Better (Too Good series) (22 page)

“I’m coming for you,” he said, and the smile broke out on his face. “I’m coming for you, Cadence.”

“I went on a date with Dylan,” Avery said, walking alongside Cadence to the student parking lot.

“No surprise there,” Cadence replied.

Avery bristled. “What does that mean?”

“It means I figured you would. You two were making eyes at each other all during our card night.”

Avery grinned. “He’s nice.”

“He’s a player.”

“No.”

Cadence stopped in her tracks. “Yes, Avery, he is. He has a new girlfriend every time I see him.”

“Not anymore,” she said.

“So you guys are a couple now?”

“Yep.”

“Well, congratulations.” Her tone suggested jealousy.

“What’s your problem?” Avery asked. They stood beside Cadence’s car.

“Nothing. I said congratulations.”

“Yeah, with a bullshit attitude,” Avery replied. “Does this have to do with Mark?”

Cadence snorted. “Oh, so he’s ‘Mark’ now? Is that because you’re dating his best friend?”

Avery sighed patiently. “You’re not gonna take out your anger on me because you’re pissed at your boyfriend.”

“I’m not.”

“You’re acting like a little bitch with a little bitch attitude problem.”

“Are you done? I need to go to work,” Cadence said flatly.

“We wanted to see if you guys wanted to come over for dinner,” Avery said.

“Huh?”

“This Friday night. We’re making dinner.”

“You live at home. How can you go to Gavin’s?”

“Dylan’s.”

“That’s what I meant. Dylan’s,” Cadence said
flippantly.

Avery folded her arms over her chest. “My parents think I’m spending the night with Marybeth.”

“Gotcha,” Cadence replied. “Well, I guess we can come over.”

Avery eyed her carefully. “His name is Dylan,” she said.

“Huh?”

“Stop dismissing this, Cadence. He’s important to me,” Avery said.

“You’ve known him five minutes.”

“He’s important to me,” she repeated. Slowly—as a warning.

“Are you going to move in with him?” Cadence asked. She ignored the warning. She heard it, but it didn’t scare her.

“We’ve only known each other five minutes,” Avery replied.

Clever girl
, Cadence thought.
I can be fucking clever, too
.

“Jealousy is really unattractive on you,” Avery said.

“Why would I be jealous? I don’t wanna date Dylan.”

“No. But you wanna be happy right now, and you’re not.”

Cadence said nothing.

“I’m not trying to throw anything in your face. I know you’re hurting, okay? But I thought maybe if we all hung out, it would ease some of the tension,” Avery said. “I want you to be happy.”

Cadence didn’t even know what that meant. How would hanging out with Avery and Dylan make her happy? It was a stupid comment, and it pissed her off.

“I’m super, actually.” She checked her cell phone. “And late. I’ve gotta go.”

“Leave the attitude when you come over,” Avery said. “This Friday at seven.” She didn’t bother to say goodbye, and Cadence couldn’t care less.

***

It was Oliver and Kim all over again. Massive jealousy mixed with an alarming degree of hatred.
Hatred
. That wasn’t like Cadence to feel hatred. Only when her alter ego emerged, and she wasn’t there. If she were, she’d have lunged across the table at Avery, who chatted pleasantly about her coursework. Coursework? Who gives a shit? Cadence didn’t know who this chick was. Avery was nineteen. This girl across the table was a little thirty-something grownup talking about thirty-something grownup things. Her plans after graduation. Her 401(k). The girl made minimum wage at a lingerie store, and she had a 401(k)?
Fuck your 401(k), Avery
, Cadence thought.

“More wine anyone?” Avery offered.

Cadence nodded, and smiled sweetly.

“Did you guys hear about that concert happening at the Ta
bernacle?” Avery asked as she filled Cadence’s wine glass.

I’m so
ooo getting drunk tonight
, Cadence decided.

“Oh, those local DJs?” Mark asked. “Yeah. I’m getting tickets tomorrow.”

“Already did,” Avery said. She smiled. “I figured we could all go.”

“Since when do
you like instrumental hip hop?” Cadence asked. It came out just the slightest bit accusatory.

Avery ignored her tone. “Dylan’s been introducing it to me slowly. At his store,” she said, grinning at her
new boyfriend. She reached up and pinched his cheek.

Yep. Getting drunk. Then barfing
, Cadence thought.

“Remember how I had to walk you through a record player and how it works, Cadence?” Dylan asked.

“Uh huh.”

“Ditto for this one,”
he said, nudging Avery.

“And what do you think about it?” Cadence asked Avery.

“A record player or the music?”

“The music.”

“I like it. It’s chill,” she said.

Cadence responded by shoving a piece of garlic chicken in her mouth.

“Anyway, what do you all think about going?” Avery asked.

The boys nodded. Cadence shrugged.

“I’ll have to check my calendar,” she said.

“Oh, you have a calendar now?” Avery asked, chuckling. It was a patronizing chuckle that sent Cadence over the edge. Internally, anyway.

“Yeah. I do. And I may be hanging with Michael and Carrie that evening.”

“You don’t even know what evening it is because I haven’t said yet,” Avery replied.

“Okay then. What evening?”

“February 10.”

“All right. I’ll have to check my calendar,” Cadence replied. And then she added slowly, “I may be hanging with Michael and Carrie that evening.”

Dylan and Mark
eyed each other from across the table. They were good at communicating with one another silently. They learned through several years of bar hopping and serving as each other’s wingman.

This is exactly what I was talking about
, Mark’s eyes said.

Fuck you
, Dylan’s eyes answered.

“Is there something you need to get off your chest?” Avery asked.

“No. Why?” Cadence replied.

“Because you’re acting like a total bitch right now.”

“So anyway . . .” Dylan interjected. “That movie starts at nine. We better wrap this up if we’re gonna make it in time.”

“I’m sorry you’ve gotten that impression. I don’t know what I said to make you think I’m acting like a bitch,” Cadence said.

“Oh, please. You’ve had an attitude since you walked through the door,” Avery replied.

“I don’t have an attitude. I’m just tired,” Cadence explained.

“Liar.”

“Maybe we oughta get going,” Mark suggested.
“You know. For good seats.”

“Don’t call me a liar,” Cadence said evenly.

“Well, that’s what you are. I don’t know what your problem is. I didn’t do anything to you,” Avery snapped.

“I never said you did. In fact, I never said anything about anything. I don’t have an attitude. I’m sorry you think that. I’m also sorry we can’t see the movie with you.
”

Cadence hopped up from her seat and threw her linen napkin on the table.

“What the fuck with these napkins?!” she screamed unexpectedly. “Did you actually go out and buy these things?”

“So what if I did?!” Avery yelled back.

“You’re nineteen, Avery!”

“
I’m well aware of that, Cadence!”

Cadence couldn’t block the scene playing in her mind—cloth napkins and a stupid, drunk bitch who sat across the table from her
, waxing on and on about the real world and all its responsibilities and how Cadence just didn’t understand. But she would. She’d eventually understand.

The entire night was embarrassing. She was ashamed at herself for making a big fuss about that dinner. Cloth napkins. She’d gone out to purchase them specifically for that dinner. She was trying so hard to be older. And she ended up looking like a fool.

She glared at the cloth napkin balled on her plate.

“Stop trying to act like you’re all grown up!” she screamed at Avery. “This isn’t your life!”

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about!” Avery replied. “It’s a fucking cloth napkin!”

But it wasn’t. It wasn’t just a cloth napkin. It was Cadence lost—lost to this world of grown-up dinners with friends, living with her boyfriend, paying rent, paying car insurance. She felt like a wanderer. She was one. She recalled wandering around the store searching for those cloth napkins, trying to be someone she wasn’t, and now she felt the napkin wrap itself around h
er face, suffocating her. Punishing her for playing the charlatan.

“It’s not!” Cadence roared.

“Cadence, stop,” Mark said. He took her hand, and she jerked away.

“We’re leaving!” she screamed in Avery’s face.

“Good! You weren’t invited to the movie, anyway!”

Cadence grabbed her purse and stormed out. She didn’t wait for Mark. She knew he’d hang back and give their apologies.

“Fuck that,” she said to the night air as she stood by the car. They weren’t her apologies. She wasn’t sorry for anything she said.

Mark approached the car and took a deep breath.

“If you even think about saying anything to me right now, I’ll scream bloody murder,” Cadence warned.

They locked eyes, and Mark nodded. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, but he stored them up instead. The explosion was coming. He knew. And he thought he ought to make it a good one. She most certainly would. So he sealed his mouth and seethed in silence, setting the countdown timer in his heart.

***

“Whoa. Somebody’s a sassafras,” Michael said, eyeing Cadence. They were ten minutes early for their composition class.

“Where do you come up with this stuff? You’re such a dork,” she spat.

He
watched her pretty face screw up in a most unattractive scowl, and chuckled.

“What?” Cadence barked.

“What is your problem? How can you be this irritable already at nine in the morning? What the hell did I do?”

Cadence sighed. “Nothing. You didn’t do anything. I’m sorry.”

“Okay. You covered your bases with me. But now you need to apologize to all that.” He swept his hand across the window.

“Apologize to what?”

“The world.”

She cracked a smile
.

“Seriously. What’s the matter with you?”

“Nothing,” she mumbled. She didn’t trust sharing her problems with Michael. He always seemed a little too eager to know what was wrong with her and even more eager to help her feel better.

“Try again.”

“I had a fight with Avery.” That was partially true. She cringed remembering the dinner night.

“About?”

“Stuff.”

“Elaborate.”

“No, because you’ll say I’m completely childish,” Cadence replied. She flipped open her notebook.

“Probably, but then isn’t that what you’re really after? Perspective?”

“Oh, you’re so wise, Michael,” Cadence said.

“I know. Now tell me what this fight was about.”

“It’s stupid,” Cadence muttered.

“Then you should get over it and stop being grouchy,” Michael pointed out.

“She’s all like, ‘Oh, let’s all go and listen to some DJs next month’. Seriously? Since when does she listen to instrumental hip hop?”

Michael stared at her. “Are you hearing yourself right now?”

“Whatever.”

“Since when do you? You only like it ‘cause your boyfriend likes it.”