Page 61 of Edge of Unbroken

“Well, think about it. He was unloved by his mom, so he got what he needed somewhere else, right? I always thought he was just being a typical dude, you know, getting all the pussy, but it’s obviously way more psychological than that.” Vada leans back on the couch. “Textbook mommy issues.”

“Mommy issues?” Steve growls, and everyone falls silent.

“I’m just saying. It would make sense that Ran had so much casual sex because he was seeking love somewhere else. Isn’t that the definition of mommy issues?” Vada asks, flustered now.

“You really need to stop talking about shit you have absolutely no clue about,” Steve says.

“Jeez, baby, why are you agitated?” Vada asks, looking upset.

“Because you keep saying stupid shit,” Steve says against gritted teeth as he stands up from the couch.

“Come on, man,” Shane says, trying to calm him down.

Steve shakes his head. “I’m fucking over it, Vada. I’m over you talking about Ran like you know exactly what goes on in his head. It’s fucking disrespectful and it’s pissing me off.”

Vada gets up off the sofa. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“The fact that you’re trying to psychoanalyze Ran right now; you don’t fucking know why he hooked up. And you don’t know shit about Ran and his ex. What the fuck made you think you should tell Cat that Randi had a reputation? Did you even think about what the fuck that would do to Cat?”

Vada’s face falls as she looks from Steve to me.

“Stevie, stop,” I say. “I told you it’s not a big deal.”

“Wait, what happened?” Shane asks.

“Apparently Ran broke the rules a few nights ago and called Cat. I guess Ran called from his ex’s phone, I don’t know,” Steve tells Shane, then locks his gaze on Vada. “And Vada decided it was a good idea to tell Cat that Ran’s ex likes to spread her legs.”

“I didn’t say anything like that,” Vada says.

“But you told Cat that Randi has ‘a reputation,’ which is the same damn thing, Vada,” Steve argues.

“Why the fuck would you do that?” Shane asks Vada. He’s been so protective of Ronan, I’m not surprised this turn of events would put him on high alert.

“I wasn’t trying to freak her out; I just wanted to—” Vada stammers.

“It doesn’t really matter what your intentions were, the outcome was the same,” Steve says, his words clipped. “Fuck, you know Ran’s not here. He can’t fucking defend himself.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Vada says. “I didn’t think—”

“Yeah, that’s exactly the fucking problem. You didn’tthink,” Steve shouts. “You just saw this as a juicy opportunity to gossip. You didn’t even bother thinking about the consequences. Your words have real impact, Vada. You didn’tthinkabout how Cat would feel if you told her that Ran, who happens to be thousands of miles away, is spending time with a girl who’s ‘easy,’ and you didn’t fuckingthinkabout how this makes shit so much harder for both CatandRan.” Steve is all-out yelling now.

“I didn’t… I…” Vada chokes, her voice cracking, and the tears begin to spill from her brown eyes.

Steve studies Vada, then seemingly comes to a decision. “I’m gonna go home,” he says, and walks out of the living room.

“What? No, baby, please don’t,” Vada says with a strained sob. She follows Steve into the small hallway where he’s already putting on his jacket.

“Sorry, babe, I shouldn’t have blown up at you,” Steve says, halting in his tracks for a second. He sounds upset, and I know it’s not just about what Vada said. I know there’s a lot more than he’s telling Vada right now.

“It’s okay. It’s fine.We’refine,” Vada cries. “Please just don’t go!”

“I have to. I need to get my head straight. I’ll call you tomorrow,” he says, and leaves the apartment before Vada can say another word.

***

“Kitty Cat—” Vada says when we’re in her car not an hour later. Not surprisingly, Vada and Steve’s tense interaction put a damper on the mood, and the evening didn’t recover. Once Steve left, Vada retreated into Shane’s bathroom for probably twenty minutes, locking the door behind her. It was Tori who suggested soon thereafter that we should call it a night and allow everyone to get some sleep. Clearly, we needed it.

“Don’t even worry about it,” I interrupt Vada, knowing she’s about to start apologizing to me. She’s told me how sorry she is a handful of times since emerging from Shane’s bathroom, and I’ve repeatedly assured her that I’m fine.

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