“No, I loaned it to you so you could enroll in cosmetology school and finally do something with your life,” I insisted furiously.
“You never said anything about that money being a loan.”
My mouth fell open so fast my jaw popped. “Are you kidding? The agreement was always that you would pay the money back I’ve given you. Not just the loan for school, but for all the times I’ve bailed you out.”
Mom sniffed through the line. “Well I don’t remember it that way.”
Of course she wouldn’t. I squeezed my eyes closed and pulled in a slow, steady inhale, counting to ten before I blew it back out. “You know what, it doesn’t matter,” I said, trying my best to brush it off. “What happened with the investment? Is there anything from that you could pay me back with?”
More silence. This conversation was swirling around the toilet faster than I could have possibly imagined. “It was a risk, we knew that going in. But if you don’t take risks, there’s no fun, and what’s the point in living if you don’t have fun?”
“That’s totally fine... if you’re taking those risks with your own money,” I shouted, unable to keep my composure. “If I’d known you were going to give it to your waste-of-oxygen boyfriend and his worthless friend, I never would have loaned it to you. I was hoping, for once, you’d use it on something to better yourself so you’d finally stop depending on all those pathetic assholes!”
“You know what?” my mom started on a huff, “I don’t have to listen to this. You have no right talking about Dwight like that—”
I cut her off, my voice and fury rising with each word I spoke. “Mom, he’s a piece of shit, just like every other man you’ve ever chosen.”
“That’s it, I’m done with this conversation. Don’t bother calling again until you’re ready to apologize.”
It would be a cold day in hell before that happened, but she’d already disconnected before I had a chance to tell her that.
My whole body vibrated with rage, my muscles locked so tight I knew my neck and shoulders were going to be killing me tomorrow. I wanted so desperately to wrench my arm back and send my phone crashing into the wall, but I couldn’t afford a replacement, so I settled for filling my lungs with air, dropping my head back, and letting it out on a loud, feral yell that grated against my throat like sandpaper and was riddled with every curse word I knew, and some I just came up with on the fly.
“I’d ask if you’re okay, but I think the answer to that is pretty obvious.”
I let out a startled scream and whipped around in my seat so fast I fell out of my chair and right onto my ass. “Ow, damn it! Can this night get any worse?”
Cheyanne rushed over to me, extending her hand to help me off the floor. “Shit. Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you heard me come in, but then you started yelling like something out of a horror movie.”
With her help, I climbed off the floor, massaging the ache in my butt cheek with a wince before sitting back down carefully. “Yeah, sorry. I wasn’t expecting company.” I turned to give her a curious look. “Speaking of, what areyou doing here?”
She looked at me like I’d just grown a third eyeball in the middle of my forehead. “Holy shit. You forgot?”
The skin between my brows puckered with an exaggerated frown. “What are you talking about? And where’s Renee?” Cheyanne’s little girl was probably the closest I’d ever come to being even the slightest bit maternal. She was my little buddy, and I loved seeing her any chance I got, even if I was in the middle of a crisis and I was terrible company.
“She’s at home with Trent. It’s Margarita Monday, Lu.”
I paused, blinking slowly. Ah, hell. Margarita Monday had been our tradition for years. One Monday a month we got together, drank margaritas, and laughed, that was it. One Monday a month everything else was put on the back burner for a few hours, and it was just about two friends spending time together, appreciating the fact we each had someone in our lives who meant something special. It had been my favorite day of the month for years, and the fact it had slipped my mind shocked the hell out of me.
“Shit. I can’t believe I forgot.”
“You and me both. What the hell is going on, Lu?”
“God, Chey, I don’t even know where to start.” I buried my face in my hands, mumbling out the rest. “Everything is such a freaking mess.”
“How about the beginning?” At her odd tone, I spread my fingers to peek through them before letting out a huff and dropping my arms. The jig was up. She was holding one of the many past due notices that had been on my table in her hands while giving me a pointed look. She waved the piece of paper in her hand and added, “You know, starting with the stuff you’ve clearly been keeping from me.”
I let out a weary sigh, glaring at the big red letters at the top of the piece of paper she was holding, letters informing me if I didn’t pay up soon, I’d be in deep shit—at least that was the gist of it. “Okay,” I conceded. “But I’m going to need a lot of booze to get through this.”
“On it,” she declared like the incredible friend she was.
* * *
“God,”Cheyanne said on a breath once I finished giving her the whole truth. “I know I’ve never met her, but I really hate your mom.”
“Pfft. I wish I could hate her,” I said, then hiccupped obnoxiously. “’Cause maybe then it wouldn’t hurt so damn bad every time she lets me down.” The margaritas had been strongtonight, thanks to Cheyanne’s heavy pour, and as I lifted the straw to my lips to finish off my third, slurping the last of it down obnoxiously loud, I was seriouslyfeeling the effects. Considering what a lightweight my best friend was, I was surprised she wasn’t passed out on the living room floor already.
“Hey, why aren’t you wasted right now?” I asked accusingly, squeezing one eye closed to make the two Cheyannes in front of me less bleary.