Page 55 of Running from Drac

She shakes her head, tsking me with her vile mouth. “Suit yourself, Eddie. I gave you a way out of this. You’re the stupid one who’s about to poor gasoline on an already lit fire. It’s your funeral. Just let me know when the bonfire starts, ‘cause I’ll be sitting in the corner, holding the stick with all the marshmallows, toasting that sugary goodness on the ashes of your fucked up relationship.” There’s an evil laugh that follows her to the car, one that doesn’t stop until she peels out of the parking lot, the dust of her wheels circling my face.

The second she’s gone, Wesley and Rich come running up to me, both looking equally concerned.

“What the hell was that about?” Rich asks, waving his hand in front of my face like he’ll somehow break me out of my trance.

He won’t, not when I can feel the threads of my relationship unraveling. All I have to do is last for two more weeks, get her to the altar, and then come clean. But Pippa won’t let that happen. The evil bitch has it out for me, and if I’m going to salvage anything between me and Amber, I’m going to have to tell her first, and pray to God that she somehow forgives me for the last of my sins.

“Hello? Earth to Eddie? What the fuck did she want?”

A blank haze takes over my brain, and it isn’t until I see fingers snapping in front of my face that I finally blink back into reality, trying to decipher my next move.

“To fuck up everything, Boys. She wants to fuck up everything.”

Chapter Nineteen

Amber

Eddie asked me out on a double date tonight, one that I’m probably going to regret for the rest of my life. Poor Poppy is sitting across from me like she’s been sentenced to death by conversation. Her eyes flick from her drink to Wesley, who’s trying so hard to be charming it’s almost painful. The guy has it bad. The way he looks at her reminds me of how Eddie looks at me, with utter devotion in his eyes, and like she hung the damn moon.

When I asked her to come with me, I was under the impression that Eddie was bringing Rich, but apparently, when Wesley found out Poppy was coming, he pulled some alpha male shit, benched Rich, and showed up in his place, volunteering for psychological warfare willingly like an idiot.

She’s never going to give him a chance. Hell would have to become an iceberg before that shit ever happened.

Eddie hands me a drink from the bar, then slides another infront of Poppy, who takes one look at it, mutters a half-hearted thanks, and downs it like it’s her final shot before a firing squad.

“Damn, I’m gonna need another,” she announces, slamming the glass down.

“I’ll get it for you!” Wesley jumps from the booth so fast he nearly trips on the way out. “Wait right here!” He rushes off like a golden retriever trying to win a medal in fetch.

Poppy watches him go; disgust etched on her face. “God, I thought he’d never leave.” She turns her death glare on me. “You owe me for this one, Amber, like really owe me.”

“I’m sorry!” I argue, holding up my hands. “Eddie told me he was bringing Rich!”

Eddie laughs. “Like Wesley would let that happen. Why don’t you give the guy a chance, Poppy? You two look good together.”

Her glare sharpens into something deadly. “Why in the hell would I give a guy like him a chance for anything with me? In six months, I’ll be at Stanford working on my doctorate. Someone like Wesley would only hold me back. Could you imagine what my father would think? Me, his golden child, dating a two-time thug?”

“He’s not a thug, Poppy. Has he made mistakes? Sure, we all have, but that doesn’t make him a bad person.”

“Hisrecordsays otherwise, Eddie.”

“Damn, I’d hate to hear what you think about me and Rich.”

She shrugs. “Rich is tolerable. Mostly because he doesn’t speak.”

“Poppy!” I hiss. “Why are you being such a bitch right now?”

Her eyes snap to Eddie. “Sorry, Amber. I guess I just don’t trust him. Not after everything he’s done to you.”

Eddie freezes beside me, and something flickers in his eyes… fear… could that even be guilt?

“Eddie?”

He downs the rest of his beer in one long gulp and jumps up like his seat caught fire. “I’m gonna check on Wesley.”

I watch him weave through the crowd toward the bar, and my stomach twists.

“Alright, bitch,” I snap, turning back to Poppy. “What the fuck aren’t you telling me?”