Page 112 of Her Devils

I snort. “You can fucking say that again. You know what? Hearing Darrius say that he didn’t see me that way was bad. It hurt. Seeing you date him sucked. But the worst thing was finding out how much you hated me, Kiara. That hurt more than all the rest. I thought we were friends. Best friends.”

She exhales a shuddering breath. “We were, and I know I fucked up. I don’t really think you’re a spoiled brat, Len.”

I shake my head, barking out a mirthless laugh. “Could have fooled me, babe.”

I really want to end this conversation, but she runs her hands through the short hair of her pixie cut. “If it helps, the last year has been hard, and I didn’t know what to do. College was a dumpster fire, I had no friends, and I was failing all my classes. I needed my best friend to confide in, and you ran to France. For all I knew, you’d never come back, Len. I was alone, and I was desperate. I had student loans out the wazoo and no job. Sarah wasn’t speaking to me.”

I don’t mean to kick someone when they are down, but I can’t bite my tongue. “Gee, I wonder why.”

She lowers her gaze, looking embarrassed for the first time since I returned home. “She told you about Niko?”

I roll my eyes. “You know we tell each other everything. We did the same with you, remember?”

She looks at me, her eyes full of unshed tears. “I know, and I miss our friendship. I swear I didn’t mean to steal Darrius from you, but I came back to Star Cove from college with my tail between my legs. My parents were furious and told me that if I wanted to move back home, I needed to get a job. I felt sorry for myself, and without you or Sarah to talk to, I decided to go out one night and bumped into Darrius.”

I don’t know if I want to hear this, but I don’t stop her.

“I was relieved to see someone I knew who didn’t treat me like a leper. He bought me a drink, and at first, I didn’t even think he was flirting. Then things sort of happened, and I knew it was wrong. I felt terrible.”

I can imagine. “You felt terrible, but you still slept with him,” I say bitterly.

“You have to understand, Len! He was the most popular guy in town, and he was noticing me for the first time ever. It felt good to be on the arm of the most eligible bachelor in Star Cove. After we hooked up, I didn’t expect to hear from him again. When he called me, I thought it was to tell me that hooking up with me was a mistake and that we could never tell you. Instead, he asked me out on a date. He promised to help me get a job at Angels’ HQ. I—”

She sounds distraught, but I still can’t forgive her. “You could have called me. You could have talked to my mom. You know we would have never turned you away. You didn’t have to date Darrius to get a job at HQ.”

Kiara nods. “I know. I was just... It felt good to be wanted by someone important and famous. I’m sorry.”

A part of me wants to pull her into a hug, but I don’t know if I can forgive her. Right now, I don’t have it in me to forget how she acted since I’ve been back. “Are you sorry because you hurt me or because he dumped you?”

She shrugs, her snort somewhere between laughing and crying. “Mostly for being a total cunt to you. I’ve always been jealous of you, Lenley, but that’s my problem, not yours. You’ve always been a loyal friend, and in the end, Darrius wasn’t worth it.”

I sigh. “No guy is worth losing a real friendship over.”

Her next words surprise me. “Yeah, especially not Darrius Penn.”

“Is there something you aren’t telling me?” I ask, suddenly suspicious.

She crosses her arms over her chest. “Let’s just say that Darrius isn’t all that he’s made out to be.”

I don’t know what she means. “Because he cheated on you?”

Kiara closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. “Yeah, fuck. That wasn’t his finest moment. What I mean is that Darrius is selfish, and it’s not just that he expected me to turn a blind eye while he fucked every groupie who would give him the time of day. He’s also selfish in bed. You have no idea how many times he just took care of his needs and left me high and dry.”

Huh. “Right,” I say, because to be honest, Kiara has her own selfish streak, or we would still be friends.

“He isn’t that great of a kisser,” she adds, “andhe has the smallest dick out of all the guys I fucked.”

That’s my cue to end this conversation. “Okay. Duly noted.”

“Len,” she says, closing her manicured fingers over my bicep. “I know we aren’t friends anymore, and I don’t expect you to forgive me any time soon.”

I try to school my features into a neutral expression, but she knows me pretty well, so she adds, “Or ever. But can I just tell you something?”

I gently pry her fingers off my arm. “Knowing you, I guess you’re going to tell me whatever it is that’s crossing your mind whether I want to hear it or not. So spit it out.”

She giggles. “You’re right, I was going to tell you anyway. Look, I don’t know what you have going on with the heartbreakers, but whatever it is, you look happier than I’ve ever seen you. Darrius will probably be coming after you now. He’s been throwing a tantrum about you fucking the Cove Devils since Anna told him. He’s like a child who wants a toy he had long forgotten about until he saw someone else play with it.”

I narrow my eyes, irked at the metaphor.

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