Better If He Goes (Always You #1) - Allie Everhart Page 0,102
as I go past her to the kitchen.
She follows me. "What's wrong?"
"I don't want to talk about it." I open the fridge. There's nothing in there except a carton of expired milk and a can of beer. "Do we have any food?"
"There's some chips in the cupboard." She goes around me and takes them out.
"I don't want chips. Just forget it." I sit at the kitchen table and stare at the peeling wallpaper.
My mom sits beside me, sipping her coffee. "What's wrong?"
"Brad left. He went home. Back to Arizona. His parents are divorcing and his mom needs help selling the house. It's a long story. I don't want to get into it."
"So you two broke up?"
"Not exactly. We said we'd stay together, but I get the feeling we won't. I don't know how we can when he's there and I'm here."
She puts her hand on my back. "Baby, I'm sorry." Her phone rings and she jumps up. "That's Lou. He's picking me up soon. We're going to the flea market."
"Mom, you can't buy anything. We don't have money."
"If I want something, Lou will buy it for me. He loves to spoil me." She smiles and sets her coffee cup in the sink. "I'm gonna go get ready. Get the door if he's early."
I wish she'd break up with this guy. He doesn't even say hello to me when I see him. I'm not even sure he talks. When he's here, he just watches TV and drinks. It makes me miss Dave. I don't know why my mom broke up with him. She wouldn't tell me.
After I've showered and dressed, I go back to the kitchen to search for something to eat. I find a bag of stale cookies and dip them in my coffee.
There's a knock on the door.
"Mom, Lou's here!" I yell.
"I'm not ready," she yells back. "Get the door!"
I go over there and fling it open, then walk away. "She's not ready."
"Riley."
I turn back and see Nate there.
"What do you want?"
He sighs. "To be a friend. I know I'm not the person you want to see right now, but if you want to talk or just hang out, I'm here."
Not wanting my mom to overhear, I go outside with him. "I'm really not in the mood for this, Nate."
"I'm not here to argue with you or talk about you and Brad. I just thought you might need a friend right now."
"I do need a friend, but you said our friendship is over, and you're right. I don't know how we get past this."
"We could start with pizza."
"What?"
"Let's go to Pete's. We'll get a pizza. It'll be like old times."
"But it won't. Too much has happened between us. I know I shouldn't have hid my relationship with Brad from you, but you shouldn't have made me feel like I had to. Who I go out with is my decision, and if that person makes me happy, you should want that, Nate, just like I want you to be happy."
"You don't understand because you don't know what it's like. If you had to watch Brad date other people, you'd see why I didn't want you being with him."
"I did have to watch him date other people. You kept setting him up with girls."
"But he wasn't really dating them."
"It doesn't matter. I don't want to debate this. And I don't want to hang out with you today. I need you to go."
"Whatever, Riley," he says as he walks back to his car. "I came here to help you. After you lied to me. And this is how you treat me?"
"You're only trying to be my friend again because Brad's gone. You got what you wanted. And now you think everything will go back to normal."
He gets in his car, slams the door, and speeds off just as Lou pulls up. As usual, he says nothing as he goes past me into the trailer.
I remain outside and call Giada. We're not really friends outside of work, but she's the first person I thought of to call.
"Riley, what's up?" she answers.
"Hey, I know we don't usually hang out together, but is there any chance you'd want to? Like maybe today, before work?"
"Sure! What do you want to do?"
"Why don't I come over and we'll figure it out?"
"Yeah, sounds great!"
"Okay, I just need to take a quick shower. I'll be there soon."
She's always happy. Always smiling. Laughing. Maybe that's why I called her. I need to be around someone cheery. I'm so sad right