FRIDAY'S GIRL ·ϿʘϾ·

Chapter 40

The Rivers' family living room felt like a threatening trap, its silence occasionally broken by the high-pitched screams from the horror movie Maddison had insisted on watching. The massive screen dominated the room, and the Dolby Digital Surround sound wrapped us in an almost claustrophobic atmosphere. Still, my mind was far from there, submerged in dark and murky thoughts. I couldn't stop thinking about April and her stupid relationship with CaliPartyGuy18. Jealousy and distrust were eating me alive.

"Nooo!" my girlfriend screamed, curling up against me to avoid watching what was happening on the screen. Lately, she had been unusually affectionate and accommodating, as if trying to fix things between us.

I yawned indifferently and frowned when my eyes landed on a photo inside a ridiculous, overly ornate gold frame. In it, Maddison and I were hugging, smiling at the camera. Her parents had taken the picture during a weekend last summer, just before I went on vacation to Florida. We had stayed at a hotel on the shores of Clear Lake. My girlfriend had shared a room with her parents, while I had to stay in a single room, alone. It was the sad reminder of a relationship that had been dead for months.

Another blood-curdling scream made me refocus on the protagonist, who was now running from a masked killer. Then, I heard my father's voice loud and clear in my head: "Son, you need to be sharper than a tack, or you'll end up the last guy on the team. In this world, those who hesitate always lose. You're nothing like Jack."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm brewing inside me. My father's voice still echoed in my ears, almost mocking me, telling me over and over again how clumsy and imperfect I was compared to my brother. Just then, Maddie's breasts pressed against my arm, stirring a mix of desire and disgust within me. It was hard to believe I had once been madly in love with her. But I didn't feel any of that anymore. I could never forget how she had manipulated and belittled me in the past. All that was left was a lingering emotion and the need to make her feel what I had felt—so confused, bewildered, insecure, and humiliated that she couldn't sleep at night.

I was going to find a way to sleep with her to get some of my own back—a cruelly ironic way of making her pay with what she had so often denied me. It was an almost obsessive desire. Though the doubts continued to eat away at me, every cold and calculated move I made against Maddison left me feeling emptier, as if a part of me was fading away with every lie. Yet the need for revenge and control was a powerful force, nearly impossible to ignore. I didn't want to be the last guy, the one who always lost. I wanted to be sharper than a tack, even if it meant losing a piece of myself along the way.

So far, I had been patient, dropping little breadcrumbs of confusion and indifference to chip away at my girlfriend's confidence. The more detached I acted, the more compliant she became, trying to lure me back in. It was a game of cat and mouse.

That night, I knew exactly what I had to do. I needed to manipulate the situation, steering the conversation in a direction that would favor my plans.

"It's been a while since we watched a movie together," Maddison said, her voice soft, trying to break the ice.

I shrugged, keeping my eyes fixed on the screen. I had no interest in talking. It felt like a waste of time and left me exhausted from the constant effort of pretending.

I sensed Maddison shifting beside me, her hand sliding down my leg. I let her do whatever she wanted, not even reacting. I was too wrapped up in my own anger and frustration.

Then, I noticed her raise the stakes, "accidentally" brushing against that intimate part of my body she had so often refused to touch.

"Why are you ignoring me, baby?" she purred, tracing her fingers across my lips.