My Ex’s Best Friend

1

KIERA

“Oh my god, I can’t wait to get there. I just have to be careful not to kill anyone.” I laugh.

“Jesus, Kiera,” Tammy replies. “If that is a concern right now, why are you on the phone with me instead of focusing on driving?”

“I am focusing. I’m following all the traffic rules like I’m supposed to. Heck, you’re in my bra right now, so I can drive hands-free.”

“I’m where right now?” She bursts out laughing.

“The stupid rental doesn’t even have Bluetooth,” I scowl. “It was the last one they had. I didn’t have options, but I don’t think I care, as long as I get there. I miss him so much.”

“Well, you’re at a university town when fall break is about to start. What else were you expecting?” She giggles.

“I hate when you’re so logical.” I blow a breath out through my mouth before giggling too.

“That’s what you get for abandoning me on fall break in our senior year,” Tammy says. “We were supposed to go to Caymans together.”

“And we will,” I tell her. “Next week. Right after I surprise my boyfriend and we spend some time together. I’m eighteen now, so this is happening.”

“Oh my God. I’ll never see you again because as soon as Chris finally gets his sweaty paws on you, he’ll never get them off.”

I know she’s joking, but there’s an undercurrent to it.

She sighs. “All joking aside, are you sure about this? This is huge.”

The truth is, I’m excited to be with him, to give myself to him for the first time. I might not be thinking about forever with him yet, and it might be scary because it’s my first relationship ever. But he is Jake’s friend. And I trust Jake the most in the entire world. He gave us his blessing when we first started, and he wouldn’t do that if Chris wasn’t a great guy.

“I’m sure.” I nod, telling it as much to myself as to her. “It will be an awesome surprise, and he’ll die when he sees me. We are going to have so much fun together.”

“Yeah, that’s the other thing, though,” Tammy says. “Are you sure he will be in his room? It’s fall break, after all. Maybe he’s chilling somewhere.”

“We talked last night, and he said he didn’t have time for chilling or partying. He’s been working so hard, and he’s still not done with some of his assignments.” I sigh. “I just think he deserves a bit of pampering, so here I am.”

“I don’t know. Guys usually don’t like girls to just show up like this.”

“It’s okay. If he knew I was coming, he would have insisted on going to the airport. I don’t want to distract him. I just want to be there for him.”

“I hope Chris knows how unbelievably lucky he is to have you.”

“I know. And it’s time to take this next step. I’m ready. And if I can get the navigation right, I think I can find his place before midnight.”

“Maybe take your phone out of the bra.” Tammy giggles. “Send me a snap when you do find him.”

I take the phone out, turn it off, and thumb down to the navigation window.

I came here a few times before, but Chris was always driving, and I was always too distracted by him to notice the road. Besides, the last time I came was a few months ago. We haven’t had time to meet between me applying to colleges and taking AP classes, and him with all his schoolwork. It becomes kind of hard when we live several states apart.

My best friend, and the reason I even got to know Chris at all, is in the same fraternity, so they live together. Jake doesn’t know that I’m coming either because I didn’t want news of my arrival to go back to Chris.

But as I roam these strange streets, I’m beginning to think I might have messed up.

I try to zoom into the street Chris is supposed to be at. But all the navigation app does is confuse me.

I crane my head out the window when two girls walk past me. “Hey!” I call out. “Hey.”

They glance at me once, and instead of answering or even acknowledging me, they pick up pace. I continue to roll my car down the street while calling out to them, but at this point, they’re practically running.

“What the hell,” I mutter under my breath.

“Do you need help?” a deep, nasal voice asks. I look up to a guy leering at me. He has his palm over his crotch. “Are you lost, baby girl?”

“No, thanks.” A shiver passes through me.

I pick up speed and leave the creep behind.

This town is full of weirdos. And I’m thinking of applying to go here. I open the glove box of my compartment and see the letter waiting for me before I quickly shut it.

Hemmingway is nothing like California, where I’ve grown up. Instead of tall apartment buildings, there are matchbox houses.

I pass by a few fraternity buildings, as well, until I find the one Chris is in. It looms, a grand structure with faded red bricks and a towering fa?ade that hints at decades of revelry.

The lights are on and the music coming from the house is loud even though I’m inside the car with all the windows up.

A party? That’s strange.

Well, it is a fraternity house, so I shouldn’t be surprised. I just hope he has great noise canceling headphones because this is ridiculous.

I walk past a few people strewn on the lawn, their expressions blank. Some are laid flat on the ground and staring at the sky. One guy runs past me, shirtless, with another guy chasing him.

I sidestep the very last second, my heart pounding in my chest.

Jesus.

The two of them don’t even wait to apologize.

As I step through the heavy wooden doors of the fraternity building, the pulsating thump of the beat hits me like a wave, reverberating through my body, matching my heartbeat.

The air is thick with the scent of sweat and the unmistakable tang of spilled beer.

This is not just a gathering; it's a full-blown party.

I take a hesitant step into the chaotic scene, scanning the room for any sign of Chris.

It's hard to focus with the colorful lights flashing, casting erratic shadows on the walls.

I spot a makeshift bar in one corner, where people jostle for drinks and shout their orders over the cacophony. Red plastic cups and spilled liquids dot the tables.

I’ve never been to a college party, much less a fraternity party. Holy crap, this place is wild.

Should I give up trying to surprise Chris? Maybe it’s best to tell him I’m here. What if he left to go work on his assignment somewhere else?

I could go upstairs to his room, but maybe I can find someone who can tell me if he is in or not, so I walk over to the kitchen, where it’s less crowded.

Luckily, I spot one of Chris’s friends. Henry is the very opposite of Chris. He keeps mostly to himself but he’s a nice guy. We only met a few times, but he warmed up to me easily.

“Kiera,” he says, frowning slightly before it quickly changes into a smile.

“Hey, Henry. Have you seen Chris?”

“He’s upstairs.”

“Second floor, right?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Thank you.” I’m already walking away waving goodbye to him.

As I reach the second floor, I ask a guy which door is Chris’s. The guy is wasted, sitting in the floor but he points me to the third door on the right.

The door is closed. I walk over and I smile as I reach for it.

Just then, my phone pings with a message from Tammy.

Have you guys linked up yet? Where’s my Snap?

That gives me an idea. I’ve watched so many videos of girls surprising their long-distance boyfriends at their college that, at one point, it all started to look scripted to me.

But I decide to have fun, just this once. It’s not every day you surprise your boyfriend, so I switch my phone to video mode, trying to capture the genuine surprise on his face. The anticipation builds, and with a deep breath, I swing the door open with a dramatic flourish.

But the scene that greets me is beyond anything I could have imagined. Time seems to freeze as my brain struggles to process what my eyes see.

Moaning sounds are coming from the bed. Chris’s bed. But that can’t be him, right?

Except his voice says, “Fuck yeah, suck my dick while I eat this pussy.” Who is he talking to?

With the sheets covering his waist, I notice the silhouette of a woman's head moving up and down, while another sits on his face. I want to throw up, to yell, to run, to scream, to cry, to hit him.

But I just stand there, paralyzed. The room is filled with the echo of my pounding heart, and the moans and whimpers that come from the threesome pierce through my heart.

They don't notice me.

My phone hangs limply in my hand. I can't tear my eyes away, and betrayal floods through me.

Without a word, without a sound, I pivot on my heel and sprint away from that room, from Chris, from the crushing reality that now stains my perception of everything.

The hallway becomes a blur as I run down the stairs.

Once I’m downstairs, the throbbing of the party music takes up most of my consciousness, drowning everything else.

Good. I don’t want to think right now. But the music is not enough as flashes of what I just witnessed keep wanting to invade my mind.

My gaze falls to the bar counter, and I walk over, take whatever I can, and keep chugging.

A few guys around me whistle slightly as they watch me.

The beer is bitter and almost burns my throat, but I don’t stop. I find vodka and drink a few shots too.

That’s when an arm comes over my shoulder. I know who it is without even turning around.

“Kiera.” His warm breath touches my ear. It smells of rich whiskey.

The way he says my name makes my stomach ripple. He’s always had this way of saying it that made it different from anybody else. Like I was special.

Maybe it’s just the alcohol heightening everything.

Before I can react, he pulls me in for a hug against his hard chest. His steady heartbeat resting above my chin, his familiar woody musk making me inhale deeply.

It’s like I’ve just come home.

When he finally lets me go, I find my stomach in knots. This time, he’s frowning at me. “Are you drunk?”

“Yes,” I say, taking a sip of my drink.

He takes it from my hand, and I can barely protest. Jake is like double my size. “It’s not safe to drink alone in a place like this.”

“Thanks for your concern.” I hiccup slightly. “Now give me my drink back.”

Instead of answering him, he finishes my drink.

His frown deepens. “Chris didn’t tell me you were coming.”

“That’s because he doesn’t know.

I came here to surprise his cheating, lying ass.” I’m practically screaming at this point, but I don’t care.

“Kiera,” Jake says softly.

“Don’t you fucking dare pity me.”

“That’s the last thing on my mind.”

He takes my hand, to my surprise, and leads me away from the crowd.

“Where are we going?” I shout over the music.

“Somewhere, you can’t get your hands on a drink anymore.”

“I’m not a kid,” I say, beating my hands against his back so he has no choice but to stop.

He slightly turns his body toward me, and I almost run into him. My breasts brush against his bicep, and he jerks away as if I’ve touched him with a live current wire.

His face has a weird expression.

Is he attracted to me?

I walk closer to him, trying to make sense of this feeling.

“Don’t come any nearer,” he growls under his breath.

“Why?” I loop my arms around his shoulder.

“You’re drunk.” His face is sad.

He was lying when he said he didn’t pity me.

I don’t want his pity. I want… I don’t know what I want from him right now, but I know one thing. I want to forget. Forget what I saw, forget how I feel.

I came here with a purpose. And this is Jake. I can trust him with my life.

So, I make a decision. This is happening. Tonight

I take his hand and start to drag him upstairs.