Distinction: The Distraction Trilogy #3 (11 page)

I win this round of chess just as Hayley knocks on the door. I get it while John tidies away the chess board and grumbles about losing and Isaac makes a racket in the kitchen, cleaning the mess I made.

“Hey.” I pull my friend in for a long hug. “Missed you.”

She squeezes me back. “Missed you more.” And then she practically shoves me to the side and enters the house without invitation. “Afternoon, John.”

“Hello, Hayley.” She hugs him too; he returns it with one arm as the other holds the chess board. “You look lovely.” He’s right; she does. She looks beautiful in a navy blue dress shirt and white leggings.

“You’ve lost weight.” I point out, closing the door so as to not let the heat out.

“Duh, the camera adds ten pounds so I lost ten pounds to balance it out.”

This makes me laugh. “You’re insane.”

“I know.”

Her excitement oozes from her in waves.

“We’re just waiting on Jocelyn and then we’ll get going.” I love how she feels comfortable enough to just take a seat without permission. I’ve always been envious of Hayley’s confidence, though. “Who else is here?” She nods to the noise coming from the kitchen.

“Umm…”

“Isaac returned,” John says matter-of-factly.

“Oh?” Hayley raises a brow and her lips tilt at the corners. “That’s interesting.”

“What?” I say when she gives me a knowing look. She clearly knows something that I don’t. “Stop staring at me like that. It makes you look like a bug.”

Her laughter is loud but it desists the second Isaac steps into the room.

“Hayley.” He nods politely at her. “Congratulations on the engagement.”

“No problem.”

“Thank you for the invitation.”

“Again, no problem.”

I shoot a look at my friend, annoyed that she didn’t run this by me. What game is she playing?

“He’s declining the invitation.” John blurts, putting Isaac on the spot.

Isaac tenses when Hayley stares blankly at him. This girl could stare down a hippo and win. “I…” he stammers, looking for something to say. “I’m not declining. I’ll be there.”

Her grin is one of triumph. I roll my eyes.

“I even offered my assistance, if you need it.”

“Actually,” Hayley runs her fingers through her longer hair. “There is something…”

Oh boy.

“What?” He looks as frightened as I feel inside.

“Well, I was a bit disappointed that my mum couldn’t drive us to the dress fitting today. I was hoping to share a bottle of champagne with my girls during the fitting…”

“He’s busy,” I declare as Isaac says, “You want me to drive you?”

“Yep,” Hayley says giddily as I yell, “No!”

All eyes flicker between myself and Isaac.

He smirks, his blue eyes glinting with a deviousness that seems to make him more attractive. “Sure, I’ll drive you there and back. I haven’t got anything better to do.”

“But…”

“Yay!” Hayley cheers. “This is perfect. Don’t you think so, Elly Belly?”

“Elly Belly?” Isaac and John both repeat.

“Oh yeah, after you two broke up she ate far more than she usually does. Kira and I started calling her Elly Belly because her belly would wobble when…”

I slap my hand over her mouth. I had to stop myself from punching her in the mouth at the last second. “We don’t need to share that.”

“It was funny! You lost the weight, obviously. Not that it mattered; you still looked hot with bigger curves.”

“Oh my god.” I whisper, wishing the ground would swallow me up. My cheeks heat. I must be bright red.

It’s only made worse when Isaac starts laughing under his breath. I throw the remote at him and pout when he catches it, still laughing but now out loud rather than under his breath.

“Today is the best day, ever!” Hayley beams and jumps up from her seat. “Jocelyn is here.” There’s a knock at the door. She must have seen her coming up the driveway, though
how
she saw when her back is to the window is a whole other thing.

“Looks like I’m escorting a gaggle of women to a bloody dress fitting,” Isaac sighs to his dad and swipes an apple pie from the box of treats. “Care to take my place?”

“No,” John responds instantly and follows us all to the door. Hayley hugs her friend and introduces us before Isaac leads us to his new car. It’s bigger than Hayley’s, which is definitely not a bad thing.

I’ve met Jocelyn once before, a couple of years ago when Hayley had a party for her twenty first. It was a fun affair and Jocelyn was a firecracker. It explains why she gets on so well with Hayley. They’re both loud and rambunctious but in the best way. It’s easier for me to fade into the background as they both converse loudly and animatedly with each other.

I join in, making sure to not seem like a wet fish. My mood dips slightly when I’m made to sit in the front of the car with Isaac so that Hayley and Jocelyn can play fight and yell like teenagers on the back seat.

They have me in hysterics by the time we’ve reached the end of the street, though. Isaac too.

Fortunately he doesn’t talk to me. I wouldn’t know what to say to him if he did. How on earth did we get roped into this and why on earth did we get roped into this?

“He just left the room, like… all suave. It was like a scene from a movie,” Jocelyn says while fanning her face with her hand.

It brings me back from my thoughts. I twist in my seat so I can see the girls.

“What about you, Elle? How’d you meet Silas? He is hot as fuck… if you don’t mind me saying.”

Normally I wouldn’t, but for some reason I want to protect Isaac from conversations like this. He doesn’t seem to mind, though I doubt he’s okay with it.

“I’ll tell you later,” I say. My eyes flicker to Isaac but she doesn’t catch the message. He seems a lot tenser than he was a moment ago.

“Oh no you don’t. Tell her. It’s a great story, like something out of a fairy tale!” Hayley puts in.

What the hell is she doing?

“Fine.” I clear my throat. “We met at the cinema. His friend knows my friend.”

“That’s not very exciting.” Jocelyn frowns and Hayley widens her eyes at me, egging me on for more. When both of them realise I’m not sharing further, Jocelyn adds, “What’s he like in bed?”

Oh my god. My heart just failed.

“She told me he’s exceptional,” Hayley shares for me and I just want to cry. I want to curl into a ball and cry, especially when Isaac’s hands clench the steering wheel so tightly we veer off to the side. The girls don’t notice, or they don’t care. “It’s just a shame he has the personality of a dead fish.”

Choke. “He does not.”

“Puh-lease… he’s about as interesting as politics.”

“Some people find politics interesting.”

“You aren’t one of them.” She’s right; I’m not. “I suppose it’s a good thing he knows how to work it in the bedroom.”

Somebody please kill me. “Hayley!”

“What?”

“Is he big? How big? I’ve never been with a black guy before.”

“Oh my god.” I turn around and close my eyes. My hands grip my seatbelt across my chest.

“Okay, we’ve teased her enough.” Hayley finally ends the conversation and moves it on to nicer things.

We talk about her relationship and how happy they are together. It doesn’t make me feel any less nauseous and I hate myself for caring about how Isaac feels about anything. It’s his fault for being here. Now I’m just angry because he’s ruining my day. I can’t be myself around him without worrying about how he feels and I hate that. I wish I could switch it off.

“Elle? Are you with us?” Hayley asks, leaning forward in her seat and resting her chin on my shoulder.

“Sorry,” I murmur and blink my eyes rapidly. “I’m here. What did I miss?”

“You mean while you were scowling out of the window?”

I was not.

Okay… maybe just a little.

“She asked you what colour you’d prefer for the bridesmaid dresses.” Jocelyn leans forward and rests her chin on Isaac’s shoulder. His eyes widen. So do mine. A strong pang of possession tears through me, startling me. I stamp it down.

“I guess you’ll know when you see them, but I like the pale green or midnight blue ideas. My favourite colours. ” Isaac says and the meaning behind his words isn’t lost on me. The colours he just said are our eye colours.

I snort. “Of course you’d pick those.” Jocelyn and Hayley don’t get it but I don’t blame them. “I like the pale green, but I’m with Isaac. We won’t know until we see them.”

“Well we need to pick today because I need to decide on a colour scheme.”

“You haven’t decided on a colour scheme yet?” I gasp, horrified that she’s left it so late.

“I haven’t decided on anything yet. I’m shit at this, Elle. This is why I need you on my team. You’re my maid of honour. Legally you’ve got to do this stuff for me.”

I sigh gravely. “Can’t you just elope like we did?”

“It only cost a couple of hundred.” Isaac admits with a shrug and then smiles warmly at me before returning his eyes to the road.

“You both got married in shorts…” Hayley and Jocelyn finally sit back.

“But eloping is so romantic. It’s such a desperate act of love,” Jocelyn sighs wistfully and grins at me. “I bet it was the most intimate ceremony ever. It’s a shame that it didn’t last. You make such a cute couple.” Her hazel eyes linger on Isaac though I don’t know what it means. Or I don’t like what I think it means.

“Thanks,” Isaac says, sounding uncertain.

I want to text him and Hayley to ask them both why they did this to me but what’s the point? He’ll probably see my phone from where he is and Hayley will probably read it out loud anyway.

“I used to think so too,” Isaac adds, his voice low and his eyes narrow with disgust. “And then I woke up.”

“And I met a black guy with a bigger dick,” I spit, just to add insult to injury.

Hayley chokes on startled laughter and Jocelyn just laughs.

I’m lying though; Silas doesn’t have the bigger manhood. Not that I’ve ever compared. He doesn’t make me feel how Isaac used to make me feel either, but he is very skilled.

Why am I even thinking about this?

Stop it, stop it, stop it!

“Screw you,” Isaac hisses under his breath. His dark blue eyes shimmer with anger and even more disgust than before.

“Let's just not talk for the rest of the journey. This has become uncomfortable enough. I'm sure you will both agree and in all honesty I can't believe you put me in this position in the first place.” I snap, losing my patience with them all.

I'll pay them back someday.  I just can't fathom what Hayley’s game is or why she did this in the first place. Is this payback for all of the times I’ve ditched her over the past few years.

“I’m sorry, Elle.” Hayley rests her chin on my shoulder again. “I honestly thought this would be good for you both.”

I guess that’s my fault for being dishonest about where Isaac and I currently stand. I told her it’s all water under the bridge, mostly because I didn’t want to tell her about how he tried to kiss me and get me back. Though still… I don’t understand why she’s suddenly so interested in Isaac and my non-existent relationship.

“It’s fine.” Isaac answers for me. “We’re past this shit. It’s just weird.”

Jocelyn leans forward and rests her chin back on Isaac’s shoulder. “It’s okay. We’ll just keep you both occupied.”

‘I bet she will’
… I can’t help but think bitterly and I immediately hate myself for it.

“Do you know what I need?” I grin at my friends. “I need a tall glass of something alcoholic and caffeinated.”

“Amen sister.”

“Preach it!”

I didn’t venture into the boutique when we arrived, especially not since Hayley and Jocelyn seemed so desperate to get me in there. I’m unsure why.

I wish I hadn’t agreed to this. I fucking hate Eloise right now. I fucking hate how jealous and angry I get when it comes to her.

I distract myself by playing on my phone and scanning the deserted road, full of cute cottage style houses with large front gardens hidden behind low walls.

This place is literally in the middle of nowhere. I see a young boy walking a small dog in the distance, an older man trailing behind them, and I can only imagine how boring it must be to grow up in a place so lacking in activities. Not that it’s for me to judge. I’ve always been more of a city person.

I shut my eyes to ward off my impending headache after searching online for a local cafe. There isn’t one. I’m stuck here forever… or seemingly forever.

A tapping on the window startles me. Suddenly I’m looking at a light brown haired woman with hazel eyes. Clicking the button on the console, the window slowly rolls down and Jocelyn leans forward so as to see me better. She smiles mischievously. “Do you smoke?”

“Used to.”

She holds up a strange device that I’ve seen other people using in the streets, some kind of electronic vape stick. “Me too. They won’t let me vape around the pretty dresses.”

“I don’t blame them.”

“Me neither.” She walks around the car and opens the door to the passenger side before climbing in. “The champagne they prepared is great. Elle and Hayley are already tipsy.”

“Of course they are,” I mutter, rolling my eyes slightly. I’m happy that they’re enjoying themselves.

“Do you want to try it?” She flashes her perfect white teeth and holds the vape stick out to me. “It tastes like candyfloss.”

I shouldn’t but… “Why not?”

“Okay, well, you put the end to your lips and press the button.”

I do so.

“Now suck it into your mouth, only a little because you aren’t used to it.”

I do that too and then I inhale and choke because it tickles the back of my throat. After my coughing fit has stopped and Jocelyn has stopped laughing, I try it again.

“It does taste of candyfloss.” I hand the stick back to her and rest back in my seat. The nicotine in the liquid has made my head buzz. It was for this feeling that I started smoking years ago. It doesn’t last though; I won’t be trying it again.

“You should quit while you’re young,” I tell her after a moment of listening to the pen shaped vape stick crackle as she draws the vapour into her mouth.

“Young? I’m twenty six, hardly young.” This surprises me. I assumed she was Elle’s age or younger. “What do you do for a living, Isaac? Hayley mentioned that you teach?”

“I teach English literacy in a secondary school in Boston.”

“I used to want to be a teacher but then I got a brother eight years younger than me and decided I don’t like kids.” She laughs a little and blows the vapour into the car. It’s odourless but I bet that’s a deception.

“What do you do now?”

“I’m a Flight Attendant. Blue cap, the whole shebang.”

My mouth drops open. “You’re kidding me?”

“I don’t seem the type?”

“Not really, no.”

“Well I passed with flying colours. I already have ninety hours in the air.” She grins cheekily, winking at me too. “I’m flying to Florida next week.”

“You’re kidding?”

“Nope. I’m off work until Tuesday and then I’m in Florida for two days.” She inhales again and exhales. “You could come if you wanted to. I get free seats.”

“I don’t have time to take such spontaneous trips. It must be nice though, seeing the world.”

“From a hotel room mostly. I’m barely in a place long enough to sleep.”

Pity seeps in. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It has its ups and downs like any job, but I wouldn’t change it. Not yet, anyway.”

“Is it hard to maintain relationships?” I’m not sure why I’m so interested.

She shrugs and pulls more vapour into her mouth. I watch as she tilts her head back and shapes her lips into an O before blowing out a sequence of smoky hoops. “I don’t do relationships. I have my friends, but beyond that I like to have fun.” Her teeth drag across her bottom lip and her eyes scan me up and down. Her perusal catches me off guard. She’s flirting, or being seductive, whichever. My mouth goes dry as I wonder what to say or do.

“Come on.” She tucks the vape stick away and opens the car after checking the road to make sure it’s clear. “Let’s go inside.”

“I’ll pass. I’m just getting in Elle’s way.”

She shrugs. “If you’re sure.”

“You go.” I nod towards the boutique.

“It was nice conversing with you, Isaac. We should do it again sometime.”

I don’t have to respond as she closes the door and skips around the car and into the building. I stare at the wedding dresses in the window and the arrangements of faux flowers and table centrepieces.

I wonder why they put a boutique so far out from towns and cities. They must pay a fortune in advertising.