Page 42 of Sweet Twins For My Brother's Best Friend

“Lucy, aww, you’re so sweet. Okay, well y’all let me know if you need anything.”

As soon as the waitress leaves, I don't waste any time with pleasantries. "We need to talk, Julie," I say, my tone firm and resolute. "About Noodle."

The color drains from Julie's face, her eyes widening in alarm. "What about…about Noodle?” she asks, her stammer betraying her unease.

Her uneasiness softens me a bit. I lean forward and ask, “You told Chris you got rid of her. What exactly does that mean?”

Julie’s finger trails the rim of her mimosa glass, and she tells me as she lifts it to her mouth, “I got rid of her. It’s exactly what it sounds like. She was pissing all over everythingng. It was exhausting cleaning up after her every day, sometimes multiple times a day. Pets are supposed to enrich your life. She didn’t.”

She shrugs, and I can tell that she’s deflecting, pretending to care less than she really does. I wonder how guilty she felt when it happened, if at all.

“Okay, so you didn’t want her. But where did you get rid of her? Where did she end up? When?”

Julie shifts uncomfortably in her seat, avoiding my gaze. "It was a long time ago," she mutters, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don’t really remember.”

I interlock my fingers together, placing my elbows on the table. I drop my chin onto my hands and lift my eyebrows at her. “Try. What do you remember?”

“I left her...in a dumpster."

The confession hits me like a punch to the gut, leaving me reeling with shock and disbelief.

I never knew Julie. All I knew of her was a few holiday appearances. The appearance she didn’t make had made more of an impression.

Back then, I had given her the benefit of the doubt, considering that marrying someone was a big commitment, considering the fear it must have taken for her to just not show up, the anxiety that must have consumed her.

But now, anger surges through me like a tidal wave for Noodle and for Chris.

“Why didn’t you just give her back to Chris?”

She shrugs. “You sound just like him.”

Her friends have shown up. One slides into the seat next to me, a big smile across her face, expecting that I’m a new friend she hasn’t yet met, her curls springy and her green glasses poised on her nose. Julie looks at her and shakes her head.

“Like who?”

“Like Chris. He asked the same thing. Why didn’t I just give Noodle back? As though that was an option.”

“Wasn’t it?”

“No!” she scoffs. “I had just gone through the worst breakup of my life. It isn’t as if I could exactly call Chris up and ask him to come get her. So yeah, I dumped her in a dumpster over by the art district. I figured some hippies would find her and give her a better life or whatever.”

She flicks her hand at me, exhausted with the conversation, embarrassed, leaning into the villain narrative.

“But why? Chris loved that dog,” I whisper, the anger in me ebbing, sorrow taking its place.

“Wait, you left a dog in a dumpster?” Julie’s friend asks, looking over at the other friend in horror.

“Sure did!” I tell her chipperly, standing up. “This dog, I’m pretty sure.”

Lucy pants dutifully at my side. “This is Lucy, who I found in a dumpster in the art district several years ago. Lucy, who reacted ecstatically when she first saw Chris. Lucy, who fell asleep on him. Lucy, who I’m pretty sure is Noodle.”

Unable to bear the weight of the conversation any longer, I turn on my heel and storm out of the restaurant, my eyes blurred with tears.

As I make my way back to my car, I can't shake the feeling of betrayal, the bitter taste of it lingering on my tongue.

In that moment, I vow to myself that I will do whatever it takes to make things right.

For Noodle, for Chris, for myself. No one deserves to be treated like garbage.

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