Page 9 of My Ex-Best Friends

I pushed his hand off and scowled. “It will hurt her. She’ll probably have a secret fear that you’re cheating for a while and then she’ll still agree to marry you but on your wedding day, she’ll walk in on you screwing her boss and she’ll have to run away from her own wedding in a butt ugly dress that she didn’t even pick and she’ll-”

“Whoa, lady, back off. No one asked for the morality police.” He elbowed the guy next to him and chuckled. “I mean, am I right? Fuck, this bitch is going to kill my buzz.”

I narrowed my eyes and went up on my tiptoes. “Excuse me? Did you just call me a bitch? You’re supposed to be a good guy. Good guys don’t call women bitches. God! This is why I always pick losers. You’realllosers!”

“Are you kidding me? Get lost!” He tried to turn away from me and knocked his shoulder into my chest. Because I was off balance and drunk I stumbled backwards and it looked like he’d purposefully shoved me.

I wasn’t even stable on my feet again and Colt had already made his way across the bar and shoved the guy with enough force to send him crashing into the barstools behind him. I gasped and then let out an angry shout when the jerk’s friend swung at Colt. “Hey! Fuck off!”

A thick arm wrapped around me from from behind and I whipped my head around to find Noah laughing. “You’re still a shocking amount of trouble, B.”

Logan slipped around us and I turned to watch him throw a punch at someone before grabbing Colt and yanking him backwards. By that point, enough people at the bar had been shoved into that there were more people getting involved. Enough that we were able to slip away without anyone noticing. Noah practically carried me out, his arm a solid bar under my breasts and as soon as we were outside, I pushed his arm away and danced a few feet ahead.

“This just goes to show that none of us could pick a good guy out of a lineup to save our lives!” I glanced over my shoulder at Jace’s truck and stumbled over a curb.

Logan grabbed me before I could crash to the ground and shook his head. “You’re a mess.”

“Yeah. I know. I’ve been saying that.” I pushed him away and hurried to the driver’s side door. I grinned up at Jace, who’d been hanging out on a video call with his girlfriend while he waited on us. “Jace! These idiots started a bar fight.”

Jace was a few years younger than us and he’d gotten their mom’s dark looks, unlike Noah. He glanced over my head and laughed. “I have a feeling you might be the idiot who started a bar fight, honey.”

I scoffed. “That’s horse shit. It was Colt. And Logan. If anyone was innocent, it was me. And Noah.”

Noah opened the back door and grabbed me around the waist to lift me into the backseat. “Still trouble and still can’t hold your liquor.”

I scooted into the middle and fumbled with the seatbelt. “Hey, Jace? Can you give me a ride?”

“I thought I was.” He waited until the guys got in and then pulled away from the bar.

“I mean, another one. Can you drop me off at The Snazzy Motel?” My head felt extra heavy so I tried to lean over and rest on the seat beside me, where Logan happened to be sitting but Colt sighed and pulled my head towards him so it was resting on his shoulder. “Thanks, Colty.”

“Why would he drop you off at that shithole?” Logan turned from the front seat to glare at me. “Are you trying to buy drugs?”

I sat up straight and frowned. “No. I don’t do drugs. Well, I mean… If someone gives me an edible, I’m not going to be rude about it and turn it away, but I don’t do anything else. Why would you ask me that? Do I look like I do drugs?”

“Why do you want to be dropped off there, Brooke?” Colt sounded mad but that wasn’t new.

“That’s where I’m staying. Room three. Or two. I can’t remember. It’s got roaches.” I let out a sad sigh and pouted. “I don’t want to kick the roaches out but I don’t want to share my bed. They were there first but I’m not a fan. Can roaches crawl into your ears?”

Noah shuddered. “You can’t stay there.”

“Well I can’t stay with Finn Love. And I can’t stay with my mom. She said no. And Aunt Karlene would be so mean to me about her being right about Finn Love. So, I’m staying with the roaches. And the nice guy at the counter is giving me a family and friend’s discount. I don’t want to be rude and complain about the roaches after he was so nice.”

“She’ll stay at our house. She can’t fucking stay at that place.” Logan glared at me even harder. “I can’t believe you were going to stay there. You’ve lost your mind.”

I leaned my head on Noah’s shoulder next. “Can’t. Can’t stay with you because Colt hates me. I’d be so mad if someone tried to make me live with someone I hate.”

Colt gripped my chin and turned my face until I had no choice but to stare into his face. “I don’t hate you. Logan’s right. You’re staying with us.”

“You promise you don’t hate me?” I blinked up at him, waiting with my breath caught in my throat. I didn’t want him to hate me. I wanted him to look at me the way he used to.

He scowled instead. “Stop pouting at me, Brooke. I said I don’t hate you. Let that be enough.”

I sat back in my seat when he let go of my face and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not pouting.”

Jace snorted. “I can see that not much has changed between the four of y’all.”

Colt sighed. “Everything’s changed.”

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