able to have kids. That shit is bad for you, it probably fucks up your body more than the warnings listed on TV say. I can't believe you were so dumb. You made everything so much more—" Avery slammed a hand over her mouth. Her eyes were huge blue globes. "Ohmygod," she muttered behind her palm and dropped it. "I suggested Kova and Katja come for New Year’s. What was I thinking?"
I shot upright. "Why did you think I wanted to murder you when you said that? I couldn't believe it."
"This is all your fault. If you had confided in your bestie, I would've kept my mouth shut."
Oh no she didn't. "Really? You knew something was going on between us. Don't act so clueless and innocent."
"True, and you're right, but this is a totally different ball game, girlfriend. You should just go hang yourself, because you're fucked. You. Are. Fucked." She paused. "Ohmygod! Hayden will be here too." She jumped up from the chair and began pacing. "And after he punched Kova! Jesus H Christ. I have a feeling this is going to be a New Year’s party we'll never forget. That is, if you live to see it." She stifled a laugh. "Oh, this just got so fucking juicy. By the way, Hayden punching Kova upped his hotness factor by a lot. He may be a fuck boy, but you should really consider keeping him as a side piece."
Fuck boy? With Avery, you never knew what was going to come out of that motor mouth of hers.
"You know what this means, right?"
"Avery."
"Yes!"
"Stop squealing. I'm embarrassed for you again." She was too excited for her own good.
She rolled her eyes. "You do know what this means, right?
"What?"
"You have to be dressed to kill for the party now. We need you turning heads and dropping jaws." She puckered her lips and stared up toward the sky. She gasped like the answer hit her in the face. "I have just the dress for you! A killer dress," she added with a huge grin.
My brows crumpled together. "Why would I do that?"
She looked at me like I was an imbecile. "Because both Fish Lips and fuck boy will be there."
"And?"
"And! What do you mean and? We want their attention on you."
I stared straight at her. "Are you mental? After the way he just treated me? I can't even stand to look at him."
She gave me a droll stare and I tried not to laugh. "Okay. I can stand to look at him, but…" I trailed off. "What good could come from this? You do realize Katja will be there, right?"
"And?" she asked like it was a nonissue when it was a massive fucking issue. "You're acting like an old maid."
"I'm not going to put on a show while she's here on top of everything."
Avery shook her head and put a hand up. "Just stop. You don’t have to go parading around. You just need to look absolutely amazing. That will piss Kova off because Hayden will be there."
"Ave?"
She perked up like I had an awesome suggestion for her. "Yes?"
"Shut. Up. This is starting to sound like a soap opera. Drama for the sake of drama, and I don't do that."
Her shoulders sagged. "You're no fun."
I flipped her off and she smiled. "Why the hell would Kova care that Hayden is there anyway?"
"From everything you’ve told me, he sounds like a jealous ex and can't stand to see you around another guy. Taunting him with what he can't have would be fun after what he did. You should want to make him want you."
I mused over her words. I didn't have the drive to do that, not after how much he hurt me. Not to mention, it really wasn't me.
"I hadn't thought of it like that, but Kova is a man, Hayden is a teenager. That would be stupid if he really did get mad."
"God. Do I have to teach you everything?" She was overdramatic. "Guys always want what they can't have." Avery sat down next to me. "All jokes aside, how are you handling all this?"
I shrugged, shaking my head. My eyes focused on the long strip of white caps curling into crashing waves. I loved the sound of the roaring ocean kissing the shore. The beach usually helped me clear my head, but this time…this time was different. I was a mess. I didn't know how to answer Avery's question without throwing out a handful of adjectives.