Page 10 of Last Boy

“Dude, shut up. Jolene never even said that.” She rolls her eyes.

“She didn’t have to,” I sass back.

“You get crazier by the second.” Closing the polish, she looks proudly at her work. “And now, you have bitchin’ nails to go with your bitchy self!”

I think I’ve always felt more comfortable with Ryann than the other girls in the house because it’s so easy to talk to her. I guess that’s because I know she’s faced her own hardships in life, and maybe that somehow connects us. She works as a stripper and sends money to her little sister back in Canada because her own mother isn’t the best parent. The moment Ryann told me that, I felt a deep connection to her. I felt the pain in her words as she talked about her sister and her mother. And weeks ago, we learned that we were going to be dancing in Brooks’ annual Nutcracker show together. And I’m so glad it’s her and not Sutton Savage. Praise the Lord.

Maybe it isn’t fair to judge Sutton when I don’t know her, but my brain has this picture painted of who she is, and it’s hard to overlook that.

“Oh, hey,” she says, sliding her polish back into the bag it came from. “How’s working with Cade Huff? Is he, like, totally cray-cray? Everyone says he’s the hot dude with some screws loose. Similar to the infamous Brody O’Brien. Only Huff has apparently done time in rehab for drugs.” She widens her eyes. “How insane is that?”

I frown. I had no idea he had a history of addiction. I’m glad he went to rehab though. And more than anything, I hope he can stay on the straight and narrow. He deserves that. He’s a good person—that much I can tell.

“It’s good,” I answer softly. “He goofs off a lot of the time. I had no idea he had been to rehab, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because I’ve heard he parties a lot.”

“But, like, do you find him hot?” She pauses, shaking her head. “What am I saying? Obviously, you find him hot. Look at the guy. Yum. But, you know, do you guys have chemistry?”

I stare at her before scrunching my nose up. “No! Ew. Yes, he’s attractive. But I don’t think of him like that.” I give her a curious look. “Do you and Watson Gentry have chemistry? Because last I saw him, he’s also pretty freaking hot.”

“No,” she says quickly. “I mean, not really. He’s…we’re just dancing together! That’s it.”

Ryann isn’t the type of person who gets flustered that often. And right now, she’s flustered as hell.

Tapping my now-dry nails on the counter, I grin. “Ryann has a cruuushhh.”

“I do not!” she belts out. “Don’t ever say that again. Trust me, he’s basically obsessed with me. I don’t need him getting the wrong idea.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I nod slowly. “Whatever you say.”

“Why don’t you ask Lana about her partner when she gets back? She’s literally in love with the dude after a week and a half of practicing together.” She sighs. “That’s Lana though. God love her, but the girl falls hard and fast. According to her, she’s close to hooking up with him. She said she can sense he’s getting more into her.” She giggles. “She is pretty charming—I’ll give her that.”

Lana isn’t just incredibly boy crazy. She is also recently single and is wasting no time jumping back into the dating…or sleeping-around pool. Not just in the pool, but in the deep end. I knew the moment I found out that she and Walker were paired up, she would be crushing on him—hard. But it still sucks to hear.

Standing up, I inhale and tell myself to fix my face. I don’t want Ryann or anyone else to suspect that there’s history between Walker and me by showing I’m a jealous bitch. Even though it’s actually painful to attempt to smile and stop glowering.

“Good for her,” I say, trying to sound like I don’t care. “Hey, I have to go get ready for work.” I hold my hands up, wiggling them. “Thanks for the new nails.”

“Don’t you dare chew them! It’s black, so it’ll look like you have bugs in your teeth!” she hollers behind me as I head toward my room.

“Yeah, okay! Maybe bugs will keep Cade Huff from hitting on me!” I laugh—or pretend to.

Going into my room, I close the door behind me and lean against it.

Lana and Walker. The thought of the two of them together…right now…it’s enough to drive me insane. And make me incredibly grouchy. Or…grouchier than normal.

Lana is beautiful. And when she wants something or someone…she gets it. Walker is a catch by anyone’s standards. Of course they are going to hook up. And I have no right to care either. He’s practically a stranger to me now.

I swallow back the lump of emotion, knowing that I don’t cry. I haven’t in years, and I’m not going to start now just because I’m envious of Lana working with Walker.

Seeing someone who used to be such a big part of my life for so long has derailed everything. And the way my heart is aching, I feel like I’m right back on that sidewalk, watching him leave me. Feeling the same pain again.

I can’t avoid him forever, especially with this fundraiser coming up. I just hope that I can avoid seeing him for a little while. Because when we run into each other…that’s bound to mean trouble.

4

Poppy

“I cannot believe I let you talk me into this,” I complain to my brother as we get situated in our seats. “You do realize this is the first hockey game I’ve been to in over three years, right?”

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