Page 39 of Use Me

“It’s fine. We’ll wait with you.”

Jaime pulled her phone out, and I assumed she was requesting a ride. “They’ll be here in two minutes.”

Ashtyn and I stood. “You need to pay your tab?” I asked.

Ashtyn shook her head. “No. We didn’t leave it open.”

The girls walked in front of me, and after they hugged and Jaime got into her ride, Ashtyn and I started to walk toward our condos.

“I watched the game,” she confessed.

I grinned. “Yeah?”

“I even saw you on the postgame show, but I couldn’t hear anything. We were already at the bar.”

“I’m sure sports talk isn’t your thing.”

“Well, I can make it my thing. I want to go to a game.”

I perked up. “I can make that happen.”

“You can?”

“I have connections.” I chuckled. They were also known as buying tickets. I usually got a discount, though. Sometimes I’d score a few free ones, but it wasn’t like I could ever use them.

“But you wouldn’t be able to go, huh?”

I shook my head, and just as I was about to say that she was right, I felt eyes on me. I looked to my left and saw Bridgette standing at the entrance to my building, staring at us. “Fuck,” I hissed. Bridgette’s gaze met mine and then she was walking across the street toward us. I didn’t even know if she looked for cars before she stepped out. She just made a beeline.

“You’ve got to be fucking shitting me.”

“What?” Ashtyn asked.

“Bridgette.”

Ashtyn turned just as Bridgette started to yell, “So youarefucking her?”

“Excuse me?” Ashtyn hissed.

I stepped forward, blocking Bridgette. “Go home, Bridgette.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!”

“Let’s just go.” Ashtyn tugged on my arm.

“Shut the fuck up, bitch!” Bridgette hissed.

So many thoughts were running through my head, but before I could do anything, Ashtyn moved to stand next to me. “It’s kind of hilariouswatchingyoutryto fit your entire vocabulary into onesentence. Sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut and give the impression that you’re stupid ratherthan openitand removeall doubt.”

Bridgette was speechless.

I was shocked.

In a nutshell, Ashtyn had called Bridgette stupid, but yet, she did it with the class Ashtyn was known for. And that was why my mother admired this woman. That was why I did too.

I grabbed Ashtyn’s hand and walked into her building while Bridgette stood on the sidewalk dumbstruck.

Last night was …different.