Page 31 of Elusive

“Nobody does,” I sigh. “Lemme let ya go so I can deal with her, but we’re not done talking about P. I’ll call you in the morning. Answer.”

“Whatever. Good luck.” He’s chuckling as he hangs up.

I slowly, cautiously, approach the door, which flies open. “Where’ve you been?” Hailey manages to whine, accuse and fake concern with one voice.

“You know where I’ve been. You were there.” I hedge around her, tossing my keys on the table.

“Nope.” Her head waggles side-to-side at a deranged speed. “I called and asked, you left Lit a long time ago.”

I take a seat on the couch and very slowly, remove my boots, using the time to decide how to best approach this… situation. “Hailey,” I finally start, propping my arms on my knees. “Need ya to listen, comprehend, and do what I say. Turn around, walk out the door, forget my name, where I live and work. Do it now.”

“I will not!” she screeches, coming to sit beside me.

“Eh, I figured you’d be difficult. Fuck it.” I stand up and pull out my phone. “Calling the cops.”

“W… what? Why?” she sputters, and dammit if tears don’t start rolling down her cheeks, buying her a reprieve.

The last thing I want is her shoved in a holding cell, not even for a second, so I try one last time to get through to her. “Why? Come on Hailey, you can’t possibly be this delusional. I’ve tried my best to be patient, nice, but damn girl, you sure haven’t made it easy. I don’t want to say mean things or intentionally hurt you, but it looks like I’m gonna have to just lay it out for you, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are, because I don’t understand the problem… now. I did, you’re obsessed with that, that bitch, but now? She doesn’t want you, Sutton. I saw it with my own two eyes tonight. And I’ll bet that’s where you’ve been, taking her home. Yet here you are, not with her. She sent you away, because she Doesn’t. Want. You. But I do, so quit wasting your time chasing her and give me achance. I’ll wait, right by your side, until you fall in love with me and forget all about her.” She smiles, of true belief that she’s just proposed the perfect solution.

Deep breath… in through the nose, out through the mouth. “Hailey, you have overstepped every possible boundary, so fucking far, you went hurtling over the cliff. Hell, you trampled boundaries I didn’t even know existed! Despite declaring it, every single fucking chance you could create, you were never officially my girlfriend, and in noway, on anyrealm of possibility, is it okay that you,” I hold up a hand, ready to start ticking the list off on my fingers… positive I’m gonna run out of fingers, “called Presley names. Talked down to Bellamy and Brynn. Showed up where I work, then showed your ass. Had a key made to my apartment. Redecorated that apartment. Called my job to check my whereabouts. Are waiting inside my home, uninvited. And the biggie, the one that, if you weren’t a woman, would’ve got ya a lights-and-sirens trip to the ER? Putting your hands on Presley! Take-”

“Oh my God, could you say Presley more?” That’s her response, all she caught out of everything I said… not even half of what I wanted to.

“Hailey,” I’m surprised it comes out, my jaw clenched so damn tight I think I may have chipped a tooth, “get the fuck out. Counting to three, and this time, I will call the cops.” I go open the door for her, my seriousness unmistakable.

She’s halfway through it, and I’ve got it halfway closed on her ass, when she whines out a last-ditch effort. “Sutton, are you sureabout this? Things were going great between us, before. If we could just get back to that, if you’d forget about her, I know we’d be good again.”

“No, we wouldn’t. Things were cool in the beginning, but that’s only because I had no idea how much you were reading into it. And now that I’ve seen how crazy, cruel, and catty you can be, nah.” I shake my head. “Not cool, and not the kind of woman I’m looking for long-term.”

“She put her hands on me too! She physically removed me from the bar, Sutton! How is that not cruel and crazy?”

“She didn’t do it out of whack-a-doodle jealousy, malice, or selfishness. She did it to defend others, people she cares about. She didn’t haul you out because you grabbed her arm. If that was the case, she would’ve just wasted your ass right then and there. No, she’d only had enough afteryou insulted Brynn and Bellamy, then hit me. Wasn’t about her at all. Any chance you see the difference?”

“Whatever. Have fun chasing your own tail. Miss Perfect doesn’t want you. Let me know how it feels,” she spits nastily as she breezes all the way out the door.

And like the man my mama raised, I keep a good distance, but follow her into the dark parking lot, waiting until she’s safe inside her car before heading inside. Where I lie awake in bed, devising a plan on how to catch my tail.

*****

“What the hell?” JT answers, chipper as ever. “First you call in the middle of the damn night, and now at the crack of dawn? Dude, lay off the meth and go the fuck to sleep or I’m checking ya into rehab.”

“I weigh two-hundred-and-sixty pounds. If I’m doing meth, I’m not doing it right.”

“Good point. So, what is it I can help you with at,” there’s a pause, “seven forty-five in the morning?”

“I’ve got an idea. Presley asked all of you to find her guys to date, right?”

“Yeahhh…” he drones.

“Well, it’s your turn, fucker. Tell her you found one, set it up.”

“I’d get right on top of that… except I didn’t. I’m tellin’ ya, you need sleep.”

“Me, dumbass. I’m the date. But don’t tell her that. Make up a name or something, and get her there, wherever, and I’ll be waiting.”

“Ohhh… now I get it, my bad. So what you’re saying is, we’re gonna trick Presley Beckett, and what, just cross our fingers and pray we come away with our balls still attached? No way I’m doing any such shit, man.”

“Don’t be such a pussy. I need ya on this one.”

“You need your goddamn head examined. Let me think about it, see if I can’t come up with something not quite as manipulative. Dangerous. Dumb as fuck. Stand-by. And did I mention how glad I am to see that you totally ignored my advice, again, to give up for good. Glutton,” he mumbles, then hangs up, and I just grin… knowing he’ll come through for me.

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