Avoiding Responsibility (Avoiding #2)(110)

"I know you were just saying all of that to get a rise from me and to make me jealous. But that's in the past now," Bekah said reaching out and grabbing Lexi's shoulder for support. She was still smiling that devious little smile.

Lexi steeled herself for what she was about to do. She honestly could not let this continue. She had been the bigger person. She had attempted to put as much of the past behind her as possible. She was coming to their f**king wedding for Christ's sake. Then she had to go and bring all the old shit up.

Lexi sighed and wished for what wouldn't be the last time that she hadn't taken that last tequila shot. "No I said all of that because it's true," she stated as firmly as possible. She hadn't lied to Bekah about anything that had happened between her and Jack. They really had been perfect for each other once upon a time, and he really did lie to everyone. She had thought she was exempt at the time…so it wasn't exactly a lie just a truth that she had come to realize.

"Whatever you like to believe," Bekah drawled leaning back against the bar and feeling like the queen of the universe in that moment.

"You can't possibly know our history better than I do," Lexi told her anger threatening to overflow her buzz.

"I know that you're second best," Bekah slurred back forgetting all semblance of restraint.

That stung and Lexi knew it was meant to. Bekah had always despised her relationship with Jack. No, she had always been jealous of what they had. So any kind of insult would just be coming from a jealous woman so Lexi kept her focus.

She had been with Ramsey for nearly a year which Bekah had approved of just as much as she approved of Lexi seeing Jack. And even if they were on the rocks now, it didn't mean that she couldn't still hold her head high. Their relationship was built on more than Bekah and Jack's.

"Not with your brother," Lexi spat back at her.

Bekah gritted her teeth. She clearly didn't like to hear her talk about Ramsey. "And look at how well that's going…" she said looking her up and down as if she were some low life tramp.

"You know nothing about my relationship," Lexi growled getting even more riled up.

"Just that you're naïve," she stated whisking her blond hair over her shoulder. "You think the world revolves around you, which shows how little you really know about my brother. The only thing Ramsey has ever really cared about is himself. You are no different. I've been there his whole life. I will always know and understand him better than you ever could. You're just a fling among many," she said getting more irritated the longer they stood there.

Lexi didn't even want to touch that line of conversation. Bekah would always think about Ramsey whatever she wanted. "Well I've known Jack much longer than you. So does the same logic apply?" Lexi asked a glint of victory in her eye. She knew that Bekah couldn't come back from that. She had used her own argument against her, and Lexi didn't care how brilliant Bekah was supposed to be that was a hard logic to get around.

"Jack's different," she answered immediately unable to come up with another statement.

"Of course he is."

"I'm marrying him," she growled throwing her left hand out for examination.

Lexi stared at the ring in front of her. Now that she had it so close she could see that it was in fact a duplicate. There was just something about the ring that was too…modern. The silver was too polished. The diamonds perhaps a bit too large for the enclosures. The shape just a bit too perfect. It was the delicate simplicity and raw original manufacturing of the ring Jack had given to Lexi that had made it so unique. This was not that ring. That much was finally clear to her. She had known all along after he had told her, but she had never really been certain until just then.

And then she knew what she wanted to say in that moment as Bekah stood with her engagement ring for full display. The ring…the fake ring was just as much of a sham as their relationship.

"It's fake," Lexi said never taking her eyes from the glittering diamonds. She had been thinking it but had never meant for the words to actually slip out.

"What?" Bekah gasped pulling her hand back as if it had been burned.

There was no turning back now. "It's fake," she repeated.

"I am marrying him," Bekah said not fully understanding the gravity of her statement.

"No. The ring," Lexi stated simply.

"What about my ring?" she asked turning her hand over to examine it more closely.

"You heard me. Your ring is fake," Lexi spat feeling a release of all the pent up frustration that one ring had caused her.

"It's not a fake!" Bekah gasped.

"Are you sure?" Lexi asked arching an eyebrow.

"What you think I haven't had it appraised?" she asked revealing the true depths of her shallowness.

Lexi scoffed at her statement. It would have never crossed her mind to get it appraised. The diamonds couldn't have been more real. A closer inspection was hardly necessary. It was pretty clear that it was an expensive engagement ring. "For quality and cost right?" Lexi asked.

Bekah examined the ring on her hand for a second before answering Lexi. "Of course. The ring cost a fortune. Every diamond is authentic."

"But what about authenticity?" Lexi asked knowing the she likely hadn't considered that for she had never thought that he wouldn't give her the original ring.