I run my knuckles over her cheek, pushing some blond strands off her face, then lean down, whispering in her ear. “I’ll take care of him, princess.” Then I exit her room to go take a shower and get some rest. I have to be up early in the morning because Tyson needs us back at Blackout.
RAYLEE
TATUM AND I pull up to Mike’s house Sunday night, and she sighs heavily. I feel rested, almost like a new me. After we had several bottles of wine last night, we passed out in my bed. My body was exhausted along with my mind. I woke up this morning to find myself home alone, other than Tatum next to me, and was thankful for that. When you live with four guys, it can be overwhelming. Thankfully, most of them keep to themselves. They only ever bother me if Colt tells them to.
“You sure you’re okay being here?” Tatum asks, breaking the silence between us.
“Yep.” I nod once. I don’t give a fuck what people think about me. Clearly.
She scrolls on her phone for a few seconds and then looks at me. “The video is gone.”
“Doubtful,” I disagree and pull down the visor to reapply my lipstick. “It’s there somewhere, I’m sure.”
My cell dings, and I see it’s a text from Nate. Rolling my eyes, I turn the ringer off.
“What did it say?” she asks, watching me throw it into the back seat.
I won’t be needing that tonight. “Don’t know. Don’t care.” I woke up with it off this morning and guessed it had died at some point last night, so I haven’t been on it much today.
She pats my shoulder. “I still can’t believe Colt posted that shit online. That was over the line. Even for him.”
I don’t keep any secrets from Tatum. She knows what I’ve done with Colt over the years, especially that night with all of them after he stopped recording me. But who knows how many times he’s done that? How many videos he has just sitting and waiting to be used. “Why did you go to the party?” I ask her, changing the subject. I know it wasn’t to see her brother—they fight like cats and dogs. She wasn’t mad at me when I told her I slept with Alex, just grossed out.
“Billy didn’t want to go to the movies. When I told him that I wanted to spend time with you, he suggested going to Colt’s party. That I would get to see you when you got home.”
I nod and watch the kids partying on the front lawn of the Williams home. I went to high school with Mike and his twin brother Mitch when my mom and I moved here. Their parents are loaded, of course. So any chance they have to throw a party at their parents’ mansion, they take it. They must be out of town this weekend.
Mike and I have a history, but I’m not ashamed of it. It is what it is. Plus, if Mike hadn’t started fucking me and ran out like a little bitch when I got blood on his dick, who knows if Colt would have stepped in and shown me how it’s done.
“What are you going to do when you see Billy here with her?” I ask, changing the subject again. We’re only here because she wants to track down her boyfriend and see if the rumors she heard are true.
“I’m … I’m not sure.” She gives a rough laugh. “I guess it depends on if I’m drunk by then or not.”
“You know he’s going to marry her, right?” I hate to break her heart, but he’s been on and off with Cheryl since before I moved in with the Knoxes our sophomore year in high school. He cheats, she cheats, but they always go back to one another.
“Probably,” she agrees. “I saw the red flags before we even started dating.”
“You and me both.” I snort, referring to how I still allow Colt to fuck me. “We’re both color blind.”
She laughs and nods. “Ain’t that the truth.”
Tatum and Billy have a toxic relationship. The only difference between her and Billy, and Colt and me is that we actually do hate one another.
“She kept blowing up his phone Friday night at the party.” She glances at her cell and then tosses it into the back seat with mine.
“What was she saying to him?” I wonder.
“That she was sorry.” Tatum huffs.
“About what exactly? He was the one who dumped her last.”
She shrugs. “No clue, and he wouldn’t tell me when I asked.” Running her hand through her hair, she pushes the dark strands away from her face and smiles over at me. “How about we find out?”
I nod. “I’m ready when you are.”
She pushes the passenger door open and gets out. I smile, doing the same, needing some excitement. I’m a ride-or-die friend to the end. So if she starts throwing punches, I’ll jump right in and throw mine, no questions asked.