Page 98 of Friends That Heal Us
She’s finally here. Not halfway, not holding back, not scared to reach for me. All of her is right in front of me, and it feelslike something I spent years trying to imagine but never fully believed would happen.
Happiness doesn’t even cover it. There aren’t words big enough for what’s sitting in my chest. It’s relief, it’s joy, it’s this deep, settling peace I’ve never felt with anyone else. It’s like every version of me was always missing a piece. And that piece was her.
It was worth every second.
Because sometimes there are friends who break you…and others who heal you.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
KARMA
“Zayn.”I hear my name being called loud and high-pitched. God, it makes me want to gauge out my own fucking ears. How can someone have that high of a screeching voice to overcome the loudness of this shop?
“Zayn.” I look over my shoulder and see Rya standing with her hands on her hips. The bay quiets down while everyone stares between us.
Fuck, what now?
She has ruined my life in more ways than I can count. Never in my life have I regretted being friends with a person so much until her. That says a lot because I’ve known her since we were kids.
The day I broke things off with her, she threw a tantrum and stalked me at my job and even broke my phone. I was trying so hard to keep it on the down low and hoping Violet wouldn’t stop by anytime Rya was here yelling at me for breaking things off. I don’t know what she expected. She was an easy lay. But then things started escalating, and I knew I had to end it. I’m surprised she didn’t go off and tell Violet about everything; shehas always been jealous of Vi. I saw it all the time. I never wanted to get in the way of Violet and her, so I kept my thoughts to myself. But, fuck every time all four of us were together, I sat on pins and needles watching her act out and thinking she was going to say something. I could tell Violet and Ezra caught on to how weird she would be around us. It’s like she was waiting for them to ask what was going on with her. The thing that played on my side is that she and Ezra were having issues with her spending habits. So, it kept everyone focused on that.
I throw the wrench down on the ground, and the sharp metal clang doesn’t help the screeching of her voice. I let out a harsh breath and walk over to her. I grab her by the arm and lead her out of the bay so no one hears us. She jerks her arm out of my hand.
“What do you want now?” I snarl at her, my jaw tightening.
“I need money.”
I shake my head harshly, and try to make this make sense.
The dark circles under her eyes seem deeper today, and her eyes are glassy. Yeah, she’s drinking again. She drinks, and then she goes on these rampages and ends up at my job cussing me out.
“How is that my problem?”
“Because of you, I lost everything.”
“You’re the one who started it,” I yell, heat rising in my cheeks.
“No, I didn’t.”
I let out a harsh laugh. “Are you kidding me? At the club in Vegas, you kept telling me you’ve always wanted to be with me, and I was drunk and dumb enough to give in.”
“Yeah, but you continued it.” She crosses her arms and shifts her weight to one leg, making one of her hips rise higher than the other.
My nostrils flare. “We both continued it. And it’s the worst mistake I’ve ever made in my life.”
Her mouth falls open, and she raises her crossed arms higher onto her chest to accentuate her breasts, like she’s done way too many times here when she has her hissy fits. As if it’s going to make me crawl back to her.
“I have nowhere to live. My car got repoed. I lost my job. My mom kicked me out. I have nothing.” She stomps her foot and yells, “Nothing!”
“I still don’t know what that has to do with me.”
She throws her head back and screams.
“Hey, stop.” I glance behind me; the guys in the bay are staring. “You need to stop coming here.”
She steps forward, jabbing her finger in my chest. “You need to give me money.”
“You need to find a job and stop trying to live off of everyone,” I shoot back. “And stop drinking; it’s not a good look on you.” My lip curls up in disgust.
