But I knew tonight was far from over.
“This is Zoe’s night,”I said. “Not mine. Just let me go home and be done with this.”
We stood outside my apartment building. Both Zoe and Eva blocked my path.
“Seriously,” I said. “Eva, you’re lucky I don’t slap you. You announced to a bar full of people that I had lobsters between my legs!”
“Lobsters?” Zoe asked.
“Big ones,” Eva said. She pinched the air again.
“This is all because of Maverick,” Zoe said.
“Zoe, you were really great tonight,” I said.
“You weren’t even paying attention,” Zoe said. “I saw you. Sitting at the bar. Looking sad. Lost. Did you tell him everything?”
“Nothing to tell,” I said. “It’s done. It’s fine.”
“This is not fine,” Eva said. “Nothing that you do is actually fine.”
“Whoa,” Zoe said. “Let’s take a breath.”
“Let me into my apartment building,” I said. “I need to get some sleep.”
“You need to face reality,” Eva said. Eva looked at Zoe. “And you’re not going to help me out here? I told that guy she had lobsters between her legs because she was going to sleep with him. She was going to do the same thing she always does. Run away from commitment!”
“Hey!” I snapped.
“Madison,” Zoe said. “Really?”
“Please don’t do this right now,” I said. “Let’s celebrate your night.”
“My night wasn’t that great,” Zoe said. “The crowd was a little flat. The lights weren’t where I needed them. And the reverb on my guitar was turned up too high. Not my best show. So there’s my night. Now we’re going to talk about you.”
“I don’t want to talk about me,” I said. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Why do you do this?” Zoe asked.
“Do what?”
“You love Maverick,” Zoe said. “And I love you. So I’m going to be your best friend and be really honest.”
“And mean,” Eva said.
“Just honest,” Zoe said.
“I feel like being mean,” Eva said.
“Why don’t you go home, Eva?” I asked. “Go kill me in a book.”
“Maybe I don’t need a book,” Eva said.
“That’s what you want to say?” I asked.
“What other choice do I have right now?” Eva asked. “You always do this to yourself. You get yourself all worked up and then bail on everything. You’re bailing on everything again!”
“What she means is…” Zoe said.