The Foster Girls #2: Finland

Chapter 8: Finland

I'm on my way.

Two hours after he left, Dominic was heading back to my place. Giving someone like me two hours to think, to brood, was like giving a rat free access to your pantry...it would keep feeding and feeding and feeding until it was ready to explode.

I was at the explosion portion of my evening.

Dominic used his key to get inside my apartment, and I watched him from the couch, my eyes angry and unhappy as he sat down close to me. His were wary, watching me carefully. That was his first smart move all evening. Be afraid, Dominic, be very afraid.

"I'm sorry about this evening," he began. "I apologize for not realizing Camille was such a problem for you."

BOOM FUCKING BOOM! The rat just detonated.

I leaned forward, eyes blazing. "You know what, Dominic? I already told you she was a problem for me even before I met her. I only had to hear her talking to you in the hallway and knew she would be an issue between us. So don't sit here and tell me you didn't know because I made myself quite clear that she wanted you and you sharing a house with her was a huge problem for me."

"You're right. But I thought that by meeting her, you'd see she's like a little sister --"

"That is such bullshit, Nic. If she's like your little sister, then she has no problem with making a play for her big brother, so I'm not buying it. This whole night was an exercise of proving her superiority over me where you're concerned and you played right into it. She was mean to me right when she walked into my place, she was mean to me when you were in the bathroom fixing your contact, she was mean to me at dinner and she was mean to me when you were walking around the car to open my door. She's a mean, vicious bitch and I don't like her at all."

"Finland, tell me what she said."

"First up? When you told me I looked good and she told you to stop using those tired lines because you'd used them so often."

"She was teasing, Finland. That's all."

"No, Dominic, she was not. She was telling me I was one of many and that you were using lines on me that you used on other women all the time, which is another way of letting me know I'm not special to you. That is mean girl shit, straight up. And word to the wise, if you keep defending her and not listening to what I'm telling you, you'll be leaving sooner than expected, but your key to my place will be staying here."

"I'm sorry. I'll listen. Tell me what else is bothering you."

"While you were in the bathroom, she told me that Lisette was your soulmate and the true love of your life."

"Camille told me you said it was time for me to move on and forget Lisette. She was really upset by that."

That little, lying, tattling bitch.

"That's not what I said at all! I told her that some people can find love more than once in their lives. She also deliberately called me by the wrong name, cut me out of most of the dinner conversation and constantly mentioned Lisette, making sure I felt uncomfortable with all of the old memories she kept bringing up. And even worse, you let her, Dominic. You didn't say boo to her when she kept drawing the conversation back to her or her sister."

"I'm sorry. When I'm with her, she usually likes to talk about Lisette, and I should have realized that was not a good topic of conversation with you there."

"It's not a good topic of conversation even if I'm not there, Dominic! I'm sorry, but Lisette died eight years ago -- if Camille needs to bring her up like that all the time, I don't know, maybe she needs some grief counseling? Or maybe it's just a sneaky way to keep you tied to her and to keep playing the poor me card so you feel sorry for her?"