I shook my head, blinking away tears as I faced my friends, furiously writing down Callie and Zoey’s order that I knew by heart without them even telling me.
“Della—” Zoey started quietly, but I interrupted her, already heading in the direction of the kitchen.
“I’m fine, really. I’m gonna go put your order in, and I’ll be right back with your drinks.” I tried to push a smile onto my face, but it was useless. My face felt numb and didn’t want to cooperate with any display associated with happiness. I didn’t deserve this. I shouldn’t have gone today, I should’ve approached him differently. He was the one who had hurt me, the one who said he would do anything to get me back. Well, obviously, he had a change of heart, and really, I didn’t care.
I couldn’t.
I RUBBED MY eyes, shutting my book, and doing the same to my laptop. After working an endless amount of hours on a paper that was due in three days, I was finally finished. Now, I had nothing to do, and all I could think about was curling up into my nice, warm bed and going to sleep.
The house was empty, of course, because it was a Friday night. Callie and Zoey begged me to go out with them, but I just wasn’t in the mood. After a lot of reassuring on my part that I was completely fine with them going without me, they finally left. I’m sure I would’ve been a downer anyway. I tried to not let the whole thing with Justin bother me, but it did.
Nash had met up with Callie and Zoey that night at Shorty’s, and of course spotted Justin as soon as he arrived. I could see the question in his eyes as soon I brought his beer over. He would stand up for me in a heartbeat whenever I needed him to, but Justin and I were over so it didn’t matter. Nash knew I still held some hope of rekindling my relationship with Justin, even though he and I dated briefly in between. I still wondered what would have happened if Mariah hadn’t ended up pregnant. Would we still be dating, or would I have ended it and destroyed our friendship? I guess I couldn’t think about the what ifs.
Justin had been a sloppy, drunken mess by the time my shift ended. I almost felt sorry enough to offer to take him home, knowing there was no way he would make it on his own. But all I had to do was see that girl practically humping him in front of everyone and I darted out the back entrance as fast as I could, not having to pass that lovely scene when I left.
Of course, Callie and Zoey were waiting to grill me about Justin’s behavior as soon as I got home that night. I rehashed the whole miserable day, but we ended it on a good note with a perfect girls’ night of drinking a pitcher of margaritas, watching sappy love stories, and guy bashing. Callie kept her bashing limited to Justin, since her and Drew were still happily in love and together. I was jealous of their relationship, but I couldn’t be any happier for her. She deserves it because she’s such a good person.
It had been over a week since that whole mess, and I still couldn’t get the picture of that girl sitting on his lap out of my mind. Apparently, I really liked to torture myself. Just as my feet hit the bottom step to head upstairs, Mia’s door swung open and I bit back a groan. I wasn’t even aware that she was home, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. Mia liked to make an entrance wherever she went, so she normally left later to go out to parties that were on the weekends. And she knew about every single one there was.
“Della,” she called out as I tried to hurry up the stairs to avoid her. “Della, I know you heard me.”
I stopped on the last step and turned around to glare at her. If I didn’t she would just follow me up to my room and then raid my closet, never returning anything she ever took from it.
She placed one hand on her jutted out hip as she looked up at me and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Let me guess? Staying in again?”
I shrugged my shoulders and she clicked her tongue, her eyes dropping down to her nails that were painted neon pink, perfectly matching her clingy dress that had cutouts on the sides and dipped low in the back. I knew, because it was mine, even though I couldn’t remember actually ever wearing it. I most definitely wouldn’t be caught in it now.
“You’re so boring now, Della.”
“Boring?” I repeated back to her. I could honestly say that was one word never used to describe me. Sure, I wasn’t a partier like I once had been. That was all I did during high school and my first two years at the community college.
“Yes, boring. I mean, you didn’t even go out for your twenty-first. Who does that?” she asked in wonder, like it was a crime or something.
“I don’t have to go out every day of the week to have fun.” I tugged at the hem of my shirt.