Behind the Eight Ball

Chapter 77 - Friends?

Paris stood staring at me full-on, her hands on her hips, she looked pissed but what really got to me was her eyes... her eyes that glistened with tears I knew she would be too proud to shed. I threw myself on the mercy of the court.

"I can't. You should hate me, Paris. You have every reason, every cause. What I did to you... it's inexcusable."

She frowns at me. I guess she was expecting me to defend myself and when I chose not to I threw her off a bit. 

"Damn, right it is," she tells me and turns away to lean on the counter. "I thought we were friends?" she said in a sad whisper.

Now it was my turn to be confused. "Paris, we are friends."

"Then why would just blow out of there? Why wouldn't you come to talk to me yourself? Why would you send Adam of all people to talk to me instead? I know it wasn't a date. I know I'm not your girlfriend or anything but it hurt, Finn. That you cared that little about me, that you felt that I didn't even deserve an explanation."

"I know I should have..." Then something she said sunk into my brain. "Wait! Didn't Adam explain to you why I left the way that I did?"

Paris throws her hands in the air in exasperation. "He told me you had to leave. It was an emergency, involving Brynn."

I stood there astounded. "That's it?! That's all he said?!"

Paris gave me an aggravated shrug of her shoulders and just stared at me.

"I'm going to kill him!" I kick the oven and if you've ever kicked a steel object you know you immediately regret the decision about the second after you do it. "Son of a...Mmm!" I yell, damn that hurts.

Paris's expression immediately changes to concern, "Are you okay?"

When our eyes meet however, she turns away and crosses her arms over her chest before adding, "Not that I care."

"Of course, not," I mutter, and swear under my breath, my foot is still hurting.

Paris peeks back over at me and said, "Of course, you're not okay or of course, I don't care?"

I shrug, rubbing my foot against the back of my leg. "Both, I guess."

"Damn it! You know I do too care!" she yells at me and I can't help but grin at her.

"Don't you dare grin at me, Finn Nash! You really hurt my feelings."

"I know," I said hanging my head in shame, "I know and I'm sorry Paris. I expected Adam to tell you a whole lot more than he did."

Paris relents just a little, "Is your foot okay?"

"I'll live," I tell her.

"You're an idiot," she informs me.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Adam is an incredible dancer, " she says with a mischievous grin.

Once again I'm stunned by something she said involving Adam. "Are you messing with me?"

"No," Paris says with a shake of her head, "He's awesome. So as far as a dance partner to leave behind you didn't do half bad."

"It really wasn't my intention to leave him behind. To leave at all really," I inform her.

"Then why did you?" She asks leaning her back against the counter. "Was it Brynn's grandmother? Is she okay?"

"Her grandmother is still in the hospital but no. Adam had called me when I went to the restroom. He told me that Brynn had called him to say goodbye and that he feared that she was thinking of killing herself."