Chapter 9

L ila sneakily checked her phone. It was Halloween night, and the dinner rush had hit early. Consequently, the restaurant was pretty quiet, with only a small smattering of older patrons and a few groups of teens. She saw a text notification from Vicky, who she knew was at the Halloween party Knight had mentioned last week. Her heart sank as she took the message and the photo in.

VICKY: Sorry, girl. Just thought you should see this.

The attached photo showed a shirtless King grinding on a tall blonde clad in lingerie and what looked to be some type of angel/fairy wings. Lila felt sick to her stomach. Even though she knew she had no real claim to him, she didn't think that he was capable of being so carelessly cruel. Because they hadn't just been physical with each other. They'd been friends, too.

When she'd left his place a week ago, she'd thought that things were fine. But when she didn't hear from him at all, and when he left her congratulatory text about his away game win on "read" without replying, she had the sinking feeling that things were, in fact, the complete opposite of fine.

She couldn't have imagined that he'd already have moved on to someone else, though. Not that they were together or anything…except they kind of had been, labels or not. They'd spent so much time together, it seemed implausible that he would have been seeing anyone other than her. The image felt like a knife to the ribs, and she desperately tried to tamp down her sudden tears.

"That scumbag," Wren hissed over her shoulder as she took in the photo.

Lila's breaths became more labored as she felt a few tears spill over.

"Seriously, Li, I want to cut off his balls and make him wear them as earrings. Nobody does this to my bestest and gets away with it."

Lila laughed through her tears. "That was graphically violent and shockingly specific, my friend. But thank you for always having my back."

"Always," Wren affirmed. "In fact, we're getting out of here, and you're going to make this jerkface sorry he ever messed with you."

"I don't know about that…" Lila's voice trailed off as Wren abruptly left the server station and headed back to their kitchen manager. Her grin was beatific when she returned. "Because it's so slow, I just convinced Nick to let the both of us go home, and we don't even have to do side work."

"Just like that, huh?"

"He owed me a favor, and I just cashed in." Wren grabbed Lila's hand. "Come on. We've got a Halloween party to crash."

After a stop at Lila's for a quick costume change, she and Wren found themselves crossing the threshold of Knight's house. Lila had donned a skintight black catsuit, spike-heeled boots, and a whip, à la Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman, which she was keenly aware was a part of a certain fantasy of King's that she'd hoped they would have the opportunity to explore.

She left the cowl draped at the back of her neck, though, so she could look the bastard in the eye and not hide behind a mask. Wren had even dressed up, borrowing a fitted red dress from Dani's closet, which, coupled with her fierce expression and her black leather jacket, made her a veritable Cheryl Blossom from Riverdale .

"Okay, let's find the bastard," Wren practically growled, her eyes zeroing in on the throng of bodies that filled all of the open areas of the great room.

Knight found them first, his eyes pained, his face conflicted, even as he tried to smile. "Hey ladies! This is a pleasant surprise. I thought you both were working?"

"We got off early," Lila said.

"Well, let's go to the kitchen to get you something to drink. Or maybe the basement to play some pool?"

Lila sighed. "You don't have to run interference, Knight. Just tell me where he is, okay?"

Knight pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "He's drunk, Li. He never drinks during the season. I tried to… But he wouldn't…" He trailed off.

Lila touched his forearm gently. "Just tell me where he is, Knight. I'm a big girl. I can handle it." Fake it 'til you make it, right? But when her eyes finally landed on King, she couldn't help the feeling of devastation that ripped through her gut. Knight's eyes were full of empathy and compassion.

"He's an idiot, sis. A fucking idiot."

She raised up to her toes to kiss his cheek and turned to her best friend. "Shall we?"

Wren led the way, people automatically parting the way for her tall, commanding presence.

When they were close, but not too close, to where King was still dancing with the blonde, Wren turned to Lila. "How do you want to play this, Li?"

Lila squared her shoulders, the sudden adrenaline pumping through her body giving her the extra push she needed to do what she needed to do. "Wait here."

King noticed her at the moment she tapped the scantily clad blonde on the shoulder. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but do you happen to be friends with Chelsey?" She'd taken a stab at the name and was pleased when the blonde nodded. Lila motioned over her shoulder in the general direction of the bathroom, "I think she's had one too many and needs an assist."

The blonde turned to King and rubbed her hand over his bare abs dangerously close to the waistband of his pants. "Gotta go take care of my friend real quick, handsome. We'll continue this later."

"Yeah we will," King replied, smacking her ass as she left. But his eyes? They were on Lila, taking in her costume with an unbridled ferocity. And while Lila was pretty impressed by the blonde's dedication to girl code, she still felt jealous as hell. Even though King had been looking at her while the blonde sauntered away.

"Having fun?" Lila stepped into King's space.

Whatever heat had been in his eyes dulled to stone. "I was, until you interrupted."

"My apologies," Lila said with the hint of a sneer, trying to keep her feelings in check.

"What are you doing here, Lila?" It was back to Lila, then. No more La. That hit her right in her feelbads, and Lila did her best to keep her expression even. She wished then she'd actually put on the rest of her costume. That she was wearing a mask. Anything to shield her from the pain this conversation was wreaking.

"I just had to see it for myself." She sucked in a breath. "You could have at least had the decency to tell me that you were done."

"Was my silence not enough of a sign, Lila?" King replied tonelessly. "Besides, there was nothing to end. We were never together anyway."

The force of his words pushed Lila back a step. "Nothing to end, huh? So that's how you're choosing to play it." She laughed humorlessly, shaking her head in disbelief. Because who was this person in front of her? Maybe she really didn't know him at all.

He didn't even have the balls to look her in the eye. "Yup."

Her anger coursed through her body like a firestorm. "Screw you, King."

At that, his dead eyes honed back in on hers, his face twisted into a horrific caricature of a smile. "Not happening, sweetheart, not even if you beg me for it."

She cringed feeling the moisture accumulating in her eyes, but she stubbornly held her tears at bay. "Who are you right now, King? What have you done with my friend?"

"Don't pretend that we shared some sort of connection, Lila. And we're not friends. We never were."

"That information would have been useful to know before I let you put your hands all over my body. Inside my body." Not to mention the number he'd done on her heart. Dammit, her stupid heart. She'd known better than this and had fallen anyway.

King just shrugged. Then, as quickly as she'd disappeared, the blonde was back, deftly sliding around Lila and repositioning herself on one of King's toned thighs.

"We done here?" He smirked at Lila as he put his hands on the blonde's ass and squeezed. Blondie giggled with delight, and Lila swallowed the bile that had accumulated in her throat.

Instead of answering, Lila turned on her heel and walked away, not even stopping when she passed Wren. Her friend's long strides caught up with hers in no time, and soon, they'd exited the house, the cool autumn air a shock of a different kind.

She waited until they were in the car, Wren's arms wrapped firmly around her, before she fell apart.