“It was pretty hilarious. ” I laughed along with her, thankful for the upswing in her mood.
“How did Melissa keep that from me? That’s the best story ever!”
“She’s probably dying to tell you,” I admitted, feeling guilty that I’d asked her best friend to keep so much from her.
“Did the evil troll sign the papers after that?”
The smile fell from my face as I remembered what came next. “No. ”
The three of us walked toward the exit of the bar as Chrystle jumped in front of me, grabbing me by the arm. I freed myself from her wretched touch before shouting, “Don’t fucking touch me, you crazy bitch. ”
“I just want to talk to you, Jack. ” She batted her eyelashes and tilted her head in some bullshit attempt to appear swe
et.
“How about we talk after you sign the papers?”
Instantly, her mouth pursed together in frustration. “I’m not signing those. You can’t prove anything and you know it. ”
“You keep telling yourself that,” I lied, hoping she’d buy it.
“You’re lying. ”
Fuck.
“Just remember how many friends you have before I subpoena them all and make them testify against you. If you get them to lie on the stand, I’ll make sure they go to jail. ”
“You wouldn’t dare!” she spat.
“The fuck I wouldn’t. ” I leaned in close to her face, my words laced with anger and hate.
“It won’t work anyway. I’ve covered all my bases, so to speak. ” She grinned wickedly, and I wondered what the hell I did in a past life to deserve this.
“Just sign the fucking papers, Chrystle. ”
“No. ”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because I refuse to make it easy for you to get rid of me. ” She smirked, and I wanted to smack the ever-loving shit out of her.
“Is this a fucking game to you?” I asked through clenched teeth, my temper rising to a boil.
“I want to stay married, so I won’t sign anything if I can avoid it. ”
Her smugness radiated from her with such force that I had to fight the urge to scream and shout like a lunatic in the middle of the bar.
Keep your cool, Carter. Do not let this crazy bitch push you over the edge.
“Avoid it? You think you can avoid this?”
“Actually, yes I do. ” Her voice, thick with deceit and confidence, made me want to gag.
“You’re just a bad person. ” I threw my hands up into the air in my frustration.
“So are you!” she fired back.
“No. I’m an asshole. There’s a difference. ”