Lily's POV
I didn't mean to, but Gray was fond of bringing out the worst in me.
I hated being around him. I had been cheated on, played a lot, by him and Chase and I had no more desire to see or be with any of them.
The only reason I obliged Jessica was because she was the only one around to listen to my shit and somehow face it with me.
Her modeling gigs were getting fewer with the 'Rudd' scandal.
Rudd somehow managed to make it out of the country on time. As of when Jessica's parents heard it and were ready to sue, he was already on international waters.
Brands weren't so enthusiastic about working with her anymore.
She somehow poured all that attention into me, and we began to relate more.
I followed her anyway to Marty's because she convinced me that Gray had what we needed.
I threw a sleeveless hoodie on. The weather was quite warm, but I still felt the need to seem invisible, and the only thing that could do that was the camo hoodie I got during a shopping spree with Emma
As I expected, he was late. Gray was barely ever on time.
Since we split, all his faults just came screaming. At some point, it made me wonder what I really ever saw in him that made me swoon whenever he passed me in school, just under six months.
I pinched myself hard as punishment for all my wrong choices. Choices which when I thought about them included only two people, Chase and Emma.
They were my peak but were also my undoing.
"Are you sure he's gonna come?" I asked Jessica as I was already getting antsy.
She didn't reply to me so I looked up at her, and then in the direction she was looking in and smiling.
I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.
The shameless part of it all was that we still had sex just two days ago.
My face was beginning to get too flushed. In fact, I was about to excuse myself when Gray did.
I could not have been more grateful.
"Y'all are gonna have to fix up someday, you know." Jessica said when he was out of earshot.
"Please don't say that. Not right now at least." I begged her. A lot of things were wrong with me and it was literally the last thing I wanted to hear.
"What is it?" She asked. "You think I don't know y'all still broke bread in bed two days ago?" She said,
Lord! Gray told her everything. I put a hand over her mouth but it was a little too late. She had said it all. I looked away, and unfortunately, I saw Gray re-enter. It was too late to pretend I didn't, so I looked away like I meant to snob him.
Immediately he got back to the table, he was all about me.
I felt too cramped. The place was too small to contain Gray and I. I felt too restricted. And being like that, would only make me say all the wrong things, like I did.
I spilled it all out to him, everything. The reason why I'd never be in the same space as Chase, ever again.
I watched the light drain out his eyes and the blood off his face.
He asked Jessica if it was true, and she admitted.
Months ago, maybe it would have made me feel better, talking to someone, having a therapist, shit like that. But I was long past all that. Not even the fanciest pity parties with the choicest guys and girls from school could recompense.
"Why did you never tell me?" He asked me.
Grayson's voice was grave, and scary. I had never heard him that way. He was always a soft gentle man when he was with me, a soft cheating gentleman.
"Cause y'all are birds of a feather." I replied and looked out of the window before he made me cry.
"Lily, you know I would never have…" He started protesting.
"Save it. Just save it. You cheated on me with multiple girls. You aren't any better. It was not even the fact that I knew, that made us break up, it was the fact that Emma threw it into an argument. Gray, you were comfortable being with other girls, even after you knew I knew, but you can't forgive Emma cause she 'publicly embarrassed you and ruined your relationship with Lily'. Please trash that thought. We both know where it went wrong. You're not any better." Jessica kept nudging me to stop.
'it's like beating a dead man', she told me after everything. She even said Gray had begun to experience erectile dysfunction with every other girl. I don't know if that was her doing PR for Gray, but it wasn't working, it couldn't work, it was too late.
"Lily, you're really never gonna forgive me?" Gray asked, taking my hand.
I had no answer to that question. I was just as unsure as he was. But all that didn't matter, it never did, it never will.
"Jessica please let's face what we came here for." I diverted, putting an end to the drama that a few customer's in the restaurant were enjoying a little too well, annoyingly.
"Gray, we need your help." Jessica said.
"What's it about?" He asked her.
I took a back-seat, mentally, and watched them piece things together.
Gray was friends with some kids at Starry. Apparently, they didn't live too far from his mother, and happened to know Emma.
Gray became friends with Kevin when he went on one of those mad hunts where he'd ask neighbors, irrespective of how near or far they were from his mom, about how his stepdad treated her.
Gary had been looking for an excuse to call the cops on his stepdad. That's where his friendship with Kevin began.
According to what he told Jessica, they met on the block outside one night, and Kevin offered him a smoke.
It was his first time, and Kevin seemed nice, so he took it. Kevin then began to talk about some girl, whom he messed with. Wished he never did, struggled to reach her, but she had traveled far with her mom.
Gray, albeit a hopeless romantic himself, couldn't be bothered with all those after seeing his mom in the worst state she'd been in since she left his dad.
It wasn't until his next visit to his mom that he found out the girl of whom Kevin spoke. The cherry on the cake was that Emma's mom, Linda Watson, was allegedly involved in his uncle Mike's death.
Kevin told him all about the scandal involving Emma, and Gray was disappointed she never told Chase about it.
He watched his best friend, well, used-to-be best friend, fall in love with a lie. Kevin called her a murder and a whore, but still wanted Gray's assistance in getting her back, I found that cheap.
I saw through that shit, he still wanted her, that was clear. But Gray was blinded by all the fury and anger that came from those stories Kevin told.
"Emma's not my concern. I have bigger fish to fry. I'll give you both their contacts, and we're done. Is that all?" Gray asked after Jessica, in the most noble of ways, explained our intentions.
"That would do, dear." She put her hand around him, but soon pulled back as she saw he wasn't buying it.
"Lily, I'm terribly sorry. I can't do much to fix it now, but I swear to you, I'd make it up." Gray said. It was the last thing he said before taking his phones and keys and storming out of Marty's.
It was just Jessica and I left, and once again, it was awkward.
"I'm sorry about all that, Lily." Jessica said.
"It's fine. I only said those cause I had nothing else to say." I confessed and looked out of the window.
"It's good you did." She said, consolingly. "I'm here if you ever need anyone to talk to." Jessica added.
I couldn't hold it in anymore, so I cried like a baby.
We walked out of Marty's that day, as changed women. Not just classmates united by a common goal, but as friends.
Jessica drove me back to my hell of a home. My mom had left, like she was never there. My dad and brother had slept off on the couch.
I went upstairs quietly to bawl my eyes out.