Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
ATHENA
“Where did you go last night?” Heather exclaimed, stalking into the apartment with Hector in tow.
She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the other girls, who sat in the living room, while Hector joined Charlie in the kitchen.
Steven was standing over a smoking stove, waving his hand so the smoke wouldn’t set off the fire alarm. Hector rolled his eyes at him and pushed him out of the way so the chef could take over making a simple cake.
Some of the guys had decided to join us for our movie day. But I was glad, so I could get some alone time with the girls because I had so much to tell them about last night, especially that Charlie had said … he loved me!
Heather flopped down on the couch between Sierra and Sun. “So?”
Evelyn rocked back on her heels and glanced up from her phone, eyebrow raised.
I grabbed Evelyn’s hand and squeezed. “You will not believe it!”
Suddenly, the couch girls sat up taller, as if they were waiting for the tea.
After peeking briefly in the other room to make sure that Charlie was occupied, I grinned and lowered my voice. “Charlie said that he loves me.”
“FINALLY!” Heather shouted, jumping up. “About damn time.”
Sierra followed. “Did he really?!”
I glanced at Sun, who stood and grinned.
“Yes. And I said it back.”
“The sky is falling,” Heather said. “You admitted your seven years’ worth of feelings!”
“It hasn’t been that long,” I said, cheeks warming. But really, it had been.
“So, how did it happen?” Sierra asked.
“We were in a fight,” I said.
Heather rolled her eyes and giggled. “Classic. Did it accidentally spill out?”
My cheeks warmed even more. “Maybe …”
“Who said it first?” Evelyn asked.
“Me.”
Heather slapped me hard on the arm, as if she couldn’t contain herself. “Bitch!”
I burst into a fit of giggles because I couldn’t contain myself either. I had been holding it inside all morning, just waiting for all of them to get here so I could tell them everything that had happened.
Heather grasped my elbow. “I’m so happy.”
I glanced down at her fingers on my arm, then did a double take because they were bruised. “What happened to your knuckles?” I asked Heather. “They’re bruised.”
Heather snickered. “You should see the other girl.”
My eyes grew even wider. “What do you mean, the other girl? You got into a fight?”
The girls all grew quiet—very unlike them—and shared a look.
“What happened?” I asked again.
“Charlie didn’t tell you?” Sun asked.
I glanced over at Charlie, who was talking to Hector and Steven. “No?”
“Well, then don’t worry about it,” Heather said, waving it off. “It’s taken care of.”
“No, I want to know,” I said. “What happened? Was this because of me?”
After they shared another look, which meant that this was definitely because of me, Sierra leaned in closer to the group. “Apparently, this bimbo at Radiant said something rude about you, and Charlie basically told Heather to take care of her.”
“Bimbo?”
“She wasn’t a bimbo,” Evelyn said to Sierra, stifling a laugh. “Don’t slut-shame when Steven walks you around Radiant like you’re his pet.”
“I’m not shaming her. It’s the best way to describe her.” Sierra put up a finger. “The definition of a bimbo is an attractive but stupid woman, and she was definitely stupid if she thought she could say anything about Athena without consequences.”
“Consequences meaning my fists,” Heather clarified.
They must’ve been talking about Nadia. I looked over at Charlie, who was always so playful, so innocent—at least that was what I thought—but had he actually told Heather to take care of Nadia for me?
While I didn’t condone violence, it made me feel butterflies all over. And I had wanted Nadia to get what was coming to her for a long time. She’d made me feel so shitty about myself, especially when I saw her at Radiant last night.
“What did she say about me?” I asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” Sun said. “Because it’s not true.”
“Please, tell me.”
“But it’s mean,” Sun whispered.
“What did she say?”
“She just said that you were ugly,” Heather said. “But it’s not true.”
Evelyn caught my hand. “Apparently, Steven and Hector overheard Charlie and her conversation right after she said it. Charlie said, and I quote, ‘If you say anything like that again about Athena, I’ll fucking destroy your career. I will destroy everything you have. I don’t care how dirty my hands get from it.
I don’t care how much money it’ll take. I’ll make sure you’re nothing to the world. ”
“How do you remember every word?” Sun giggled.
Evelyn fanned herself. “How do you not?!”
“Oh my gosh,” I whispered, pressing my legs together. “That’s so hot.”
Heather squealed. “I know! So sexy, standing up for his girl!”
A giggle left my lips. While I hadn’t heard those words directly from Nadia, I knew she would say something like that about me. I didn’t know her, but she seemed like a mean girl who wanted my man.
And now that I knew he loved me, I wasn’t going to let anyone have him.
I turned toward Heather. “You didn’t have to hit her.”
“Yes, I did.”
“She totally did,” Sierra said.
“Yeah, no question,” Evelyn said.
“It was deserved,” Sun chimed in.
My lips curled into a smile, and I pulled them in closer because I didn’t know what I would do without them. If it wasn’t for them dragging me to Radiant, then maybe I wouldn’t have told Charlie that I loved him, and maybe he wouldn’t have said it to me either.