Page 56 of Glad You Exist

Rage boils inside me just at the mere mention of his name.

He whispers as he cranes his neck to check if the girls are listening.

“Which means PG will call her in to talk.”

“You should have told her first man. We don’t know what’s going on in that mind of hers.”

Kyle gives me a knowing smile, “You mean after all that time she spent up in your room this morning, you didn’t talk about it?”

I groan, causing the two girls to stop on the second-floor landing and turn around.

“What’s wrong?” Liz frowns as her gaze hops between Kyle and me.

With a chuckle, Kyle motions for them to keep going up the stairs. “He ate too much cake.”

Kim’s eyebrows shoot up, not buying Kyle’s BS excuse.

With a hand on her hip, she points up, “Game room. Now.”

This time, it’s Liz’s turn to groan, “I really want to shower and change Kimmy.”

Crap. Do not think about Liz and showers. Do not go there.

Something in my face prompts Kim to grin and shake her head.

“Unless you two want to spill the beans right here right now on these steps.”

Resigned, Liz rolls her head back and tugs Kim. “Let’s get this over with.”

Treatingus like were on trial, Kim has Liz and I sit on the loveseat together while she paces in front of us. Her hands are clasped behind her back.

Kyle sits on the floor, leaning back on his elbows, looking like he’s about to fall into a fit of laughter. Like we’re a damn comedy and all he’s missing is a bowl of popcorn.

I glance at Liz when she sighs for a third time. She’s leaning her head back on the couch with her eyes closed and arms crossed. She looks exhausted.

Need to wrap this up quick and get my girl to take a nap.

The fact that Kim thinks what’s going on—or what she thinks is going on between Liz and me—is up for discussion is starting to grate on my nerves.

“Kimberly. Say what you need to say and then we’re done here.”

Kim twists around at the tone of my voice and Kyle sits up, the laughter dying in his face.

Liz’s eyes snap open and she turns her head to look at me.

Kim lets out a long-suffering sigh and with her hands imitating a puppet. She looks me straight in the eye, “Look I know what you’re going to say…that’s it’s none of my business yada yada yada blah blah blah.”

I fight back a smile. As annoyed as I am, Kim is still one of my best friends and always so entertaining. It’s hard to stay mad at her.

She senses this, and the sides of her mouth rise up.

“First things first, then we’ll get to the good part.”

She turns her attention to Liz, “I’m really sorry about last night. I should have gone with you to get a drink. First rule at a party, no girl should be left alone and it’s all my fault.”

Liz’s arms tighten around herself and because I can’t last a single second without touching her again, I ease an arm around her and pull her close.

I feel her stiffen. Not wanting to push, I start to take my arm back, but she relaxes, leaning in.

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