Page 57 of Never the Best

I was about to smirk when Josie spoke loud enough for most of the bar to hear. “Well, of course, she’s thin. After all, she throws up everything she eats;ifshe eats, that is.”

Her words hit me like a slap, my breath catching in my chest.

Aurora gritted her teeth. “Really, Josie, I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.”

“I do, too,” Josie protested, her tone syrupy. “I mean, poor Pearl. Didn’t you almost die once? I sure hope you’re taking better care of yourself now.”

Luna froze mid-sip. “What the fuck, Josie?”

I was starting to shake. I could feel my stomach hollow out.

“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it.” Josie feignedinnocence. “I’m just worried about Pearl, that’s all. You know how hard it can be for people with…eating disorders.”

Dixie May snickered, and Caroline shifted uncomfortably, clearly not willing to intervene.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. All I could do was sit, frozen, as the blood rushed to my face. People were staring now, weren’t they? Everyone had heard. I could feel their eyes on me, feel the weight of their pity, their curiosity.

I wanted to speak, say pretty muchanythingto negate Josie, laugh at her, but I couldn’t. I was triggered, as my therapist would say, and all because I hadn’t done a good enough job of not letting Josie get to me, and I’d done a piss poor job of trusting someoneagain. Rhett must’ve told Josie. This was worse than fucking me for a bet. This was…unforgivable.

“Why don’t you mind your own damn business, Josie?” Luna snapped, her voice cutting through the room like a whip. “Not that it’s any of your beeswax, but Pearl’s doing just fine. Better than you, clearly, if you need to dig into someone else’s personal life to feel important.”

Aurora stood too, quieter but no less firm. “It’s disgusting, the way you talk about someone’s health challenges like this.” Her icy glare locked on Josie. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

The humiliation burned through me like wildfire. Everyone in the room was watching now. I could hear whispers and feel the tension radiating from every corner. I couldn’t breathe.

“I need to go,” I managed to say, pushing back my barstool so abruptly it bobbed a little.

“Pearl—” Luna reached for me, but I shook my head.

I didn’t even grab my purse. I just bolted, weaving through the tables and out the side door into the alley, the muggy evening air hitting me like a slap. My chest was heaving, and my hands trembled as I stumbled to the far side of the alley, and sank to the ground behind a dumpster.

My breaths came fast and shallow, each harder than the last. My vision blurred, and the world tilted as I pressed my back against the cool brick wall, trying to steady myself.

Everyone knows now.The thought looped in my head, relentless and crushing.They’ll ask if I’m okay. They’ll look at me like I’m broken. They’ll pity me. Now, they'll all know I’m weak.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I fought to stay present, to keep the spiral from pulling me under. But I couldn’t.

I didn’t realize I was crying until I felt the tears streaming down my cheeks, hot and silent. My chest ached, and the edges of my vision darkened as panic took hold.

“Pearl!” Luna’s voice cut through the haze, sharp and worried.

A moment later, she and Aurora appeared, their faces etched with concern as they crouched beside me.

“Breathe.” Luna put her hand on my shoulder. “Just breathe with me, okay? In through your nose, out through your mouth.”

Aurora sat on the ground beside me, her presence calm and steady. “Just take your time, Pearl; we’re here for you.”

I tried to follow Luna’s lead, focusing on her voice, onthe rise and fall of her breaths. Slowly, the world began to settle, the crushing weight easing just enough for me to pull in a deeper breath.

But even as the panic subsided, humiliation lingered, heavy and suffocating. And deep down, I knew that tonight had undone so much of the fragile progress I’d made.

CHAPTER 21

Rhett

Over the weekend, I was busy fixing a client’s systems that had gone haywire, so I had to make an impromptu visit to Atlanta, where I worked with my team. I had sent a few texts to Pearl but hadn’t heard back, and since I hadn’t had time to call her, I was eager to see her when I came to Savannah Lace on Monday morning for a meeting with the finance team there.

The meeting was routine, the kind I could usually navigate on autopilot, but today I couldn’t focus. My attention kept drifting to the door, waiting for Pearl to walk in. She always sat near the back, her laptop open, poised, and attentive. Her quiet energy balanced the room, the way she listened so intently, offering an insight that cut through the noise like a scalpel.

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