15 Kimber #2
“You should go,” I say, but my voice sounds small. I grip the wrist of the hand pressing to my chest, clinging to myself. “I’m sorry.”
Anita stands up, worry etched across her face. “Maybe you should sit down for a moment, Kimber. You look a little pale.”
“It’s just nails,” Laci says, dropping the file to hold up her hands. “Tyson said it would be nice, and we couldn’t bring Kat or Myla along as a buffer.”
“Or Callie,” Anita says awkwardly. “Or Serenity. I don’t know if you even know Serenity very well.”
Shaking my head, I keep backing away from them. I’m panicking, lost between memories I can’t face and the sheer panic that these two are here trying to act friendly and normal when I’m so un-normal.
“Here, have a seat,” Anita says, stepping closer to me. She keeps her hands up like she thinks I might attack her or something. “You should get off your feet for a moment. We don’t have to do anything you don’t like.”
“Yeah,” Laci says, frowning. “We just wanted to help you feel a little better. You know, make you comfortable.”
“Get comfortable. We have a long night ahead.”
“Laci, shut up,” Anita says, holding her hands out towards me. There’s seriously nothing that should be setting me off; it’s just two girls trying to have a girl’s day and do my hair and nails.
It should be nice. Except Laci was with Jonah once and she didn’t warn me what a monster he was.
And they want to do my hair and make me pretty, like people in my past. People that never noticed when I was hurting back then, and didn’t care if I was hurting myself either.
I don’t know when the ceiling enters my field of vision, and I don’t feel the fall. I just hear the two of them scrambling towards me as my eyes shut, and sweet nothing greets me.
~~~
"Are you sure we don't need to take her in?"
"If we take her to the E.R., they’re just going to pump her with fluids," another voice says. Both are feminine, but neither is particularly distinguishable. I can't figure out who either of them is.
"This doesn't feel like something you needed to call us for," a third voice says, a masculine one.
Oh god, that's Russell.
"You know Rich asked for Emeric and he got us," a fourth says, and my stomach drops.
Emilio. Fan-fucking-tastic. Maybe I can lie here and pretend to still be asleep. I haven't opened my eyes yet.
Someone pokes me in the forehead, and my eyes fly open. Four people peer down at me, and I'm not that surprised to see that Russell's the one who poked me. He's the only one who looks amused.
Anita is glaring at him before she looks back at me, adjusting her glasses. "Okay you three, back up and quit gawking."
I have just enough time to study the other two before they disappear from above me. Laci looks thoughtful as she studies me, and Emilio's face is the usual emotionless mask. It's so wonderful to have four people I barely talk to staring at me.
"Shoo," Anita goes on, pushing on Russell's arm.
He disappears and she shakes her head before looking back at me.
"You passed out. Didn't hit your head though, so we dragged you over to the couch.
Sorry, apparently Laci and I do not have much combined strength.
We sort of banged your knee into the table. "
I guess there's a dull ache in my knee, but I hadn't even noticed it until now. I was too busy being alarmed how many people are currently in my apartment. Without responding I grab for the back of the couch to sit up, and Anita moves out of my way.
My gaze swivels across the four of them. Russell's sitting on the chair near the window, petting my damn cat. Laci and Emilio are further off in the kitchen, looking back at us like they know their presence might not be welcome here.
Well, more Emilio than Laci. I used to be annoyed with Laci for stealing his attention, but now I’m indifferent to it.
Jonah. I flinch at the memory, and Anita drops her hands and frowns at me. I forgot the whole reason I passed out was because of Laci. My eyes drift to her, and she’s staring right back at me with unsure eyes.
“There are so many people in my apartment right now,” I grumble, looking at the four of them.
I can’t remember who the last person that I invited here was.
Rich only stopped in for a minute, and Jonah wasn’t invited the last time he was here.
I don’t bring friends to my house; it’s supposed to be my safe space.
“We can go,” Emilio says awkwardly, and I tear my eyes away from the two of them back to Russell. He’s somehow coerced my cat into sitting on him, something Brutus doesn’t even do for me half the time. “Anita called for Russell, and they only have one car over here.”
“We weren’t planning to have to leave separately,” Laci grumbles, and I keep my focus off of her. She hasn’t been on my radar since last year. I stopped pining after Emilio and moved on, so she was no longer my concern. Those two only had eyes for each other now anyway.
Anita watches me, and I squirm under her gaze. Passing out in my house after being ambushed here by a weird friend brigade is more than enough for one day. I’ve hit my embarrassment limits for right now. “You guys can go. Uh, maybe we can have girl’s day another time.”
Laci frowns. “If you’re feeling better I can still do your nails if you wanna sit down-”
“It’s fine,” I rush, standing up. The world shifts a little bit and I stagger, but catch myself before any of them can offer to help me. “Really.”
“I told Rich I’d wait with you,” Anita says nervously, her fingers twisting together.
Has she always done that? I’ve never really noticed any nervous ticks with the friend group, but I’ve never paid Anita much attention either.
I kind of feel like a dick for that now.
“He’s up in Cheyenne today but is on his way back-”
“On his way back,” I repeat, staring at her. “He’s working. Shouldn’t you all be? It was just a fainting spell or something. Wait - why did you tell Rich anything?”
She frowns, glancing towards Russell, who has the audacity of holding my cat up while he makes kissy faces at Brutus.
I don’t think I’ll ever get that much love from my cat ever again.
He speaks up without looking over at us.
“Rich said you’d be down for some girlfriends. He knows they’re over here-”
“Russell,” Laci cuts in, “shut it.”
But I hear it loud and clear. Apparently I’m inept at making friends and it shows, because these two were just here out of pity. My eyes skate around the room, and the self hate returns.
I don’t know what Rich is trying to do here, but it’s causing more harm than good. “Get out.”
Anita winces. “Rich will be here in a while, and you can’t be all alone after a fainting spell. That’s poor practice. You can yell at him all you want once he’s here.”
“No,” I tell her, turning my gaze on her. She’s probably the sweetest of the four of them, and she doesn’t deserve my ire. “Get out. You’re just here out of pity. I don’t need it or want it.”
My hands shake when she frowns, and I know what my body’s craving. I need something to take the edge off, and the only thing that’s going to do that is liquor. I doubt drinking in front of them will help me out, especially since I want the alcohol more than I want water.
“No one’s pitying you,” Laci snaps, and my eyes turn to her. I don’t know why I thought she wouldn’t speak up. She’s a lot more opinionated than Anita is. “I told him I’d come over if he wanted to surprise you instead of going to a crowded spa. It’s called being nice.”
I lean away at the bite in her voice, and Emilio’s eyeing her like he wants to say something but is smart enough not to. “It’s called self-insertion. I didn’t ask anyone to invade my privacy. Now get out. All of you.”
Laci throws up her hands. “You know, this is why everyone avoids you. It doesn’t hurt to accept help sometimes.”
“I don’t need help,” I tell her, narrowing my eyes. “And I don’t need people to pretend like they like me.”
“Fine,” Laci says, stalking past Emilio to grab the duffle bag and suitcase.
Her heels click loudly on the tile as she picks everything up, shoving the bag towards Emilio, and shoots me a look.
“I thought we could just make up and stop ignoring each other at S&S. Don’t you think it’s been awkward doing that for the past year?
But whatever. Keep being bitter if you want to. ”
She tears the door open and stalks out. Em studies me for a moment, his eyes unreadable, before he follows her. I’m not at all surprised that he leaves right after her, but I am surprised that he bothered to look back at me.
Turning, the other two look less inclined to leave. Anita’s sitting stubbornly on the coffee table, and Russell hasn’t even moved. He’s still busy sucking up to my cat.
“Door’s open,” I tell them, gesturing to it.
Anita scoffs. “Soon as Rich gets here, feel free to kick us out. Until then, you’re stuck.”