An Unexpected Friendship

Chapter 37

"Alright who's in need of a drink?" Drew asks. To his surprise, everyone raises their hands. "I'll help you out," I laugh. "So how was LA and Mass?" he asks. I feel his hand on the middle of my back as he guides us through the sea of people. "LA was great, but there was literally nothing better than being back in Mass. I can't even begin to explain it," I smile widely.
Drew's about to speak, but some jackass interrupts.

"Slut!" they yell loudly. I hear laughing and divert my attention. Tucker smirks at me as the guys around him laugh at his comment. "Is that really necessary Tucker? It's been months now. You gotta move on," I yell over the music. "Just calling it like I see it. No surprise that you're moving onto my best friend," he says mockingly. "Yo Tucker cut it out dude," Drew growls. Tucker raises his hands up, shaking his head. "Hey man I'm just looking out for you. I'd hate for you to be treated the way she treated me. But if that's what you're into then go ahead," he laughs.

"Come on. He's not worth it," Drew insists, ushering me along. "God he pisses me off so much," I seethe. "He's just being a dick for no reason. Don't let him get to you. He just wants to get a reaction out of you," he explains. We quickly grab a few cups of beer and then head back to the group, making sure to not pass by Tucker.

"What took so long?" Mike asks as we hand out the cups. "Ran into Tucker. He was talking shit as expected," I sigh. "Let's just try to enjoy the rest of the party," Addison begs.

...

The rest of the night has gone surprisingly well. Aside from my few run ins with Tucker, everything else has been enjoyable. I'm actually glad that I was encouraged to come. My phone vibrates, showing a text from Alex.

'Call me when you can.'

I excuse myself from the group and scan the field to find a quiet place to call her. I spot a clearing of trees not far from where we are and make my way over to it. In the midst of pushing through everyone, someone forcefully knocks into my right side. My shirt becomes drenched instantaneously. "What the hell!" I yell, looking up to see who ran into me. Just my luck... it's Tucker.

"I'm sorry. I swear that wasn't on purpose," he spews apologetically. I roll my eyes and look for something to dry my shirt with. "You've ignored me, called me names, talked shit about me to everyone..yeah I'm sure spilling your drink on me wasn't on purpose," I say in frustration. "Let me help you," he offers. "Just leave me alone Tucker. I'm out of here," I seethe, pushing through the people around me.

"Soph wait! It was an accident! Can we please talk!" Tucker calls out after me. I don't pay any attention as I'm more focused on getting away from him. "Come on!" he pleads, grabbing hold of my wrist. "Let go!" I yell in anger. Luckily the music is still playing loud so no one takes notice of our argument. "I know you're drenched, tired, and pissed off but just give me five minutes. Please. I don't want things to be like this between us," he begs one final time. As angry as I am with him, I know in my heart that he's being sincere. I sigh and shake my head. "Fine. Bring me home. We can talk there," I tell him. He nods aggressively and directs me to where he's parked.

"Hang on," he says, scrambling to grab something from the backseat. I watch as he pulls out one of my sweatshirts. "Here. You left this in my car a while back," he says, handing it to me. I quickly strip off my wet shirt and throw on my sweatshirt. "Let's go," I order, getting into the passenger side.

The drive home is quiet, which I appreciate. "We can talk in the backyard since it's late," I tell him as I unlock the front door. We quietly walk through the foyer and towards the kitchen. I notice that the lights are still on in the living room and walk towards it.

"I'm surprised you're up. How're you feeling?" I ask Alex, realizing that she's still awake. She looks like she's still in some discomfort. "Not good," she answers through clenched teeth. I walk closer to her and notice some bruising near her waistline and on her elbow. "Alex what happened?!" I ask worriedly, lifting up her shirt to see more bruising along her left side. "I was walking back from the kitchen when Blue came running by me. He must've heard something because when he ran by, he clipped my leg and I hit the kitchen floor hard," she explains. I can tell that she's scared, especially now knowing that she's pregnant. "Soph, I'm in a lot of pain," she says in panic.