Page 31 of Broken Rules
Shit.
“Hey, Anna, you made it!”
Roni eyes me before hugging her, and I make my way out of there.
“Evie, where are you going?” Anna asks, jogging to my side. “Come shop with us.”
“Thanks, but no. I have obligations that require me not to be in jail tonight.”
“Jail?” I keep stepping, and my jaw ticks as she stops me again. “C’mon, you’re always by yourself, and I know things with Roni aren’t all that great, so maybe you two can settle your differences.”
“Hey, I’m perfectly fine. If Roni’s holding a grudge over me, that seems like a her problem, not mine.”
She purses her lips, and it only irks me more. “Evie, please. I know I’ve only started at Vivid, but people talk, saying you’re…difficultto work with, but I don’t blame you. If Gin were my mother, I’d be using up my privilege to act the same way, too, though maybe you should try being a little more pleasant, then you’d have no issues getting along with people.”
Blinking a few times, I try to figure out if what she said actually came out of her mouth. “One second,” I smile, then huff a laugh. “Seemssome peopleneed to get their nose out of my asshole and mind their fucking business. And don’t come to me talking like you know my mother or anything about me—better yet, I’d advise you to get far away from me before I go to jail for another reason, one thisprivileged bitchwill gladly skip an obligation for.”
Anna smirks, nodding a few times. “Okay, see you around, then,” she says, strolling back toward the store.
What the actual fuck?
If I was on fire earlier, my body’s a fucking inferno now. My heart’s banging against my chest, tears threatening to emerge, but I bite down on my bottom lip to keep them away. I close my eyes, intake a long shaky breath, allow my lungs to empty, then repeat, but breathing isn’t helping this time. With trembling hands, I ditch my drink, withdraw my phone from my jacket pocket and speed dial Luca, hoping he’s not busy as I stride out of the mall.
“Please, pick up—pick up.”
“Evie?” Luca’s deep voice comes through from a noisy place, and a sob sits on the tip of my tongue.
“Tell me I’m not a fuck up, Luca,” I barely whisper, sitting on a nearby bench.
“Jesus. You’re not a fuck up, Evie.” He sighs, a door closing to a quieter area before he adds, “Talk to me. What happened?”
I let out a shaky breath while bouncing my leg. “Sometimes, I feel like I am, you know? People talk their shit, but deep down, a part of me knows I deserve their hate, that I’m a heartless bitch who doesn’t care how my actions affect others….”
“First, coming to this conclusion already shows you have a heart because the people who couldn’t give two shits about others carry on in life without a damn worry, so pull yourself out of that mindset.”
“Fuck… it’s hard, especially when I’m reminded daily.”
“No use trying to outlive your reputation. Use it to your advantage if you have to. Worked for me.”
“Yeah, well, at least you have a successful business to show for at the end of the day. One I wish I could’ve been a part of instead of what I’ve been brought up into.”
Luca sighs. “Evie, do you need me to come get you—”
“No. No, don’t.” I sweep a hair behind my ear. “I’ll be alright. Thank you for listening.”
“Are you sure? There’s always a place for you here at Knockouts.”
My smile is instant. “Yeah, I know. Thanks—”
Enzo’s voice booms in the background. “Luca, this is no time to have your dick in your hand. We’re swamped out here…wait, who are you talking to? Is it a chick? Let me see—ow, fuck, you’re gonna snap my neck—”
Something heavy scratches along the floor, another object tumbling over, and I move the phone away from my ear as Enzo cackles on the line.
“I’ma add that to moments I wish I captured on camera. Oh, Evie, hey. You alright?”
He knows whenever I call Luca instead of him that I’m not. “Hey. Give me a few hours, and I will be.”
The bustling noise from earlier comes back, then dies out rather quickly. “A few hours? Nope, let what’s bothering you last no more than a few minutes.”
