38. Bonus Epilogue
Lincoln
I don’t want to be here, staring at happy-as-fuck couples in our backyard while I try to pretend like everything is okay.
Of course it’s not okay; Seraphina brought Mitch the Dick to this party, despite crying to me on the phone for months, telling me how much she hates him. We became friends the first night we met, almost a year ago, and have spent hours on the phone like fucking saps talking about our problems, our dreams, our fucking hopes. She confided in me everything that Mitchell had done to her: the emotional abuse, the total disregard for her feelings, the callous way he’s treated her. It’s pathetic, it’s juvenile, and it’s disgusting.
I made her swear that she wouldn’t get back with him, not necessarily because I wanted her for myself, but because no woman should be constantly belittled. I’m not blind; she’s stunning, with her dark hazel eyes and long brown hair, but she’s about to start her freshman year, while I’m graduating in the fall. I’m not looking for anything, yet I can’t deny the ache in my chest each time I look over at Sera perched in Mitch the Dick’s lap.
Sure, he’s not a bad-looking guy, but he’s a goddamn snake. I see the way he clutches her thigh every time she speaks, the way he not-so-subtly corrects her when she doesn’t agree with what he’s saying. He’s a controlling asshole at eighteen, and I can’t imagine how much worse he’ll be the older he gets.
Focusing back on the conversation in front of me, I hear Sera’s soft, lyrical voice explain, “I don’t think I’m going to do the summer experiential education program. I’d like to work in the library for a few more months while I’m home instead of spending the summer at a camp in Pennsylvania with people from high school I don’t want to see anymore.”
“No, Fin, we’re doing the camp. My parents got us a cabin with Rich and Cory, remember?”
Her name is Seraphina, so just the fact that he’s shortening it to “Fin” pisses me off. I watch Sera wince as she turns to Mitch. “I already accepted the position at the library.”
“You’ll have to tell them you can’t do it then.”
“No, I—”
“Fin, my parents sent a large donation to make sure we were all in the cabin together and placed in the same research group. We owe it to them,” he says, shutting her down.
She swallows, nodding her head. “Of course.”
“Fuck this,” I mumble under my breath and throw my bottle of beer into the fire. The sound of the glass hitting the logs makes a loud popping sound, but I don’t give a shit. Stalking across the yard, I throw open the glass door and walk inside the house, desperate to get away from everyone.
I round the corner of the kitchen and approach the stairs, stopping my progress at the softly whispered “Lincoln” that bounces off my back. Sighing, I turn to Sera, bathed in artificial light and looking more beautiful than she has a right to.
“Why aren’t you talking to me?” she asks, worrying her lip between her teeth.
I scoff, gifting her with a sardonic chuckle. “I didn’t know if I was allowed to. Mitch the Dick seems to be making all the decisions for you.” My chest aches as hurt blooms on her face, but I’m not wrong, and she needs to fucking hear it.
“That’s not fair.”
“Not fair? Seraphina, he’s answering every question for you. You can’t even work at a goddamn library this summer because his mommy and daddy paid for a cabin in the woods, which sounds like the start of a fucked-up horror film. What the fuck are you doing? Why are you with him?”
“Lincoln, it’s not that simple.”
Stepping forward, I cup her face in my hands, cradling it gently with the reverence she deserves. “It is that simple. Why is he here?”
She swallows and opens her mouth like she’s about to say something when the back door slides open, and Mitch the Dick calls out, “Fin, where are you?”
Seraphina tears her face from my hands and looks over her shoulder. “Just finding the bathroom. Be right there.” Looking back at me, she whispers, “I’m sorry, Lincoln.”
Shaking my head, I sigh, “Me too, Sera,” and walk up the stairs and out of her life.