Page 5 of No Mistakes
“Then what was it like?” I demand, “Because from where I’m sat, it sure as hell looks like you stood there and watched me fall apart while you held onto theonethingthat could’ve stopped it.”
Mandy groans, slowly rubbing her forehead with her hand. “You think I wanted this? That Iwantedto see you like that?”
I throw my hands in the air, “I don’t know Mandy. You tell me, or are we going to keep that a secret too?”
She lets out a sharp breath, gripping the wheel like she’s trying to control herself. “Axel told me for a reason, Eva. And he… he was barely holding it together himself. He asked me not to say anything, and I-” She stops herself, shaking her head. “It just wasn’t my place.”
I scoff in response, “Wasn’t yourplace?” I let out a bitter laugh, curling my fingers to the point my nails dig into my palm. “It wasn’t yourplaceto tell yourbest friend? Since when do you care aboutwhereyour place is?”
Mandy presses her lips together, her eyes flickering to me before snapping back to focus in front of her. I know I should stop, but the ache inside of me fuels my burning rage. “You’ve never had a problem speaking your mind before. Never had an issue stepping in when you thought I needed you.” I swallow, my throat burning while I hold back the tears. “But you stood there. You let me cry. You let megrievefor him like he was gone, Mandy.”
I watch as her jaw flexes. I can tell she wants to say something, but she holds it back. A tear escapes down my cheek, but I don’t wipe it away. Instead, I let it fall, allowing myself to feel something that is real.
I hear my voice shake as I ask my next question, “Did you even feel bad?”
Mandy’s hand slams against the wheel, taking me by surprise. “Of course, I felt bad!Jesus, Eva. You’re mybestfriend.” She exhales roughly, “You think I enjoyed keeping that from you? Watching you break, knowing I could stop it?” Her knuckles turn white against the steering wheel as if she’s using it to control herself. “It wasfuckinghell.”
I can’t help but glare at her, “Not the same kind of hellIwas in.”
She doesn’t respond, but I see the guilt eating away at her. I see it in the way she swallows, the way her eyes flick to the side like she doesn’t want me to see. All the signs are there. A little bit of me feels regret for snapping at her, but the trust has been broken, and I don’t know if that is something we could ever get back.
I shake my head, turning away to look back out of the window. “I don’t believe you.”
“Eva, ple-” but I don’t let her carry on. “I trusted you, Mandy.” My words make her flinch as the silence settles between us, like a weight suffocating us both.
The silence stretches over us as we drive down a deserted road. I look over at her, a feeling of sadness washing over me from seeing my best friend fighting herself.
I don’t know how to let all of this go. The betrayal burns, but beneath it, the exhaustion starts to creep in. I feel like I’ve been fighting for days when in fact it’s only been a few hours.
After a few minutes, I realise I don’t recognise where we are. I look out all of the windows, trying to find something familiar. “Where are we going?”
For the first time in weeks, Mandy turns and smirks slightly, like she’s been waiting for me to ask. “You’ll see shortly.”
She takes the next turn off, pulling into an empty parking lot. I look around, seeing a building that looks almost abandoned, but then I see the sign.
A shooting range?
I glance at her quickly, “Seriously? A range?”
Mandy throws the SUV into park, turning to face me with an arched brow. “You’ve gotwaytoo much pent-up anger right now, and I know part of that is due to me. You can either let it eat you alive, or you can put it to use.”
I stare at her, still furious, but I don’t argue. Mandy was the person who taught me to fire a weapon, and being here with her brings back all of the memories we’ve created over the years. Just like when she used to hide behind the wall whenever I picked up a weapon, or cheered me on, when my bullets finally started to hit the target.
I push open the door and step outside, breathing in the mixture of fresh air, pine trees and gunpowder, because maybe, just maybe, she’s right.
I don’t wait for her as I walk towards the black door in front of me. The sound of bullets ricocheting from inside fills me with adrenaline, pushing me forward.
The second I open the door, I’m greeted by a gentleman with the name tag ‘Carlos’ who is sitting behind a counter. He looks up, giving me a small smile before focusing on the screen in front of him. I quickly glance back to see if Mandy’s following me. She spots me looking and quickly shoves her phone in her pocket before chasing after me. But a part of me can’t help but wonder if she was talking tohim.
No Eva, no thinking about him. He doesn’t deserve anymore of your time.
Mandy catches up, waiting for me to enter the building. “Are you ready to shoot some bullets?” She asks cheerfully. I smile at her words, excitement filling me at the thought of doing something I love. Something for me.
“Fuck yeah, let’s do this.”
CHAPTER 3
AXEL
