Page 82 of Exes That Puck
I turn over and try to focus on better things like Kara’s laugh when she almost fell, the way she trusted me to catch her, the quiet contentment of sharing cocoa on the bench.
My mind immediately runs to when I dropped her off at her dorm. It felt awkward like there’s something she’s not saying. Or am I deflecting because I kept Brianne a secret from her?
I rub my face, trying to fall asleep, but my mind’s racing about what’s going on right now.
30
My phone buzzes while I’m staring at a project that is so close to being done. I need to finish this last part and send it off to the next person to finish it.
Ava:Can you come while I grab my stuff? Safety in numbers.
I don’t even hesitate. Anything to get out of homework right now.
Kara: On my way.
When Zeke’s truck pulls up in front of my dorm, I smile at Zeke and Ava sitting in the front and then I open the door and sitting in the back is… the girl Zeke used to sleep with. Also known as Ava’s friend.
“Sorry,” I say, shutting the door because she just stared at me. I awkwardly walk behind the truck and get in behind Zeke. I catch his eye in the mirror.
“Kara, this is Brianne,” Ava says, turning around. “My best friend. Brie, this is Kara.”
Something cold settles in my stomach. Brianne. I’ve never met her, but I heard that name before from Zeke’s mouth when I asked him to list all the girls he’s ever slept with. Bad idea by the way to go through a list of who he was in and who was in me.
Brianne smiles politely but there’s something assessing in her eyes as she looks at me.
“Nice to meet you,” I say.
“You, too.”
I pull out my phone and text Payton quickly.
Kara:Did you know that Zeke’s ex was in town?
No immediate response.
Zeke is watching me in the mirror, but I just smile at him.
Willy’s apartment smells like stale beer and that cologne he wears too much of. Zeke stays in the truck to avoid any confrontation. Ava wasn’t sure if Willy was going to be here.
Ava moves through the space grabbing clothes from the dresser and books from the nightstand. Brianne and I follow her lead, packing toiletries and picture frames into boxes without much conversation.
“So, you and Zeke, right?” Brianne asks quietly while Ava’s in the closet.
I glance over at her, not expecting her to talk to me. “Yeah,” I say.
She pauses. “Ava mentioned you and Zeke have been on and off.”
Heat creeps up my neck. “Yeah, we’re figuring things out.”
“That’s good. Zeke’s a good guy when he wants to be.”
Something in her tone makes me look at her more closely. There’s familiarity there, the kind that comes from personal experience.
Before I can process that thought fully, keys jangle in the front door.
“Shit,” Ava mutters.
Willy walks in and stops short when he sees us, his expression cycling through surprise, hope, and something that might be panic.
