Page 38 of Searching for Nova

“I’ll drive. Just get the fuck up.”

“We’re not going,” I say. “Just drop it.”

“Whatever.” Jace plops back down on the couch. “I’ll just go by myself.”

I look over at him. “Why would you go there?”

“To see that girl again. She was fucking hot.”

“You have a girlfriend,” I remind him. “Who is also hot.”

“Yeah, but she’s high maintenance. She’s always wanting shit and whining when she doesn’t get it. That girl at the diner wouldn’t be like that.”

“How would you know? You don’t even know her.”

“If she works at that shitty diner, it means she’s poor.”

“Yeah? So?”

Jace smiles. “So she’d show some appreciation if I were to say, take her to dinner.”

My anger rises, knowing what he’s implying.

“Bet she’s good at it,” Kevin says. “Girls like that usually are.”

I jump up from the couch. “Just shut the fuck up! Both of you.” I storm to the bar to get a drink.

“What the fuck’s up with him?” Jace says to Kevin.

“I don’t know. He’s been like this all week.”

“You know I can hear you,” I say, pouring myself some vodka.

“So what is it?” Jace says. “What’s going on with you? And don’t say this is about Paris because we both know you were hoping she’d break up with you.”

“Maybe it’s because he hasn’t got any in a week,” Kevin says.

“He could fix that if he went to the diner.” Jace smiles at me as I return to the couch, my glass of vodka already half gone. “I bet she’s working tonight.”

“Stop talking about her. Just because she’s poor doesn’t mean she’s a slut. Your girlfriend’s loaded and she’s one of the biggest sluts at school.”

“What the fuck?” Jace sits up, looking like he’s going to punch me.

“Like you didn’t know this?” Kevin gets up and heads to the bar. “I thought that’s why you were dating her.”

“She’s not a slut,” Jace says. “She won’t even give me a blowjob.”

“Are you serious?” Kevin grabs some beers from the fridge. “Why the fuck are you still with her?”

“Because I thought she’d do more the longer we dated.”

Kevin laughs. “Maybe she will, but not with you.”

“What the fuck? I wasted all this time with her for nothing?” Jace chugs what’s left of his beer and sets the bottle on the table. “I should end it with her. Maybe I’ll do it this weekend.” He smiles at me. “Then I’ll go to the diner. See if that girl is working.”

I shake my head.

“What?” Jace says. “Why are you getting all pissed about this? It’s not like you’re friends with her. You don’t even know her.”

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