Write Me A Letter

15 | flip

/ CHAPTER FIFTEEN - FLIP /

     "A POOL PARTY?" Brie watched Paula flip the invite Jean gave them over her fingers, her rings glinting under the sunlight that streamed through the gaps of Brie's curtain. Her lower lip was pulled in her mouth, eyes going through repeatedly over the words, then she'd flip the card again. On the third flip, she sighed. "I'm not sure about this. Since when did Jean send invites for a house party?"

"Maybe because its Wes's house," she offered with a sigh of her own. She couldn't believe Jean was dating that asshole. Wes was the epitome of disaster. Rumors had it that he forced himself on his ex-girlfriend while recording the whole terrible experience. But no one could prove anything because Rhea already left the country after the news exploded and no trace of the video was left to be found. And with Price as his surname, Wes got unfair privileges.

A wince marred Paula's pretty face. She finally dropped the card on Brie's desk. She gave it one last dirty look before flicking it with her acrylic nail. "So she's really dating that guy. She knows that he tried to grope me in junior year, right?"

Another reason for Brie to hate Wes. "She probably thought that it doesn't matter anymore. I don't know. Jean's changed so much."

She waited for Paula to comment on what she said, but the blonde only shrugged. "I don't feel like going. There's nothing to see there."

"But she told me that she's gonna spend her birthday with Wes in meaningful ways. What if something bad happens to her?"

"Brie, they're dating. If they wanna have sex, we can't stop them just because we think he's not good for her."

"I'm just worried about Jean," she reasoned, trying for a diplomatic tone. "You know how Wes usually tries to force himself on women and Jean's really new to this setup. I don't think she's fully aware of what can happen."

"What do you want us to do?" Paula crossed her arms. "I understand that you're concerned about Jean and no matter how the history between all of us has been, she's still important to us, but obviously she doesn't think anything is wrong; why would we assume that something is?"

"Paula," Brie said, voice soft. Paula had always been the tougher one between the two of them. And to be fair, Brie was the one who initiated this crater-sized distance between them and her other friends. She was too ashamed and immature to actually accept their care. She wasn't sure it was genuine, and up until now, she still couldn't really call Jean and the rest of them as her real friends—especially with how they were behaving lately. But she cared for Jean. She used to be that sweet girl who adored lilac sundresses and braids. Although it was true that people change, she was worried that this cathartic and abrupt newness would make her crash and burn.

"We're not gonna go and tie her to our wrists, we're just gonna be around in case something happens."

Paula rolled her eyes, but when she finally faced Brie, they were a lot softer—understanding even. This was why Brie loved her friend: she could pretend that she hated everyone, but in truth, she was far more of a softie than Brie was. "Are you sure we can't just text Ollie to keep watch on her? I'm sure he'll be there."

Her lips thinned at the sound of his name. Their last conversation still tasted bitter in her mouth, and the disappointment after he ignored her was far worse. But she shouldn't care about that now. "I'm sure he will even if we don't ask him to, but just in case."