Frayed (3 page)

“Fine! If shit hits the fan, I am blaming you,
Carter! And you owe me BIG time.”

Carter grinned at me sheepishly. “Thanks,
Tris. I knew I could count on you.”

“Whatever. Now move your tight ass out of my apartment before your crazy sister starts looking for us.”

After five minutes, we were out of my place. Lindsey ran into my arms when she caught sight of me. “God! I have missed you, doll! Are you ready to rock and roll with the Greek gods?” Lindsey held me tightly, released me and pinched my cheeks.

I admit, seeing my friend again made me feel good inside. I needed some light inside the darkness that I
was in. Even a flicker amidst the dark hole was enough to suffice.

Lindsey didn’t say much until we were on the freeway. “What was that in the white paper bag?” she directed the question to her brother
, who just happened to tense up at her unexpected inquiry. I was seated in the back, so I just sat back and watched the siblings interact. I was going to let Carter handle this shit. He was the one who brought the damn thing, not I.

“It was nothing,
Linds. Stop prying.” Carter answered her sharply, telling her that the subject was not open for discussion.

Like
that
would really shut his sister up.

“Better be nothing, Carter. I don’t think I need to
mention it again that Emma is better off without you. You fucked up, five times in one go, bro. She’s better off.” Lindsey looked at his brother with a determined stare. Carter stuck to driving without glancing at her.

I was sure the man got the point. “
Linds, that’s enough. I think your brother knows the extent of his fucked-up-ness. We all give him shit for it.” I managed to voice out. We were all protective of Emma. Even the guys that we were friends with are all giving Carter shit for it, too. He deserved what he got.

Carter gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. “Emma might be with Bass now, but how long will that last until he dumps her? If you guys think I’m dirt because I get tempted from all the girls that throw themselves at me
, then imagine the kind of treatment a Hollywood actor gets. He will end up hurting her.”

Lindsey snorted and shook her head. “Yeah, I get that. Emma gets that
, too, but it depends on the guy. Bass might be a playboy like you, but he will definitely focus on our girl. He’s
that
kind of man, Carter.”

Yeah, just stab it where it hurts,
chica.

Bass was the hottest piece of yumminess
, but I agreed with what Lindsey had just said. If anyone saw how that golden boy looked at Emma—like he was seeing the sun for the first time—his eyes glowing in awe and fascination, they would see that he only had eyes for her. That same fire was alive in Emma’s eyes, too. It was crazy to describe it like that, but that’s how it was with them, honest. If you watch them long enough, you get burned from the heat they exude.

The awkward silence stretched out and I didn’t want to ponder my own demons that were on a temporary leave in my mind. “Where’s Brody?” I absentmindedly asked.

“Probably fucking someone Carter already plowed through.” Lindsey paused, “if you need a run-through, let me update you. After Cece got deflowered by my dear brother
.
,
S
s
he had a threesome with Brody and Cooper. This all happened when we were in high school. That didn’t change the fact that her venom expanded that far beyond that. Fucking gross bitch. You and your friends Carter… are seriously nasty. You need to get yourselves checked.”

Carter snapped at those last words. “I can guarantee you that I’m clean through and through.”

“I already knew about Carter and Cece,” I murmured. Cece was in love with Carter and she didn’t hesitate to grab the opportunity when Carter was drunk. Cece thought Carter would take her seriously afterwards, but when he treated her like nothing happened, Cece got desperate. She hooked up with Carter’s friends to ‘hurt’ him, but it never worked. I was completely convinced that to this day, Cece was still obsessed with Carter.

Lindsey stabbed the radio button on and switched it to
KIIS FM, not wanting to talk any longer. We rode quietly until we got to LAX.

With all of stuff out of the SUV, Carter rounded the car and gave me a hug first. “Don’t forget to give her the present, please,” he whispered in my ear, pleading. “Thank you. Take care and have fun,
Tris.” He murmured before kissing my forehead.

Carter then went over to
his gloating sister and gave her a bear hug. “I feel like you’re leaving me or something. Weird right? I’m going to miss your annoying butt, Baby Sis’.” Carter pulled out a credit card from his wallet, handing it to Lindsey. “Here, shop your heart out. I don’t want you to spend any of your money. Make sure you pay with this when you guys go to London and wherever else you guys are going.”

That gesture sure made Lindsey happy. “
Yay! You’re the best! I love you, Big Bro’ Man. Thank you!”

“I love you
, too, Linds. Now you girls be careful and always stay safe. No going home with random men, got it? Or I’ll haul both of your asses back home.” Carter gave us one more hug before he started to back off and head back to where his car was.

We started to drag our luggage inside to check-in, but we heard him, he was yelling from his window. “Hey! Don’t forget to tell Emma that I’m still crazy about her. Bye girls!”

We both rolled our eyes at him. “He’s one hopeless man,” Lindsey muttered, smiling.

It really was too
bad that he cheated because he and Emma would’ve been great together. It’s impossible to compete with Bass in the picture now, though.  I mean, how would Carter win against a man who was so devoted to Emma? Bass took her seriously, and Carter simply did not.

All checked in and through
the security check, we still had one hour to burn until boarding, so we were both seated with our eyes stuck on our iPads, reading, when my phone beeped.

Was it
him? He knew I was leaving today. It must be him. With my heart beating wildly against my chest, I checked. My heart sunk that it wasn’t him, but I was a tad happy that it was Amber, instead.

Amber: Hi doll. So sorry I haven’t been in communication. But I should be home in a month. All I have to do is go through a treatment facility in Phoenix.
I don’t know why it’s that big of a deal. My parents didn’t think it was, so I don’t know why my grandmother is. Guess, I’ve really shaken the wrong matriarch this time, huh? It’s my only chance to get back to school. Grandma won’t let me go back until I finish. I will be checking out of the hospital tomorrow and will fly out there afterwards. Please don’t call. I don’t feel like talking, but I love and miss you guys.

Hospital? “Fuck, what the hell happened!” I freaked out. My eyes reread the message again, just to make sure I got it right.
It was still the same and I was left completely confused.

“What? What are you talking about?” Lindsey jumped at my sudden freak-out.

With tears in my eyes, I shoved the phone at her so she could read it herself. Her eyes quickly scanned it, “Oh, fuck! Damn it, Amber!” Lindsey stood up and I saw her press the call button. She started to pace until she got the voicemail. “Listen up, stop being a sissy and not taking any of our calls. We’re all worried about you. I can’t believe you always do this to us, each and every time. Damn it, we love you. Talk to us. Trista and I are leaving for Greece to visit Emma. Just in case you don’t know, she’s in a movie with Bass. Yeah, she’s with him now, just in case you didn’t know that, either. When you’re done getting your shit together, come back home. You’ll hear me bitch you out some more, but that should be expected. That doesn’t mean that I don’t love you. I bitch you out because I do. Over and out. Bye.” Lindsey sunk back onto her seat and flicked my phone back to me.

“She’s so fucked up. I feel helpless,” she stared at the floor.

Heck yes, that woman was impossible. “I know, but we can’t do much about that. All we can do is be there for her.”

“Always. We’re all she’s got
, besides her grandma.” Lindsey clutched my hand and gave it a light squeeze.

Yes, things might always fall apart around us
, yet Amber could always count on friends to be there for her.

Chapter 3

About a month ago…

Trista

Those three days I had before the termination, I spent wallowing and pondering my situation. I declined all calls that went through my phone, including Emma and Lindsey’s. I was not in the frame of mind to speak to either of them. Maybe because if I
did
pick up one of their calls I would simply break down and I couldn’t risk that.

No, I needed all
my energy and focus on
what was to come. I had to keep it all in and get it together.
I had to
. I deserved it. It was my cruel punishment for being a selfish slut.  I only thought about what I wanted. Any guilt I felt towards my family, and most especially to Becka, I had pushed away and never thought of it again. Yeah, I deserved to be in this cruel sentence. Being a mistress bitch was never the answer to have a happy ever after, though I hadn’t cared at the time.

Thinking about my pregnant cousin
now
hurt even more. Becka was five years older than I. She’s spoiled and gets whatever her little heart desires. She has a rotten personality and loves to demean people around her. She wants to be the only thing that matters, wherever she may be, and she never fails to make that point.

Ever since I was little, she would always make fun of me, most especially
when it came to how I looked. Becka started to call me ‘duckie’ when I was about five years old. To this day, she still did. Her parents and her other two sisters, Brenda and Belle, followed suit. They made a light jest about it. On the outside, I would smile and pretend that it was fine. Deep inside, I was humiliated and embarrassed that I was ugly. The ugly duckling—
Duckie
.

My brother, Tristan used to defend me against their taunting
, but my defender died when he was sixteen years old. A thrill seeker that thrived by living on the edge, he was surfing in the middle of a storm. The waves were violent and we were told that he fell from his board while he tried to ride one out, but it was too much for him to handle. When he fell, the waves kept pulling him down and it didn’t take long for him to drown. Some onlookers said that they called for help, however it was already too late by the time that help got there. My brother was beyond saving when they pulled his body out of the ocean.

My parents barely recovered from that
, and my family was never the same. My mom took it hard, and to this day, she still gets panic attacks. My father, crushed as he was, tried to communicate with me, but it was difficult and it didn’t take long until the three of us retreated and started to deal with Tristan’s loss all on our own. My father worked more, my mom needed therapy and pills, and I found solace in partying. I was a full-blown party girl by my junior year of high school.

It’s been four years now since my brother’s death, and nothing’s changed. I’m still troubled, more so now.

I trapped myself in the cage of my reckless actions. The thought of my parents now gave me grief. My mother will never recover from this latest disaster, if she ever finds out. My grandmother and the rest of my relatives will positively disown me. They were the conservative sort and having Harry’s baby would be criminal.

Karma. It hurts like a bitch when it lashes back at you.

***

Harry called mid-noon on Sunday. I had to strengthen my resolve before I picked
up my phone to answer him. “Hello?”

“What’s it to be,
Trista?” he rushed out, straight to the point.

There was no mild manner
ed greeting or an inquiry about my condition… the Harry I fell in love with, the one who relentlessly chased me until I gave in to his advances, was gone. Hearing him this way made me feel absolutely horrible. “Go set the appointment.” My voice wobbled when I spoke. My tears were endless.