las Vegas. They’ve added a few more pole lamps to go with the ones that were installed years ago, and the track appears to have been widened a bit. I chuckle a little at the memory of Mr. Jacoby’s cows getting out and running across the track in the middle of a race.
Strong arms swoop around my middle and swiftly lift me up before setting me back down. “What’s up, Elijah?” Jayson greets him.
“Heard J is with you tonight.”
“You heard right,” Julien responds, appearing from behind his brother. “How are you, E?”
The air surrounding us turns thick and heavy from all the tension radiating between Julien and Elijah.
“Good. You?”
“Same,” Elijah exhales a frosty breath, his head hanging down so he doesn’t have to look directly at Julien.
I can’t take this anymore.
“This is ridiculous. You both love each other.”
The angry Julien who has presented himself to me the past two days comes rampaging back. “It’s none of your damn business, Liz.”
“You blaming me makes it my damn business,” I counter, pulling him farther back between the cars for some privacy. I don’t want to air out our dirty laundry to everyone milling about. “I’ll keep apologizing to you for as long you need me to, but me leaving had nothing to do with you, Julien. I’m sorry it hurt you, butIwas hurting too. I was no good to anyone, not even myself. If you can’t understand that—” I stop and take a second to calm down before I say something that I’ll more than likely regret. “You’re being petty and stupid. That’s not you, Julien. You are kind and loving and supportive. What happened to that man? What happened to my best friend?”
“You destroyed him the day you broke your promise to me. The day you left.Again,” Julien whisper-shouts in my face.
“Fine!” I hiss. “Then be mad at me. Why take it out on Elijah? He’s been there for you and you’ve treated him like he’s disposable and unwanted. He loves you. I know for a fact that you love him back just as deeply. Stop being an ass and talk to him.”
Julien’s face contorts. “When did you get so bossy?”
“How about we blame it on Fallon,” I answer.
“Blame what on me?” I never noticed when Ryder and Fallon joined our little circle.
“For me being bossy. And what did you say to me before, Jayson? That I had a sassy mouth?”
“I also remember saying you were a fighter,” he replies.
“Damn straight.” I poke Julien in the chest with my finger, “And I will keep fighting you with my sassy mouth and bossy attitude until you give in. Give in already so I can have my best friend back.”
I watch as Julien deflates, all the anger and fight leaving his body. “What if I want to stay mad at you?”
“I’ll give you until tomorrow.”
“Ugh,” Julien groans out and raises his eyes to the night sky as if asking a higher power for help.
“I love you, Julien. I truly am sorry I hurt you. Now, stop being a dick and go get your man back.”
“I don’t know if he wants me back.”
“Oh, he definitely wants you back,” Elijah says, walking up behind me. “But he also expects you to grovel and crawl a little first.”
Julien shoves his hands in his pockets, but the glint in his eye is straight-up happiness. “I can do that.”
My spirits soar when I hear Julien say that. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last long. My jubilant mood sours when I hear Marshall, “Isn’t this a sweet reunion. Come to reminisce about your high school glory days?”
Without missing a beat, Fallon counters, “Still living my glory days,” and strolls over to where Marshall has been leaning against the hood of his car watching us the entire time. That guy is such an asshole.
