The Original Crowd (A Whole New Crowd 0.50)

“Yeah, well, that was when we were just screwing each other. We did not screw last night and we haven’t been doing that for a while.”

“Shut up,” he replied harshly.

“Stop it. You’re starting to scare me.” He wasn’t, but I wanted him to stop, so I lied.

“Taryn,” Tray cursed at me.

“This is not cathartic. This just makes it worse.”

“Says who?” Now he’d turned to infantile arguments.

I shot back, “Says our psych teacher.”

I was right and we both knew it.

“Get off me.” He finally managed to shove me away, but he didn’t go back to trying to murder the bag. He glared at me and stated, “I’m not talking about it. Not yet.”

“Fine. But stop that stupid shit. It doesn’t help.” I gestured to the bag. “And we are talking when you calm down.”

“I don’t want to hear about you saying ‘goodbye’ to your ex,” he threw back.

I wasn’t really keen on talking about Brian with him either.

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Tray swore, sighed, and then grumbled, “Since when do we talk?”

“Since I’m admitting that we’re in an actual relationship. And we are,” I said firmly, seeing him roll his eyes. But he didn’t argue.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Tray remarked, rolling his shoulders.

*

I went to the kitchen to make some coffee. Hunting around the shelves, in the vicinity of where you would put the coffee pot, I cursed as my eyes fell on the sale-tag that was still on the coffee pot. Who buys a coffee machine and doesn’t use it?

When the doorbell rang, I jumped.

When it peeled again, I looked behind me, helpless. Like Tray was going to materialize suddenly. But he didn’t. He was still showering, or changing. Not there, which is where I needed him.

After the third time, a hand pounded on the door. I moved to the foyer and paused, still terrified. Who could blame me?

“Come on, come on, come on. I know you’re in there.” That definitely did not sound like Jace or Galverson.

I blew out a breath of relief and opened the door.

Mandy breezed past me.

Following her into the kitchen, I heard her say, without preamble, “Everyone’s skipping today. I couldn’t believe it. I thought I’d be a good daughter, you know, like you were the other day, and boy do I regret that now. I actually went to school this morning and had, like, four people in class. Seriously. One of them was your friend Molly what’s-her-face. She asked where you were, by the way, and I told her you were probably here. You and Tray left early last night. I saw that Gentley guy and your ex. I figured that was why you guys escaped.”

Mandy opened the fridge and pulled out some bagels and cream cheese.

“Where’s Tray?”

“Showering.”

Wait.