Following Me by Linde, K.A. (best books to read in your 20s .txt) 📗

more.  “I didn’t really come to talk about that though.  Ijust…just thought you should know.”

Damn!  That was the bestnews she’d had all day.  Devon didn’t know exactly what it meant, but at leastit showed that Hadley knew she had a problem.  Progress was progress.

“I’m really glad you told me,”Devon said honestly.

“There’s, um…more.”  Hadley bither lip and moved from the ball of her foot to the other.  “Garrett and I gotinto this huge fight the other night.”

“You did?” Devon asked, feigningsurprise.  Now wasn’t the time to reveal that she already knew this much.

“Yeah.  You might have noticed Ihaven’t been at the apartment much.”

“I did.”

“Well, I just got so angry athim.  I…I slapped him, Dev,” Hadley said, her hands shaking.  “Gah, I mean…whathappens if we break up, and he kicks me out of the apartment?  It’s his place. He could do it if he wanted.”

Hadley was blabbering on, andDevon was just staring at her, surprised that Hadley had told her.

“Wait…wait…back it up,” Devonsaid.  “What were you even fighting about?”

“That’s the thing.  I don’t evenknow.  It all just escalated and got way out of hand,” Hadley said, glancingoff into the distance.

Devon knew that look anywhere. She was lying.  Everyone was lying to her.  It was only fitting, consideringshe was lying to everyone else, too.

“Hadley, come on.  I know you toowell.  What happened?” Devon prodded.  She took a chance and reached out totouch Hadley’s hand.

Hadley flinched but let her takeit.

“You can tell me what happened.”

“I wasn’t in a good place thenight it happened.  I was trying to stay off of it for the show.  It was…bad. Then, he kept acting so funny, and he made some fucking cocky remark.  Ifreaked out and started yelling at him.  I don’t know, Dev.”  She stared at theground with an expression on her face like she did know.  “I think he might becheating on me.”

Devon stared at her with hermouth hanging open.  Garrett?  Cheating on her?  No.  That didn’t makeany sense.  That just didn’t add up.  When would he have time to do that?  Heworked all day when he didn’t live in the gym.  His body was a testament to hisdedication in that area.  The only other time he was awake and not with Hadleywas when he was goofing off with Devon late at night.

Also, how could Hadley evenfreak about him doing something like that when she was doing drugs and hidingit from him?  Okay.  Devon would give Hadley some credit.  Devon wouldfreak about that too, but it was kind of hypocritical, not that she would eversay as much to Hadley, who looked devastated.

“Oh, Hadley, no way.  How couldyou think that?  He’s so into you,” Devon said.

Hadley shrugged.  “I told you. He’s been acting so weird.  I thought he was just as into me as you said, butlately, he hasn’t wanted to come to bed with me.  I mean…fuck, we haven’t hadsex in two weeks.  Two weeks!  We used to not be able to go two days!”

Devon didn’t want to think aboutHadley’s sex life right now.  Hers was nonexistent at the moment.

“You guys have both been under alot of stress.  I’m sure it’s all just a misunderstanding,” Devon said, tryingto reassure her friend.

“If you knew anything, Dev, youwould tell me, right?” Hadley asked, staring at her straight in the eye.

“Of course!” Devon saidautomatically.

Hadley looked at her for a secondbefore nodding and looking away.

“Maybe you’re right,” Hadley saidfinally with a heavy sigh.  “I have this Fourth of July dinner with Garrett andhis family tonight.  I was freaking out about it.  I even consideredcanceling.  I don’t know.  His family is even weirder around me.  I wish youcould come with,” she said impulsively.

“I have to work,” Devon said,wanting to be as far away from that get-together as possible.  After a day liketoday, she would prefer to be in bed before the fireworks.

“You think it’ll all be fine?”Hadley asked.

“Just be yourself.  How couldthey not love you?”

“You’re right,” she said, regainingthe strength that Devon had always loved about her.

“But I wouldn’t…use anythingbefore you go,” Devon cautioned.

Hadley shook her head.  “Iwouldn’t.”

Devon really wanted to believeher.

SWEAT BEADED ON Devon’s temple, andshe wiped it off her forehead and out of her eyes.  The party had been going onall night, and it was nice to loosen up and get lost in the music and dancing. She hadn’t partied in so long, and she couldn’t resist when Amy had actuallyinvited her out.  Either Amy was getting over her hatred for the new girl, orDevon had just been there long enough that she wasn’t considered the new girlany longer.

People were packed into the club,shoulder-to-shoulder, many even closer than that.  The music was earsplittingwhile the crazy lights traversed the warehouse-sized room before theyalternated to strobe lights.  Everything began moving in slow motion.  Shehadn’t had much to drink, but she was dizzy from dehydration and the energy inthe room.  Her tank top was sticking to her back, and she had long since pulledher hair up off of her neck into a ponytail.

God, I need another drink, shethought.

Her eyes moving around the room,she took in as much as she could from her vantage point, but it only ended upbeing the two feet circling her.  Amy had to be somewhere inside the building. How had she lost track of her?

Well, she knew how.  There weretoo many damn people in the place.  It was easy to lose one person, especiallywhen that person was as short as Amy.  Still, Devon should have been better atkeeping track of Amy.  Devon didn’t like being alone in dark places.  Whethershe was surrounded by people or in a back alleyway at night, she was stillalone.

She craned her head to look forAmy, but she was having no luck.  It felt like more and more people were beingcrushed into the space.  How was this in line with the fire code? Surely, the place would be shutdown soon.

Walking in the direction of thebar, Devon tried to find Amy in the crowd.  Seriously, it was getting harder andharder to maneuver through the room, and she had to elbow people out of