Page 3 of West Bound

“Jeezus, Viv. Did you see he has cum gutters?” CeCe says a little too loudly and I watch Cami snort her beer through her nose.

“Cecilia! My god. Be a lady,” I chastise her.

She swats at the air and lets out a “pfft. It’s too late for that.”

We joke for another ten minutes…then fifteen. And when Phoenix doesn’t return after the twenty minute mark, the girls and I decide to “get some snacks” from inside. A.K.A. recon mission.

The house is quiet, so we forage for some food then wander off through the rest of the house, looking to see who else is around.

The downstairs rooms are empty, so we make our way upstairs to see if we can “bump” into Phoenix.

As we approach one of the larger rooms, we hear voices coming from the other side of the closed door.

“Okay. So Briggs got the blonde chick from the house down the street,” an unfamiliar voice says. “Anyone make any progress with that Camille chick?”

Mine and CeCe’s heads swing to look at Cami whose face has gone stark white.

“Nah,” another deep voice replies. “I asked Bishop about her and he said back the fuck off. Apparently that’s like, his best friend and her boyfriend recently dumped her for some chick he got pregnant.”

Cami’s eyes fall and her chest deflates. I feel a mixture of sadness and pure rage on her behalf. Whoever those pricks are on the other side of this door are going to catch an epic knee to the nutsack from me.

“That gives Briggs a blonde, that black chick, and those two sorority girls who gave him a double hummy on the beach.”

CeCe’s lip curls and she mouths, “gross”.

“Nix. That leaves you. You got the doublemint twins at the bar the other night, the curvy girl from Buffets…you got Red locked down?” My jaw drops when I hear who they can only be referring to as me.

“She’s in the bag. Cross her off the list and add her to my collection. And with that, gentlemen, I believe that gives me a full house which means I’m the winner. I accept all major credit cards and cash. Pay me however you like.” Phoenix’s voice sounds nothing like it has every time he’s talked with me this week.

He comes across as a cocky asshole with an ego the size of Texas. One who, by the sound of it, has been collecting hookups all along the gulf coast this trip.

My heart feels like it’s being squeezed by a vise. It constricts and a sharp pain burrows deep within. My nose stings and my lip trembles as tears threaten to fall when I put two and two together. I am simply another conquest. What we have–or rather had–isn’t real. He may have been on his way to being my first, but I was just a redhead to add to his growing list of conquests.

These jerks were talking about girls like they were talking about collecting and trading baseball cards. Each one trying to build the perfect deck.

Seems like I was all Phoenix needed to garner the most valuable deck. And it wasn’t the kind of need one feels when they simply can’t go without the other for another second.

Before I can let my tears fall, I suck in a deep breath and clench my jaw tight. I stiffen my back until it’s ramrod straight and lift my chin high. I may be feeling crushed at this moment, but I will fake being fierce ‘til I make it.

I can’t let this asshole think he got the better of me. I’d never let any guy get the best of me.

CeCe and Cam are still giving me sympathetic eyes and gentle rubs on my back when I resolve myself to confronting Phoenix. Let’s see what his buddies have to say when they find out his lineup is about to crumble.

My palm presses flat against the door and I throw it open, like the fucking SWAT team bursting through. The guys all jump when it bangs against the wall with a resounding thwack.

“Well fellas. I’d put those wallets away if I were you, ‘cause it looks like your boy doesn’t quite have this redhead as locked down as he thought.”

Five sets of widened eyes and slacked jaws stare back at me with pure shock. When I meet Phoenix’s eyes, I can practically see the backpedaling going on in his brain.

“Viv, let me–”

“SHUT. UP. Phoenix. I heard. All of it.” I slowly step further into the room, the support of my girls at my back. I walk to Phoenix, stopping when we’re toe to toe.

Looking up into his stunned–yet still annoyingly handsome–face, I rise to my tippy toes and stab my finger in his chest. “You’re a pig, Phoenix West. A disgusting, pathetic, prick who I am so thankful I didn’t waste my virginity on.” His face falls and he has the audacity to look remorseful. “I will ruin you. I am making it my mission to let every girl, every woman, know what a sleazy scumbag you are. One day you’re going to regret every minute of the time you spent here. And when you do, I pray that I’m there to watch the king crash and burn.”

I spin on my heel and march towards the door. Just before I exit, I turn and give them my final words.

“And guys, if I were you, I’d start packing and get the hell outta here. Because when the girls find out about your spring break game, they won’t take too kindly to it. Run boys…fast.”

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