Page 27 of Can't Take My Eyes Off You

I let out a groan, with a bit of a laugh because, yeah, it’s funny. Humiliating in so many ways, but I’m sure it rubbed her the wrong way when they screened the episode this morning.

‘Bitcher alert!’ Mike says on screen.

Mike calls me a multitude of names: buzzkill Berkley, ‘the bitcher’ and loads more. Which as far as I can tell translates roughly to the woman who can control Will when he can’t – aka the fun police. I yell at Mike, Finn and Felicity for almost letting him die at minimum once a season so far, ruining their ‘fun’.

‘Mike!’ My voice carries through the apartment from the TV as I yell at him on screen. ‘You can’t maybe encourage him to quit drinking when he starts slurring?!’ I yell. ‘He now has a court date!’

‘Pfft.’ Mike waves a hand my way. ‘Just drive him home, and don’t ruin our night like you always do, would ya?’

‘God forbid you act like his brother and help him.’

TheI don’t carelaugh that comes from Mike’s lips pisses me offnow, and this scene was filmed a while ago.

‘He’s a grown man, Berkley. I’m not his fucking babysitter. No one is making him drink until he blacks out. He starts all on his own.Usually, after he talks to you. Here’s an idea: leave him alone so he can quit worrying he’s doing you wrong all the time.’

Fuck-er. I cross my arms over my chest as I watch the scene unfold. Instantly pissed again.

‘Here’s another idea,’ I yell back at him. ‘Why don’t you step in front of a bus and die?’

Mike stares at me, the two of us standing in the middle of the bar they were at that night, in a stare-down that neither of us back down from until Felicity approaches, baby-talking Will like she’s worried about him. My new theme song obviously takes front stage for a moment as the camera focuses in on our reactions to seeing one another. Me rolling my eyes at the sight of her. Her groaning at the sight of me.

‘Boo, bitch!’ Olivia yells, throwing more pretzels towards the TV.

I storm off the screen, disappearing with Will out the front door of the bar. The camera pans to Felicity and Mike now talking about what a bitch I am. LikeI’mthe bad guy here.

‘On a high note, youlookfantastic.’ Bianca rests her hand on my shoulder. ‘Sun-kissed, hot,wayprettier than Felicity, who is totally jealous of you, by the way. Look at her,’ she says. ‘Your name leaves her lips more than the show portrays too.’

Bianca would know; she appears on the show a lot because she’s dating Will’s best friend, Bryce. I know Bryce hates when Will drinks and turns into douche Lord Willy, but he still comes around because they’ve always been close. Secretly, I think Bryce is hoping that between the two of us, maybe we can help Will get his drinking under control and get our friend back.

‘And here I am, the idiot who’s jealous ofher,’ I say, admitting it to both Bianca and Olivia.

I’ve never said it aloud. I pretend like it’s not her that bothers me; it’s him. Because it’shisfault. But I can’t stand her. I want her to have all the bad luck, and yet she lives on like one of the chosen ones.

11

BERKLEY

Olivia and I are waiting for the Uber to pick us up. Sure, the bookstore is only half a dozen blocks away, but Liv can’t drive home as buzzed as she is. They can drop me off on their way. I’m a little giggly but the extra-large order of cheesy fries helped sop up the tequila in a way that I feel almost sober.

My phone dings with an incoming text. Olivia glances at the screen like the nosy nelly she is.Cole Davidsonflashes across the screen. I tap the text; a photo of Will pops up. He’s sitting on their rooftop balcony ledge, his new BFF, Jack Daniel’s, in his hand, lifted to his lips, as he drinks it right from the bottle. My heart speeds in my chest. Damn it, Adler.

‘Uh-oh,’ Olivia says, leaning in, looking at the photo with me. ‘Is the good prince having a meltdown? I can’t imagine what that rich boy is tormented with now…’

I tap the screen, calling Cole and pulling the phone to my ear.

‘Hey,’ he says on the first ring.

‘Don’tlet him sit there,’ I say frantically. ‘He’ll fall over backward.’ Worry races through me. ‘How bad is he?’ I ask, suddenly hearing him yelling in the background.

‘He’s currently hollering for me to call you. He threatened to jump earlier. Said he feels like he’s ruined your life. Hang on,’ he says to me. The phone shuffles then settles. ‘Hey, bud, Berkley’s coming over. What do you say you wait for her here?’

‘She’s coming?’ Will asks anxiously, slurring his words.

‘Here,’ Cole says. ‘Talk to him while I get him to a chair.’

The phone shuffles again and I hear him breathe into the phone. I know him so well I know his breathing. Ugh.

‘Hey.’

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