BAD REP(18)

“Whatever, I wasn't going to say anything,” she commented, going into the kitchen.

“Wow, there's a first,” I said sarcastically, going into the bathroom.  I closed the door on Riley's laugh.  When I was done I padded into the kitchen to find Riley had made coffee.

She held out a steaming cup.  I took it and cradled it to my chest.  “Oh, sweet nectar of the gods,” I moaned as I took my first fortifying sip.  Riley pulled out the bread and popped two pieces into the toaster.

“Want any?” she asked and I shook my head, feeling queasy to my stomach.  She slathered her toast with peanut butter and my nausea intensified.

“God, that's disgusting,” I groaned, looking away as she took her first bite.

“That's what you get for tipping the scales toward alcohol poisoning last night.  You're lucky a hangover is all you ended up with.  You were loaded.  What the hell brought that on?” Riley asked, looking at me questioningly.

I rooted around in the cabinet for the bottle of ibuprofen and shook out three capsules in my hand and swallowed them without water.  I drank another sip of coffee and looked at her.  “I was just hanging out with Gracie and the girls.  Things got a little crazy is all,” I evaded.

“So, you didn't meet up with Jordan after work?  I thought you said that's what you were planning to do.”  I stiffened at her question.  The mention of Jordan made my already upset stomach roll over painfully.  The night was a bit fuzzy but one thing was crystal freaking clear.  He had a girlfriend.  And that made him completely untouchable.  Because as much as I wanted something to happen with him, I just wasn't that girl.  Never had been, never would be.

My silence piqued Riley's curiosity.  “What happened?  Did you not end up hanging out?” She used air quotes and I felt an irrational urge to slap her.  I was used to Riley's snarky commentary but for once it touched a raw nerve.  I felt like an idiot for being made a fool of.  Jordan had led me on and I didn't take that very well.  What's worse is I had felt something for Jordan in the 24 hours I had known him that I had never experienced before.  It was more than lust, more than attraction.  It was this crazy connection that would be near impossible to ignore.

But ignore it I would.  Because he was a dick and that's all there was to it.

“Yeah, that's just not gonna happen,” I muttered, dumping the rest of my coffee into the sink and putting my mug in the dishwasher.  Riley dropped her plate on the counter and I gave her a look of death until she shrugged and put it in the dishwasher as well.

“Why?  What happened?” she asked innocently.  The lack of jaded sarcasm in her voice made my hackles drop a bit.   I sighed and perched up on the stool at the island.

“He has a girlfriend,” I admitted, dropping my head into my palm.

Riley's face darkened.  “That *,” she hissed, coming immediately to my defense.  And that was why I loved her.  She had my back no matter what.

“I know, right?” I said, grabbing my cigarettes from the wooden bowl on the counter where we kept our keys.  Riley followed me out onto the balcony.  She must have sensed how upset I was because for once I didn't hear a word about the cancer stick I was lighting up.

I leaned back in the chair and let out a drag.  “He was coming onto you really strong last night and the whole time the nut sack had a f*cking girlfriend?  You should castrate him!”  Riley's voice was filled with self-righteous anger and I gave a weak laugh.

“Yeah, I contemplated serious bodily harm once I found out, trust me.”  I took another drag from my cigarette and exhaled, watching the smoke plume out in a thick cloud.  “And you don't even know the worst part,” I continued.  Riley watched me, waiting.

“His girlfriend is Olivia Peer,” I told her.  Riley's eyebrows drew together as she tried to place the name.  “You know, the president of Chi Delta?”  Recognition registered and her eyes widened in surprise.

“You are shitting me?!” she breathed out.

I shook my head as I leaned over to stub out my cigarette.  I flicked the butt over the banister of the balcony.  I propped my feet on the wrought iron and leaned back in the chair.  “Yeah, I couldn't have been more surprised than if he had told me he was gay.”  Riley, who had been leaning back in her own chair on two legs, slammed back down onto the ground.