Chapter Four
Layla
Shit. Tyler’s family’s Christmas Party is literally seven days away, and I haven’t gotten Tyler anything. Rachel agreed to go shopping with me, so maybe I’ll have a shot at not totally embarrassing myself.
She paces in my room and glares at me. “Are you ready yet?”
“Just a minute,” I say as I look around my room to make sure I have everything. Purse with cash? Check. Gift cards? Check. Phone? Check. I stalk over to my closet and pull down a gray sweater with peek-a-boo cutouts on the shoulders.
“Layla, I want to get there while there are still hot guys wandering around aimlessly looking for gifts.”
I raise a brow and shake my head. “Which means they probably have girlfriends,” I point out.
“Or maybe they need help shopping for their sisters or mamas,” she winks.
I slide into my fur boots. “I’m ready. Should we see if Juliet wants to come?”
Rachel brakes at the door and whips around. “Lays, I love you. I do. I’d do anything for you but this. She’s a total Grinch. Do you remember what happened last year when we took her to the mall with us?”
I wince at the memory. Juliet isn’t exactly a mall person. In fact, she hates shopping, unless it’s for books or video games which she usually buys online.
“Do you remember when she told everyone to stop wishing her a Merry Christmas because it disrespected a whole slew of cultures who don’t celebrate Christmas?”
I shrug. “Well, to be fair, she made a valid point.”
Rachel rolls her eyes. “Even so, she also made some poor woman cry. I won’t do it again. You can take her and have a sister bonding experience or something some other day. Please. I don’t want to be embarrassed by whatever offensive thing that might come out of her mouth. And didn’t you tell me she’s been kind of on the grudge lately? I don’t want my car smelling like a barn of BO.”
I pinch my nose between my eyes and say, “Okay.” Juliet may have showered a few days ago when Ty and I got her new controller. Has she since? I would say no.
Rachel nods and proceeds to leave my room. As we step out into the hallway, Juliet appears. She’s wearing the same outfit she’s had on for two days now. Rachel shoots me a look.
“Hey, sis,” I say.
She mumbles something unintelligible as Rachel grabs my arm as Juliet passes us and moves down the steps. “Oh my God. You didn’t tell me she was like a freaking zombie. Have birds been secretly nesting in her hair? Layla, she’s beyond grudge mode; she’s a damn mess. You gotta fix this before we go back to school. People will eat her alive.”
I frown. Yeah, I tried snapping her out of her funk. Nothing’s worked, and I’m worried Mark not only broke my sister’s heart, but he broke her completely.
“Hey, Juliet, we’re going to the mall. Can you do me a favor and turn your phone on? Please,” I say as she shuffles down the steps.
Juliet stops at the bottom step and glares back at me. “No. I don’t want to see any of his texts using someone else’s phone. I don’t want to see anything.”
“Okay. How about this, we switch phones?” I offer.
“So, she can have my number?” Juliet asks looking completely appalled at the idea that Rachel might ever get her phone number.
“I will need you when I’m there. Please.”
She rolls her eyes. “Fine. It’s in my room.”
I rush to her room and send a text using the voice app to Tyler.
Me: Hey. Taking my sister’s phone. Don’t text.
Tyler: Ok. Everything good?
Me: Eh. Going out with Rachel.
Tyler: K, have fun.
Me: You too.
I place my phone on her nightstand, grab hers and slip it into my purse, and head down the steps and out the front door. Rachel scowls at me from the driver’s side of her convertible. The top remains up, but the windows are down. It’s reasonably warm out for this time of the year, and Rachel is not a fan of recycled air.
“I’m coming; don’t get your panties in a twist,” I say.
“Who says I’m wearing any?” She smirks then winks.
Oh my gosh! This makes me wonder why I am even friends with her. I shake my head and slide into the passenger seat. “Buckle up,” she says in her mock-granny voice.
I laugh and snap the seat belt into place.
I turn on Juliet’s phone as soon as Rachel pulls into a parking spot at the mall which is practically in BFE. As I unbuckle my seatbelt Juliet’s phone buzzes in my hand. “Oh, my.” There are like thirty-five unopened text messages sitting in her inbox.
“Wow! What did your sister do, send a nudie to that dipshit?” Rachel pipes in as she peers over my shoulder as I’m trying to exit her car.
I step out and make my way over to her while scrolling through the many messages. “No. She’s not like that. He’s been trying to apologize or explain or something. Here.” I hand the phone to her. “Delete them all, even the voice messages. God knows; when she does snap out of it, she won’t need to listen or see any of this crap.”
Rachel’s finger slides along the front. “Uh, Layla. Are you sure you want me to delete these? Maybe she’ll want to read them.”
“Yes, I want you to delete them. What would you have done if Adam blew up my phone with piss-poor excuses for what he did?” I snap as we walk closer to one of the entrances to the mall.
Rachel sighs. “Well, Adam is a douche. I kind of think Mark didn’t mean to do what he did. I think Selena pushed him into it.”
“If you’re not going to delete this, then I will.” I snatch the phone. Instead of hitting delete I accidentally hit send to contacts. “What did I just do?” I ask.
“Uh … Layla you might have put Mark’s apologies on blast.”
“Shit! How do I stop it?”
She shakes her head. “You can’t.”
“Omigod! Juliet is going to kill me.”
Rachel takes the phone from me. Pushes some buttons then says, “Maybe she won’t know.”
“Yes, let’s pray she doesn’t.”