Tainted Black

“Yeah,” I snuffed, “I know. Trust me.”

She sighed. “He just doesn’t get me.”

“Sooo why are you still with him? Why waste your time? His time?”

“Shit, I may get a

“Yeah, I don’t think I’m go

“Boooooo,” Izzy droned. “Fine. Your loss. How has summer been, though? Besides Papa Knight, is everything else good? Is Bristle Wave still a fucking bore?”

“Bristle is still quite boring, but I can’t complain about the scenery. Dad seems to be doing better—oh, and I didn’t even tell you that Mariah and Tiny came here last week!”

“What!?” she exclaimed.

“Yep. We went for di

“Who?” she indulged. I knew she was glued to the phone.

“Fucking Riley Hunt… again! He saw me, but I had to pretend Tiny was my date for the night just so he wouldn’t bother me. But the dickwad just turned to Mariah like I wasn’t even there. I swear, boys are just stupid. Tiny got so pissed and was about to pick a fight, but I spared Riley by dragging Tiny’s lanky ass out of there and dragging them to Dane’s.”

“Oh my God! Are you serious?”

“Yes. Tiny was so mad the whole ride. They were wasted, Izzy.”

“Ugh! See! I should be there. I’m so jealous.”

“Please don’t be,” I said. “Trust me, you aren’t missing much. Mariah and Tiny coming here was probably the most fun I’ve had so far.” And Theo, the voice in the back of my mind whispered.

Izzy groaned. “Well, keep being bored until I can come home. Hopefully I can get a chance over the weekend. If I could leave now, I would, but some of my classes are on stupid campus.”

“I know. I understand. I’m fine, Iz. You just worry about school. Bristle will always be here.”

“I know. It’s just so fucking boring on campus when no one is here. I have no choice but to focus.” She laughed and then sighed as if all her stress had faded. “Man, I needed this talk. I swear you are my cure for a shitty, shitty day.”

“Aww,” I cooed, teasing her. “Don’t be so melodramatic.”

“Dude, I’m not. I’m serious. Other than my dad, you are the only person I can really trust and talk to about anything. You know me. I hate people sometimes, but I have never come close to hating you.”

My smile dropped, as well as my beating heart. She said this, but little did she know that we both were breaking that trust day by day. I wanted to cry, get rid of the ball of pain building up around my heart. God, I just wanted to tell her, but I didn’t want her to hate me. I didn’t want her to change—us to change. I didn’t want to lose my best friend. I refused.

Fuck, I was selfish. So very selfish.

“I love you, Chlo. Fa’sho.”

I laughed, but the line of my eyes burned, thick with unshed tears. “That is still the corniest line I’ve ever heard.”

Her giggle was comforting. “Whatever! I still think it’s cool. And it fits. Now say it back before you break my heart!”

With a steady voice, a gentle smile, and a tear I knew she couldn’t see trailing down my cheek, I finished our little rhyme, ignoring the thickness in my throat. “I love you too, Izzy Boo.”

“See!” she busted out in a laugh just as I did, swiping my face. “Now, that’s corny.”

God, I loved these chats with her. The mindless, careless conversations I could share with her about any and everything. I missed the hell out of my friend, and it was still hard to wrap my head around the fact that I was holding one of the biggest secrets of my life from her.

After saying goodbye, I hung up. My head lifted, and I looked towards the collage of us pi

All the girls at Bradshaw envied us, our friendship most of all. They treated us like Regina and Caydee from Mean Girls, only we weren’t mean and our friendship wasn’t fake… and we didn’t only wear pink on Wednesdays, especially Izzy. Everyone adored and hated us at the same time. They wanted to be us, which was weird because we sometimes didn’t like being us.

Like now. I wished I wasn’t myself. I wished I hadn’t become so close to Izzy’s father. I wished he was someone else—someone I could actually be with without the fear of losing someone else close and dear to my heart.

Downstairs, Margie and Dad were sitting on the living room sofa, watching a movie about vampires. I stepped around the corner, blinking as Dad actually sat there and watched the flick, eyes intense as he ran his hands over his peppery hair.

I entered the living room, snickering while folding my arms, and they both looked my way. “You guys are really watching this?”

Margie gave a helpless shrug, and Dad nodded. “I’ve always wondered what you liked so much about it.” He scratched his head. “Gotta tell you, baby girl. I still don’t get it. The whole glittery thing, the heavy breathing, and the damn werewolves... I am so lost.”

I laughed. “It’s a girl thing. You have to read the book to understand.”

“Ehh. Seems like soft vampire porn to me. I’ll pass.” Apparently, this was one of his good days. Weird, it seemed on and off now, switching sporadically.

Margie shook her head with a laugh, and then she stood from the sofa. I turned for the kitchen, and only seconds later, she appeared. “Um… Chloe?”

I spun around, meeting her warm grey eyes. “Yes?”

Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, Margie came my way, brows puckered. Immediately, I noticed the look of worry on her face, the questions ru

“About ten years now.”

“Ten. Wow.” Her eyes expanded. “Was he married once before?”

“Yes.” I crossed my arms, stepping towards her. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.” She put on a smile. “I see why you fell for him. That’s a handsome man.”

I chewed on a smile, uncrossing my arms and going for the fridge. After pulling out a cup of strawberry yogurt, I turned for the table in front of the bay window and sat. “He is pretty good looking.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. Margie’s fingers twisted in front of her. There was something wrong. She seemed nervous, like something was bothering her. Before I opened my yogurt, I dropped the cup and narrowed my brows in her direction. “Margie? What is it? What’s wrong?”

She looked towards me, stepping forward. She was hesitant at first. “My son is…” She started but quickly waved a hand, dismissing the idea. “Never mind.”

When she began to turn, I called for her, hopping out of my chair. Glancing back, she looked from the countertops she’d wiped spotless to me. “Margie, you can talk to me,” I assured her.

She inhaled, releasing a puff of breath as her shoulders visibly relaxed. “Okay… well, it’s just my son. He wants to spend some time in Bristle with me. He said he’d get a hotel, but I would hate for him to go through the trouble. I know you aren’t used to strangers and I would hate for you or even Mr. Knight to think I’m trying to take advantage of my stay here, but—”