Page 53 of Unhinged

“I don’t give a good goddamn if you told your reflection! You couldn’t keep your mouth shut without a dick in it!”

I punch his chest, but he doesn’t move. “Get out of my face! I tried to help you see the truth!”

“I can’t even stand to look at you.”

“Or say my name.”

“Do you really want to hear what I call you?”

“I guess not, Rod.”

His jaw clenches. “Is that all you ever do? Mock me?”

I adopt a whiny, bimbo-ish voice. “But I can’t help it. My mouth runs wild if there’s no dick in it.”

For a millisecond, his snarl tics, almost revealing the Greg I miss. But he’s long gone. I lick my lip, desperate to stay unaffected. “So, this is what you really think of me? Like I’m one of those sluts out there?”

“If the shoe fits.”

“But you found your new girlfriend here? How conservative and wholesome. Does she charge by the bottle, screw, or hour?”

“You have zero room to talk with you swinging your tits in guys’ faces and practically giving them hand jobs at the tables.”

I again ask, “Jealous?”

“Bite me.”

“When Shasta called me a whore, you defended me. Now, you’re calling me one. You don’t know a damn thing about me or care to know. I made a mistake by telling your mom. I’m sorry. But you and I were friends. We almost were…more. If I’m not good enough for you, then why did you show up at my apartment that night?”

His anger suddenly drops, and he laughs. “You were a wet cunt.”

My mouth falls open as tears again threaten, but he won’t see me cry again. “And you delivered your amateurish cock to my door. What a joke.” I swallow the pain building in my chest and throat. “Does your woman know about Birdy? Or did you forget you have a daughter? You left Birdy with Shasta to raise her alone. As much as I hate that cum dumpster, Shasta didn’t abandon your baby. Birdy may not get a steady or nice stepfather, but she had you. At least, the nicer version. The way you left her, above all else, is what burns my ass the most.”

Greg’s anger slips, and he struggles to keep hiding, but he does. “I doubt she’s even mine.”

“Who cares? God. You’re such a dumbass! My real dad couldn’t give a monkey’s shit about me, but he wouldn’t let me take my stepdad’s last name, my mother’s maiden name, or even Wilder—because yes, Finn’s dad would’ve let me. I still can’t change my name since my dad is paying for my education, or he’ll pull the plug. He’s an abusive asshole of the highest order, while my stepdad is my everything. So, it doesn’t matter who you are to Birdy. She may just choose you, anyway. I want Jack to walk me down the aisle someday.”

“Who would you ever pick to marry out of all those dickheads out there, clambering for your tits? Kind of like a drunk version of The Bachelor?”

“But you sure know how to make fun of me.”

The hard look in his eyes returns. “Because you mocked me in front of the entire bar!”

I screw up my face. “When? I said nothing.”

“Pitching technique? Embarrassing myself?”

I shrug. “Okay. So? You said shit about me. We’re even.”

He leans closer. “You wish.” Greg licks his lips, and it fascinates me.

It sickens me.

Sighing toward the floor, I admit, “For the record, I wish I could take back everything. My big mouth. My decision to come down here. My choice in men. That night. Even helping you with your daughter. All of it.” My eyes water, thinking of never seeing Birdy then or never again, so I avoid looking at him. “But I can’t make it up to you when there’s no chance of you ever forgiving me. You can date whomever you want. But damn. I hope they teach you how to be a better person. You used to be. I thought. Now get out of my fucking way.” I hold his gaze, but when it becomes too painful, I look away as I leave the room. I round Greg, but before I reach the door, he grabs me and shoves me against a wall.

“Let me go!” I straighten, but he’s in my face, trapping me.

Determination dominates his brown eyes. “Are you done with your riveting speech?”

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