Chapter 14

Eliana

I walked into Rachel's living room to find her seated on the carpet, a bottle of her father's beer in her hand. Instead of chastising her for raiding her father's minibar, I snatched the bottle away and drowned the liquid in several gulps. I only returned it to her when she protested while I plopped down beside her.

"Men are a scam," she spoke, raising the bottle in the air.

"Tell me about it," I chimed in, my voice cracking. The previous buzz in my body had dissipated, replaced by a cold feeling, even though my chest felt like it was being nailed.

"He left with a girl; he just left me there, babes." I knew she had dressed up for him, hoping he would look at her with interest. She didn't have to tell me to put two and two together.

"I want to forget," she added, scooting closer to me.

"Me too," I admitted, slouching as she finished up the beer and placed the bottle somewhere beside her. We stayed like that in silence, each