Page 5 of Rumor Has It

Tequila is just what I needed to calm my nerves—words that have probably only ever been a precursor to making horrible decisions.

“I invited Garrett, by the way,” Theo says.

“What? I invited Kelly Ann,” I say. “They’re going to claw each other’s eyes out.”

“They’re adults, they’ll be fine,” he says, shrugging.

I recall literally every single instance they’ve tried to hang out with us at the same time and how none of those times ended well and nothing was fine.

“You know that’s a damn lie,” I say. “And if Trace shows up like I told her he probably would, then it’s going to be twice as bad.”

“Why would you tell her Trace will be here? We don’t even hang out with him,” he says.

“I told her based on probability and the fact that she’s been lusting for him since high school,” I say.

“Yeah, but he’s a douche,” Theo says.

I take a long sip of my beer as I shrug my shoulders. Because he’s right, Trace can be a bit of a douche. I think that’s true of a lot of people, though. And I stand in solidarity with Kelly Ann, who wants to get into his pants.

“I don’t pretend to understand her thought process,” I say. “All I know is I don’t want him, and the rest is out of my hands.”

“Gross, don’t even put you and him in the same sentence,” he says.

I laugh, turning toward the door just in time to see Garrett walk in. He immediately finds us and waves but stops at the bar for a drink before heading over.

“Hey, man,” Garrett says, greeting Theo.

They do some sort of bro handshake, and then he turns to me.

“Hey, Eloise,” Garrett teases me.

“Don’t call me that, asshole,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“You know I’m just playin’.”

“You’re always playing, Garrett.” I scrunch my face at him. We get along fine, but he likes to tease me. That’s okay, because I tease him right back. It’s sort of our thing. He’s actually a pretty nice guy. Well, everyone thinks so except for Kelly Ann. It’s worth mentioning that Kelly Ann is also a great person, and everyone thinks so except Garrett. For whatever reason, the two of them despise each other.

Speak of the devil, I watch over Garrett’s shoulder as Kelly Ann enters the bar. We make eye contact and she smiles at me for a brief moment before it sinks, no doubt at the sight of Garrett. Even from the back, she knows exactly who it is.

I try to smile through it and mouth, “It’s okay” her way. Her shoulders stiffen as she walks toward our table. She’s no doubt mentally preparing for their battle of insults and snide comments to ensue.

“Hey, girl,” I say, as she takes the seat beside me.

“Oh, sweet, sweet Kelly Ann,” Garrett says, “Don’t you look like a juicy little slice of peach pie.”

“Yeah, well, you’ll never get this peach, Garrett.” She narrows her eyes at him.

“Let me get you a drink,” he says, putting his hands up in surrender.

He turns toward the bar, and I can’t tell if he’s being sincere or is going to bring her back something she hates.

“You didn’t tell me Garrett was going to be here,” Kelly Ann huffs under her breath.

“That’s because she didn’t know.” Theo winks at her.

“Hey, TJ,” she says.

Theo gives her a nod as he takes another swig of his beer. More people have started to roll in, most of which I recognize. And they recognize me too, of course. A night at the bar means waving at a lot of people and a bunch of small talk when you move around.

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