I gritted my teeth. I’d love nothing more than to plow my fist into any part of this fool—preferably his face, followed by his nuts—but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t do that to Sophia. “Is Sophia here?”
With this asshole answering the door, I wasn’t sure why I wanted to talk to her now. At the very least, I’d get her number and do what I’d promised I’d do weeks ago and forward her screenplay to the right people. No matter how much this little scene hurt me.
“Who?” Machine Gun Wannabe blinked at me.
“Sophia Scott? The girl who lives here?”The girl you slept withI wanted to say but didn’t. Despite the anger boiling in my belly, I wasn’t ready to pick that fight just yet and definitely not with Machine Gun Wannabe. He might not have my muscle mass, but his reach was definitely longer than mine.
“Sophia’s not here,” a woman behind the tatted douche said as she came up behind him. She stood next to the guy and snarled at me. “She’s still back home licking her wounds and hiding from the paps you put on her tail.”
“Paps?” Machine Gun Wannabe perked up. “Is your roomie famous?”
Molly rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Jay. Nice to know where your priorities lie.”
MGW turned back to me, stroking his sparsely stubbled chin. “You know, now that I think about it, you look familiar too. Are you in a band? Would I have heard of you?”
“All right. Time to go.” Molly shoved him through the doorway and practically into my arms. “Thanks for the bang, Jay. See ya. Or not.”
And then she slammed the door in both of our faces.
I blinked a few times, my arms still full of Jay. Finally, I took a step back and shoved him off of me.
“The crazy chicks are the best lays. Am I right?” Jay laughed before skipping down the hall, looking like an overgrown kid despite his heavily tatted and still naked torso.
“I feel like I’ve wandered into a Monty Python skit or something,” I muttered to myself before raising a fist and knocking again.
“Oh my god!” Molly shouted as she opened the door. “Can’t you get a clue? I don’t want to talk to you.”
“No, I got that. I just don’t care. Let me in. We need to talk.”
“Because that’s the way you charm someone into talking. Right. See ya.”
I shoved my foot into the doorjamb and blocked her second attempt to slam the door in my face. “No. You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m still a little shellshocked from seeing Machine Gun Wannabe open the door. I uh, kinda thought he was here with Sophia at first.”
“Really?” Molly raised an eyebrow. “And I kinda like the thought of you feeling like crap. Thanks for letting me know. Bye.”
The door bounced off my foot a second time. I really wished I’d worn boots instead of sneakers. “Molly! Please? I need help, and it’ll only take a minute.”
She sighed and opened the door wider. “I’m sure you say that to all the girls. But sure. Since you begged so prettily.”
I huffed but didn’t rise to her bait. This definitely wasn’t the time for snarky come backs. I still needed her help. “Thank you.”
I stepped inside the apartment and couldn’t help but covertly look around. I’d never been inside Sophia’s apartment before. It was…kinda sparse. They had a sofa, flatscreen TV, and a bookcase with books, knickknacks, and pictures on the shelves. I stepped closer for a better look and found a mix of Stephen King, Harry Potter, and writing craft books on the shelves.
But it was the pictures that held me spellbound. Sophia and Molly at Disneyland with Goofy. Sophia and Molly at their graduation wearing gowns and huge grins. Sophia at the beach in an itty-bitty bikini. Molly in someone’s backyard. But I kept coming back to the photo of Sophia in a bikini. I’d seen her in something similar at my place. I’d kissed that little freckle on her shoulder so many times. And I couldn’t help but compare her carefree smile in the picture with my memory of the last time I saw her and her pained expression then.
I wanted to do anything I could to get this happy, joyful Sophia back into my life. Or at least have her be this happy and joyful—even if she wasn’t in my life anymore.
“So?” Molly asked impatiently. “Do you actually have something to say or are you just here to lurk like a weirdo?”
“Right.” I swung around to face her and shoved my hands in my pockets. “I, uh, kinda need Sophia’s phone number.”
“Ha. No.” Molly rolled her eyes. “You’re insane. Why should I do anything to help you? You did your damnedest to break my girl. I don’t want shit to do with you. And neither does she.”
I swallowed hard. Somehow, I hadn’t thought this was going to be this hard. “Because you’re not helping me. You’re helping Sophia. I don’t give a shit how you feel about me. But if you give me her number, you’re helping our girl. I can get her screenplay in front of the right people. And she deserves it. Her writing is good. Actually, it’s amazing.”
Molly crossed her arms over her chest. “Ourgirl, huh?”
Chapter Twenty-Five