Trapped (Caged 2)

Tria glared, and I could see her shoulders rising and falling with her breaths.

“You know why he doesn’t want to go?” Amanda snapped at Tria.

“Shut up.” I growled in her direction.

“How about I explain what his mother went through—”

“I said, shut up!” I yelled.

People at other tables were looking at us at this point. I pulled Tria a little closer to me, completely blocking her from Amanda. I could tell by the look in the blonde’s eyes that she had no intention of letting this go and would probably tell Tria and the world everything if I didn’t do something drastic.

“I’ll fucking go, all right?”

“Great!” Amanda’s face lit up in a bright smile. “I’ll put you down with a guest.”

Ryan gave me a remorseful look and a shrug. He never did have any control over her, and I suppose that was one of the reasons he liked her.

Tria looked up at me with a confused expression as Amanda continued to babble.

“It’s definitely going to be the talk of…well, everyone! There are eight hundred guests, and the reception will be at Sophie’s, and you just wouldn’t believe some of the names who are going to be in attendance…”

“You’re insane,” I mouthed at Ryan. He just shrugged again as he pulled Mandi a little closer.

“Come on, babe,” he said. “Let’s leave them to it.”

“See you there!” Amanda waved with her fingers as Ryan dragged her out the door of the restaurant.

I closed my eyes for a moment to refocus myself. I couldn’t believe what I had just agreed to do.

“Fuck a duck,” I muttered.

I was never one to give into Amanda’s demands, but I had to shut her up.

Chapter 10—Savor the Moment

Tria huffed.

“That was…interesting,” Tria said.

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” I sat back in my chair and sighed. “Amanda and I have never completely gotten along. I thought she was a golddigger from day one, and I still think she is. Dad warned me off of chicks like that from the time I stopped thinking girls had cooties. Ryan didn’t grow up with money, and I don’t think Michael ever taught him to look for the signs.”

I took her hand and moved her back toward her chair before I sat down again.

“So…you know Amanda, huh?” I said as Tria relaxed back into her seat and got herself back together.

“I wouldn’t say that,” she replied. “I mean, we’re talking about fifteen years ago, for starters. We were kids.”

“She was the older one, right?” I asked, remembering some of the details of Tria’s time at the group home. “The one you thought wouldn’t get adopted before you.”

Tria nodded. With the tines of the fork, she poked at the frosting from the cake and then set it off to the side without taking another bite. We sat in silence for a couple more minutes until the server dropped off the bill.

“Can I get you anything else?” she asked with a smile.

I declined, and Tria didn’t seem to have anything to add. I took the last gulp of my drink and played around with the straw for a minute.

“Ready to go?” I asked quietly.

“Yeah,” she said.