Page 2 of More Trouble
As I trudged up the stairs to my room, my phone vibrated with a message.
Cover for me, I’m staying with Maddox tonight. Lx.
The ache hit me in the gut.
Lyla and Maddox were together.
Wes and Scarlett were together.
Jack and his grid girl(s) were together.
I had no-one.
Sure, I’d dated in college, but no-one had ever measured up to Willa.
They probably never would.
Once in my room, I sat on the bed and looked back through some pictures on my phone. The ones from the summer between junior and senior years, when our group had been together practically every day in one way or the other. Laughing and carefree, not knowing what was going to happen. Lyla and her best friend Ianthe were usually with us and I squinted at the pictures. I noticed Lyla’s puppy dog eyes in Maddox’s direction, and how she managed to make sure she was next to him. With a wry smile, I shook my head. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about them being together, but I guessed I had to give them a chance to make their own mistakes. Hell, I sure knew about making them. As my gaze fell on one of my favorite photos of Willa, with her long blonde hair tumbling over her shoulders and her blue eyes bright with excitement as she stared at the lens, laughing and teasing me, I realized what I’d lost all over again.
I didn’t sleep well.
Whether it was the alcohol or all the drama of the past few days, I had a disturbed night. My dreams were punctuated by Lyla and Maddox taunting me about being alone forever, before Wes and Scarlett laughed at me for letting my one true love slip through my fingers for one night of naughty pleasure. I woke up a sweaty mess, ready to throw up.
My timing couldn’t have been worse. I had an orientation meeting at Cali Heights Country Club at ten and I felt like shit. Way to make a good impression on my new boss.
“Andre? Are you awake?” Mom knocked on the door, then opened it a crack. “Ugh, it smells like a brewery in here.”
“Hey, Mom.” I pushed myself up onto my elbows and forced a smile.
She came in and went over to the window, first opening the curtains and then opening it to let in some fresh air. “You asked me to wake you up in time for your meeting.” As she turned towards me, I noticed her frown slightly. “How late did you stay out last night? I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Sometime after midnight, I think.” I rubbed my face.
“Was Lyla with you?”
“I, um, she said something about going to Ianthe’s.” I avoided making eye contact with her, tracing a pattern on the bedcover instead.
“Mmm. I wish she would let me know what she’s doing. It’s worse than when you were both at school trying to keep up with all these sleepovers.” Mom patted me on the shoulder, before leaving the room, hovering in the doorway. “I’ll make pancakes for breakfast if you’d like?”
I didn’t think I would be able to eat a thing, but I didn’t like to upset her. “Sure, sounds great. Thanks, Mom.”
I hauled my ass into the shower and washed away the fitful night.
Dressed for my meeting in beige slacks and a pale blue button-down shirt, Mom’s eyes shone with pride as I entered the kitchen.
“Andre! You look so grown up!”
I rolled my eyes. “Mom, I’ve been grown up a while now.”
Dad looked up from reading the financial pages of the paper. Despite the digital age, he still liked a morning newspaper before he went to work. “Looking good, Dre. You’ll knock ‘em dead.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I sat down next to him and reached for the sports section. The words swam in front of me as I scanned the stories without really reading them.
Mom placed a stack of pancakes in front of me, and the front door banged signaling Lyla’s arrival. “Lyla, why didn’t you tell me you were going to Ianthe’s?” she asked as my sister barreled into the kitchen.
Lyla shot me a look; her eyebrows scrunched together. “I forgot. I thought Dre would tell you.”
“Honestly, Lyla, while you’re living…” Mom began.
