Rhodes

Chapter Two Useless Friends

Rhodes

Jordan eyes me like I’m bird shit on her car window as I walk past her, but based on how she’s acting and the way the elder lady is blushing, I’m pretty sure they all heard us.

Oh well.

I honestly wouldn’t have given a fuck if Jesus himself was waiting on a facial out here, I had to take whatever opening she was offering when she was offering it, because it’s obvious sex is the only thing she’s willing to give me. Though I don’t really believe that either seeing as she said it was a one and done and what we did was definitely round two. Depending on the sport there’s almost always more than two rounds, and with how much this girl is down to fight, I can see it going the distance.

All I know is she’s no quitter, but what she’s going to learn soon is neither am I.

Game on, sweetheart.

When I walk back into the gym, I clock Shawn and Jagger bullshitting just outside Jay’s office and make my way over. They must see something is wrong the second they spot me, because they both move back inside without prompting and close the door behind me when I enter. “What is wrong with these women, bro?” It’s annoying they both look like I just offered them candy, but I’m far past rationality right now.

“Gonna have to be more specific than that,” Shawn says, crossing his arms like he has all day. Which to be fair, he does. It’s not like he has a job he has to worry about since he comes from a stupidly wealthy family.

“Why is your skinny ass even here? You pay monthly and just come once a week to sit in the pool or distract one of us.”

Shawn shrugs. “It’s leg day.”

Leg day, my ass. “Anyway, I was just at the salon next door. You know that shit is decorated like the Paris catacombs? Looks original as fuck. Had good music too.”

“You come over here to leave your Yelp review for them or what?” Jagger teases. “Wanna borrow my computer?”

“Fuck you. If I was leaving a fucking review, I’d have to give five stars for the toe-curling orgasm I just had.”

Shawn perks up at that. “Say less, I didn’t know they got down like that. How do I make an appointment?” He pulls his phone out of his pocket and I slap upward at it to send him scrambling.

“You have a girlfriend, dumbass.”

“Not right now. We broke up, and I’ve been dry as fuck since before we did. Don’t change the subject, I want details. Was it a handy?”

“No, I—”

“Blow job?”

“No! Th—”

“Damn, all the way?”

“Do you ever shut the hell up? They don’t do those types of services, Shawn.”

Jagger sits back in his chair with a laugh, watching us like we’re the most entertaining thing around. I’m used to it. No one riles me up like Shawn fucking Adair.

“Then how the hell did you come? The catacomb aesthetic make you jizz your pants?”

I might kill him.

“It’s Mila’s salon you fucking moron,” I respond in a deadly calm voice, but as usual, it doesn’t wipe the idiotic grin from his face.

Jagger looks almost caught off guard by my words, but immediately I know it isn’t because he’s shocked about the salon being hers. He fucking knew.

“When the fuck were you going to tell me?”

He tries to play it off, but I see right through him. Luckily for both of us he doesn’t bullshit me for long. “I was specifically told not to,” he admits, and I have to breathe for a moment before I slap him.

“Seriously? And you’re basically married now so it’s not bros before hoes anymore?”

“Don’t call Remi a hoe, Roscoe.” I can hear this isn’t something he’s willing to budge on, and I’m glad to hear it despite how irritated I am. I’m happy his girl means that much to him, and Remi deserves all the respect in the world. I’d never put her down on purpose.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I know what you guys have is serious, I’m just saying. A heads up would have been nice. I mean, I’ve known you most of my life.”

“Exactly, and I didn’t know you gave a fuck like that. I knew you were butthurt about her ghosting you, but it’s not like you guys dated or anything.”

“I’m not butthurt, bitch.” I am, and both of these assholes know it. Fuck, I sound like the bitch, not Jay. “Whatever. I obviously give a fuck.”

“I can see that, but Remi asked me not to give information on her best friend and I didn’t think that was a problem. You literally said you ‘didn’t give a fuck’ and ‘fuck her’ after that bullshit with her ex.”

Yeah, because I was pissed. Thinking back to that day, I pull my phone out and glance at the text thread for what feels like the twentieth time.

Me: Hey, Mila. Just wanted to say I had a real good time last night

Parking Lot Bitch: Who the fuck is this?

Me: Uh. Rhodes. Gonna take that as you had fun with more than one person last night. Same kind of fun?

Parking Lot Bitch: You think you’re funny?

I remember staring at the prior messages trying to figure out where the fuck I said any type of joke.

Me: Not particularly. But you obviously do.

Parking Lot Bitch: Fuck you, bitch!

He called me a second later, ranting on about how he could kick my ass and how Mila doesn’t give a fuck about me. Usually I’d just hang up and move on with my life, but for some reason I couldn’t just sit there letting some trashy ass ex-boyfriend talk that level of shit to me — despite the fact that she obviously didn’t give a flying fuck about me — so I told him he could come find out how much of a bitch I am if he was so concerned. It felt good to beat the fuck out of someone even if it was in a Walmart parking lot, but the second I walked away, that anger came right back. Just like it does now. It’s kind of why I kept the thread to begin with; I like reading the messages when I need motivation to workout sometimes. Nothing gets me there faster than anger.

I still feel like a whole dumbass for fighting over a girl, especially one that isn’t mine, but even that feels wrong. I don’t know why, but I swear on everything that woman is mine. I just don’t know how the fuck I got here.

I’ve reached out to her on Instagram multiple times, but every message goes unanswered. She reads them, sometimes right away, but not once has she given me the time of day until today. It drives me crazy.

“I think Rhodes is in love,” Shawn says, a grin on his face that tells me he’s probably high right now. Not that anyone is surprised.

It’s so ridiculous Jay and I both ignore it. “Have you thought about just asking her to dinner? You fucked up by going straight to sex.”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve judging me for that — for anything really, but that more than anything. You went on live television to tell Remi you wanted to hate fuck.”

“That was different.” Shawn and I both toss him a deadpanned look that makes him roll his eyes. “Alright, maybe not by much, but still. It worked out for us.”

“And it won’t work out for me because...?”

“Because she gave you her ex boyfriend’s number. She doesn’t want it to work out, bro.”

Talking to them is not helping my mood. “Neither did Rem, and she had an actual reason to hate you. You sued her for more than a hundred grand.”

“No one needs the reminder, dickhead.”

I know Jagger hates thinking about how much he hurt Remington, but not one of us has let him forget it. We can’t, because he was insufferable before her and we all know he’s still working on deserving someone as good as she is.

I’m happy for them even though he’s annoying me right now. I’ve never seen him so content in his life.

“Did Rem tell you it was a one time thing and then a two time thing too? Is that just a game women are playing these days?”

Jay shrugs. “Something like that. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a game though. I think they genuinely don’t want to want us, but they can’t help it. Just like us.”

“When is it my turn?” Shawn asks. “I may not be packing like this giant, but I know how to work my seven inches. Plus, it curves upward when I’m hard. Chicks love that shit.”

“It’s not about size anyway. As long as you eat pussy, you’re golden,” Jay adds, a teasing look overtaking his face before he continues. “Plus, I’m pretty sure you didn’t reach that seven mark on the ruler anyway.”

“Fuck off, it was close enough. You round up, bitch.”

“Back to me,” I cut in before we all end up literally measuring dicks. Again. “What the fuck do I do, because—” My phone vibrates in my pocket, prompting me to pull it out with a sliver of hope that it’s her, but my face falls when I see it’s Sapphire. I don’t have it in me to deal with her right now, so I silence it and turn my attention back on my useless friends. “Where was I? Oh, I was saying I’m nowhere near done with her and she’s as cold as her last name.”

“Then don’t give up.” Jay stands from his chair to look out on the floor, and when he sees everything is still running smoothly, he focuses back on me. “I’ll try and get something out of Remifer, but don’t expect shit. My girl is a steel trap when it comes to her best friend, and she’s pretty protective. I won’t help you if she decides to kick your ass.”

“The way I would pay to see that.”

“Go away, Shawn. Don’t you have weed to smoke?”

He grins widely as he moves toward the door. “Always do. You’re right though, this conversation would be so much better if I was high. Are you two still being boring gym rats, or do you wanna join?”

For the first time in a while, I’m tempted to say yes, but I’ve been doing good with my health and the last thing I need is to fuck up my schedule. “Nah, call Adrian. He’s probably down.”

“You’re full of good ideas today, Rhodes. Aside from the one where you thought fucking Mila in a semi-public place again was a good idea, of course. That was just dumb. Ask her on a date, you neanderthal.”

He walks out the door before I can say anything else, so I pretend I’m looking around in my pockets for something to keep his nosey ass attention on me, then pull out my middle finger like I found what I wanted to give him.

All it does is make him laugh.

As stupid as he is, he’s right — they both are, but now that I’m here, I don’t know which road I should take. I don’t have a clue which one might actually lead to her.