Chapter Nine
For the first couple of days, Larissa stayed close to the house, even as her father attempted to get her to leave.
In all of her years, she had never caused any trouble. She had never given anyone a single reason to talk horribly about her, mock her, or laugh. This was the first time.
By the end of the first week, they didn’t have any food in the fridge, and her father had tasked her with filling the fridge and the cupboards.
Several years ago, he’d recommended she get an online account to handle the grocery shopping.
She had declined, telling him the Internet was detrimental to civilization, and she refused to join that race.
Now, she wished she had kept her damn mouth shut.
It would have been a lot easier than attempting to face the outside world.
At least her father had left her the car.
She took a deep breath. She had no choice but to go out.
For the first time in her life, she didn’t leave the house in a dress or a skirt.
She usually preferred those types of outfits, she loved the way they made her feel.
Instead, she had opted for a pair of jeans, one of the few pairs she owned, as well as a blouse.
She had put on an old, oversized sweatshirt, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave the house in something like that.
Her father, for many years, had always told her to be presentable, and this is what she did. She enjoyed looking nice and representing the Adams name. People respected her father, and also her at one point. At least she assumed so.
Stepping out of the house, she went straight to her car, but immediately went back into the house.
She grabbed her bag with her cell phone, car keys, and wallet, so she could pay for the stuff she needed.
She took a deep breath and started again.
This time, she got inside the car, and finally was able to pull out of the driveway.
This was easy. Women had breakups and embarrassments all the time. She was no different.
She was on the road now and heading toward the grocery store. Focusing on the road, rather than on the pain that kept flooding her body.
Why were women so determined to find love, if this was how it ended? George was the first man she had ever felt so serious about. She had trusted him and he’d made her laugh. He’d now made her cry.
She gripped the steering wheel tightly and made her way to the grocery store, parking as far away from it as possible. It was busy, of course. Fridays were always a busy time in Fort Clover.
Grabbing her bag, she closed and locked the car and headed inside.
She wrapped her arms around herself, until she got a cart, but she also kept her head down.
She had pulled her brown hair back into a small bun at the base of her neck.
She didn’t have the energy to do anything too serious with her hair.
People walked past her, and Larissa did her best not to look at anyone.
At first, she felt her heart racing, and she went straight to the vegetables, wishing she could hold some kind of menu or put a bag over her head, so no one knew it was her.
She didn’t know how many people George had in his contacts.
All of the club. The club women. Perhaps his family, which included his brothers.
Would his parents be on that damn thing? Her father had been as well.
It was just a nightmare to think he’d recorded everything. Why would he do that?
She tried not to vomit, and instead pushed all that doubt out of her mind.
She had to focus on getting groceries, and usually she loved going to the store and hunting for food.
She found the grocery store a huge hit of inspiration, especially for meals.
Today, she just grabbed everything she could get her hands on.
Thankfully, after getting several meats and poultry on sale, she started to breathe a sigh of relief.
No one had stopped her. Whenever she did chance a glance around the store, no one was looking at her or whispering behind their hands. There were no smirks. What happened in high school to one girl was not happening to her.
Marsha Smith had been one of the most popular girls in school, until she had claimed to have dumped Kirk, the most popular guy.
Larissa heard the rumors that Marsha had sex, and it had gotten pretty graphic.
Larissa was the only one to not smirk, or giggle, or even ask her the truth.
It got so bad that Marsha transferred and left town, along with her family.
This is what she was afraid of, but so far, nothing.
Making her way down the aisles, Larissa was on the hunt for some bargains. Just as she was rounding an aisle, she came face to face with Annie Rimes. She was someone who had been with George before he went with the Hell’s Bastards MC. The look on Annie’s face told her she had seen the video.
“Hey,” Annie said.
“Hello,” Larissa said. “I’m sorry.”
“No, navigating around corners is a pain in the ass.” Annie offered her a smile.
Larissa felt her cheeks getting red hot, as she looked at the other woman.
“How are you?” Annie asked.
“I’m fine,” Larissa said. “Just getting the shopping done.” There was a time she would be able to keep up a conversation.
“You’ll get over it,” Annie said.
“What?”
“Big Dick, or George, whichever one you call him. You’ll get over him.”
Larissa gripped her cart even tighter. “Thanks.”
“Look, if you ever need to talk, or just want to be near someone who will not judge you, I’m your woman,” Annie said.
She took a deep breath. “Thanks.”
“And don’t worry. Everyone who saw that video will not think any less of you. To be honest, I think a lot of people are going to be pissed at Big Dick.”
“Huh?”
“Larissa, honey, you’re the town sweetheart, and he’s like the town bad boy. Everyone knows if you were with him, you had feelings. As for him, we all know it was a bet. Trust me, no one is going to feel bad for him. I know I wanted to wring his fucking neck when I heard.” Annie took a deep breath.
Annie had moved on, was married with a couple of kids. Larissa nodded at the other woman.
“Because you don’t even realize it, but it has already changed you,” Annie said.
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You’re not smiling. You’re not happy. You were the person around town, who even if you were having a bad day, I’d see you, your easy smile, and I knew everything would be okay.
I know that is crazy, right? But I know a lot of people adore you, Larissa.
” Annie went to her and pulled her in for a hug. “We’re all here for you.”
Larissa tensed up as the other woman hugged her. Then, Annie’s cell phone started to ring, and she made her excuses to go.
She didn’t know what to think of her interaction with Annie.
She had seen her around town, but then she saw a lot of people around town.
Not once had she thought about all the women George had been with prior to her.
Whenever she had been around him, she had forgotten herself. She had forgotten everything.
Gripping her cart, she got through the rest of the grocery store, but she did notice a few women who looked her way and whispered behind their hands. The same happened when she was at the register.
“She’s the one that is in that video!”
“Did she really think Big Dick was going to fall for her?”
“It’s such a shame.”
They were not whispering low enough.
Larissa felt her hands start to shake. She hated confrontation, and she thanked the cashier, who happened to be someone new. Grabbing the handle of her cart, she made her way out to the car, only to stop when she caught sight of Raven leaning against it.
“Hey,” Raven said.
The last thing she was, was rude. “Hello.”
“I’ve been calling for you, for days,” Raven said.
“I told Dad I didn’t want to speak to anyone.”
“Or leave the house.”
Larissa frowned. “You were watching the house?”
“I had to, I needed to know you were safe,” Raven said.
“Safe?”
“Look, you’re going through a lot, and I get that. I don’t want you to be a stranger. Ava wanted to reach out and tell you that your job is still secure.”
“I’m not going to work for Ava,” Larissa said.
“You’re not even going to give two-weeks’ notice?” Raven asked.
“No, I’m not. That’s unprofessional, I know, but I can’t do it.” If she went back to work for Ava, she would never leave, and she didn’t want to do that. She needed to have a completely clean break from Ava and the club.
“You know, he’s a dick, right? A stupid piece of shit,” Raven said.
Larissa paused in reaching for the trunk of the car.
“No, he’s not.” She put the bags into the back of the car.
“I’m the one who is the idiot. He never promised me anything.
I never even second-guessed why he was suddenly into me.
I had no idea it could have been a bet between friends. That is on me, not him.”
“He knew better.”
“Why? Because I’m any different from the other women he was with?”
“They knew what they were getting themselves into.”
“And as a full-grown woman, so did I.” That wasn’t the truth, because never in a million years had she anticipated this. This was awful, and made her feel like a total fool.
She had told him she loved him, and that is what hurt the most. She had fallen in love with him, while he didn’t love her. She should have known this.
“You’re not used to the way men are.”
“And now I am,” Larissa said. “Life is about lessons, I’ve just learned mine.” She closed the trunk of the car. “I’ve got to go, Raven.”
“You were there for me,” Raven said. “You were there when I didn’t think anyone was, and especially when I didn’t deserve anyone.”
Larissa looked to her friend.
“Let me be there for you.”
“You’re part of the club, Raven. I don’t know a lot, but I know enough to know that ... it’s not my place.”
She offered Raven a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She truly didn’t feel like smiling at all.
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