Did Penn do something?" I asked as she leaned back against the wall and hid her face in her hands.
Becca tried to take a deep breath, but a small sniffle broke through.
"Penn's ex is here."
I sucked in a sharp breath.
"Okay… that's okay," I answered, stepping toward her and bending forward so I could try and see her face. "Did you see her?
Did Penn point her out to you?"
I wasn’t connecting why she was crying yet. Was she just upset about the fact that his 644/890
ex was here? I'd hate to see Liam's ex, but this seemed like more.
"She came right up to where he and I were talking and introduced herself. I knew it was her because he'd told me her name and he clearly looked distraught."
I nodded and bit my bottom lip.
"She asked to talk to him in private. He didn't follow her right away. I don't think he wanted to leave me, but then she latched onto him and practically dragged him away. I tried to stay positive. I thought maybe she just needed to talk to him, but when I came back from getting a drink, I saw them wrapped up together in the corner making out."
"Oh shit." I cupped my hands over my mouth and stood there silently. I couldn't 645/890
believe it. Penn seemed really into Becca and to kiss his ex right in front of her was so blatantly disrespectful. I felt rage wash over me.
"I'm so sorry, Becca," I offered, reaching to touch her shoulder. She just shook her head and stepped toward the stall's door.
"Can we just leave? I don't want to be at this party anymore, and I definitely don't want to see Penn and his ex again."
I nodded continuously, pulling her out of the stall and out of the bathroom. There was no way to exit the party without heading back through the main ballroom, so I directed her through the crowd while she kept her head down. We were almost midway through the room when Tara blocked our path.
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“Leaving so soon, ladies? Is Becca already plastered?” she asked, shooting Becca a pathetic glance.
I completely ignored her question and tried to shove past her. Unfortunately, she sidestepped again, and as I moved forward, my foot got caught on her leg. I tripped and tumbled forward, catching my upper body with my hands and banging my knees hard on the ballroom floor. I’d managed to catch myself as gracefully as possible, but I couldn’t help bringing Becca down with me and the small commotion was causing a scene.
“Oh my god, these two are completely plastered,” Tara oozed with a feigned concern. “Can someone call them a taxi? Or maybe we should notify security?” 647/890
“I’m fine. I just tripped,” I answered just as a random bystander reached down to help Becca and me to our feet. I shot Tara a death stare and was met with an identical one from her. The threat was clear: game on.
“Kinsley, you don’t have to get drunk at a party to get attention. I have a feeling you’ll be getting plenty of attention from the press in the next few days,” she promised with a glint in her eye.
I scowled, trying to determine if that was a direct threat or not. “What are you talking about?”
“Let’s just go, Kinsley,” Becca huffed, already moving through the crowd toward the entrance. I ran after her, trying to catch up before she saw Penn. I’d have to deal with Tara later.
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I caught up to Becca and we were almost at the entrance of the ballroom when we saw Penn, Liam, and a woman I assumed was Penn's ex. They were a few feet away from the door and had already spotted us approaching. I wrapped a protective arm around Becca and tried to ignore the urge to yell at Penn.
That urge only multiplied when my eyes scanned over his ex. I wanted to stomp her beneath my heels. I didn't care what her story was. She symbolized Becca's sadness and for that, I hated her. She was pretty, of course she was, but she was the type of pretty that guys like, but that women can see right through. Fake, orange tan, false eyelashes, and a plastic surgery nose. She had long dark blonde hair that was piled up on 649/890
her head and a skintight dress. Her eyes were focused dangerously on Becca and I felt my predatory side flare up even more.
Liam stepped forward and fell into step on my other side.
"I had your car brought around just in case," he whispered. "Were you just talking to Tara?"
I gave him an appreciative glance. "Yes, but it doesn’t matter right now. Thank you for bringing the car around. We're gonna go."
He closed his eyes and nodded as if that was for the best. "I'd leave with you, but I have a few last things to handle. Can I come to you after I leave?"
I glanced toward Becca. There was no telling what kind of mood she'd be in, but if 650/890
she needed me, I didn't want to bail on her to be with Liam.
"Call me first and we'll figure it out," I explained as we brushed past Penn and his ex. Becca turned her head away from them and hurried out. I shot Liam an exasperated shrug and followed after her quickly.
That car ride home was hard to endure because 90% of me wanted to turn the car around and seriously lay into Penn. What was he thinking playing with Becca's feelings like that?
"I feel like an idiot. He never told me we were exclusive. Yes, we've been spending time together, but he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend. I should have expected something like this."
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"No!" I protested. "He asked you to be his date tonight, which means that he doesn't get to make out with another girl right in front of you. He's not a fool; he knew that he was playing with your feelings."
"I told myself not to get my hopes up, but I did anyway. I really like him Kinsley, but he's off-limits. He's not ready for a relationship. God, obviously he's not even over his ex."
I didn't know what to say, so I just kept muttering, “I’m so sorry.”
She didn't say anything after that. She stared out of her window the rest of the way home, and when we got there she went and washed her face and changed into her pajamas.
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"Want to come in my room and we can watch something?"
She frowned. "I don't know. Maybe I should just sleep."
"C'mon. I seriously can't let you go to sleep like this. Come watch a Parks and Rec with me and we'll laugh and curse boys to the depths of hell."
She laughed pitifully, but followed me nonetheless.
I propped my laptop on my bed and kicked off my heels.
"Aren't you going to change?" she asked as I crawled onto the bed in my dress.
I shrugged. "It's oddly comfortable and I feel pretty in it."
She smiled and shook her head, and I leaned down to press play on the show. It felt 653/890
good to make her smile after the day she'd had, but I couldn't concentrate on the show.
I kept replaying our conversation and her tears in the bathroom. Becca deserved more than that, and I couldn't understand what Penn had been thinking. Why would he have done that to her? Maybe his ex-girlfriend was still an unfinished story. Did Liam have an ex like that? We hadn't even talked about it.
Becca interrupted my thoughts. "I don't think I'm going to give up on Penn," she murmured with her eyes still locked on my computer screen. She'd obviously not been really watching the show either.
I twisted toward her and nodded. "Not until you know the full story. I'd be the first to tell you to leave him and find someone 654/890
better, but I honestly think you should hear Penn's side of it. That ex-girlfriend was staring daggers at you so she clearly feels threatened by his new interest in you. Maybe she kissed him and you saw it at the worst time?" I paused and reached to touch her arm. "But seriously, Becca, he has some groveling to do. He can't expect to treat you like that and get away with it."