Chapter Thirty

February 2010

Deep bass rattled through Mandy's chest as she made her way to the bar. Sweat trickled down her back and settled into the waistband of her jeans. Club Apexx hadn't been this packed the last time Nikki dragged her out to what she called the best club in all of LA. Mandy hadn't been to many clubs, but from her inexperience, she was willing to say that Nikki was correct. Club Apexx always had incredible cocktails and played great music, and while it was loud, it wasn't so piercing that she left with her ears ringing. And she could carry on a conversation and order drinks at the bar without screaming, which was also a bonus.

Nikki stayed on the dance floor, claiming she didn't want to lose their spot while Mandy went to get them much-needed refreshments. Nikki had stuck around town after she graduated—she maintained that she needed to find "the perfect job," but basically, she was just living off her parents for as long as she could, and time was up. It had been nice having her around even if they didn't always get to hang out. Nikki was always good for a last-minute "get dressed, we're going out" and really, without her, Mandy might always be at home eating ramen on her couch in pajama pants and her fuzzy cow slippers. Nikki would be leaving soon too, finally having gotten a "real" job—although perhaps not the perfect one—so when she called earlier that evening, Mandy couldn't say no. Although hanging out with Nikki always equaled an interesting time, clubs weren't necessarily Mandy's thing. There were always way too many people all pressed in and sweating all over each other. The first time she had come, she hadn't expected it, so she was uncomfortable and fighting for personal space the whole time. Now—it being at least the eighth time for her and the millionth for Nikki—she still didn't like it, but it also didn't bother her as much. Especially since she and Nikki had come up with a hand signal that meant help, get this person away from me . Guys were always really handsy in clubs—they were handsy everywhere, but especially in clubs. And after a couple of drinks, they could also be super aggressive and didn't take too kindly to a strong no, and being polite didn't always work either. So now when they were uncomfortable with anyone, they'd throw their hands in the air, hold two fingers up—like bunny ears that thumped along to the beat of the music—and keep dancing until one of their group came and carefully removed them from the situation. Mandy had come up with the idea on her second time to the club, and Nikki and her other friends used it from there on out.

Mandy slid past a couple in a major lip-lock and sidled up to the bar. "Two Creamy Unicorns," she told the bartender. Mandy wasn't sure what was in the cocktail, just that Nikki ordered them the first time Mandy had come with her, and they were delicious. Strong—but not overpowering—fruity, and a fun turquoise color with glitter that swirled around inside the clear plastic cup. Mandy also didn't know what that glitter did to the inside of her body, nor did she care after a couple of sips.

The bartender came back a moment later, and Mandy slapped down some cash—including an extremely generous tip, which was how she could always walk right up to the bar and order no matter who else had been waiting—and headed back out to the dance floor.

Nikki was in the same place Mandy had left her, with a white guy with ash-blond hair and a purple polo shirt who was wrapped around her like a scarf. For a second, he reminded Mandy of Theo, the way he would press his nose into Mandy's neck and kiss her collarbone. There were still times she missed him and considered reaching out, but she never did. As soon as Nikki made eye contact with Mandy, her hands went right into the air—two fingers up on each hand, tapping to the beat of the music.

Shit.

There were a lot of people between Mandy and where Nikki was, plus now she had two full drinks in her hands. She took a gulp from each hoping that would be enough for them not to go sloshing over the rim as she fought her way through a mass of gyrating bodies.

The guy laid his head on Nikki's shoulder…or wait. Did he just lick her neck? Nikki tried to turn and reposition herself, but Mr. Handsy wasn't getting the message. Just a few more feet and Mandy would be there.

Mandy lifted the plastic cups up above her head and spun, wedging herself around a couple who were much more comfortable with each other than poor Nikki. Just as Mandy spun around them, another white guy seemed to notice Mandy's frantic push to get across the dance floor and where she was headed, and he nudged his friend. They were much closer to Nikki than Mandy, and they also started pushing toward her. The white guy with honey-brown hair and a checkered collared shirt led his white friend with chocolate-brown hair and a yellow shirt toward Nikki. Checkered Shirt Guy tapped Mr. Handsy on the shoulder, and Yellow Shirt Guy carefully spun Nikki out of his grasp. Checkered Shirt and Mr. Handsy carried on some kind of conversation followed by awkward fist bumps before Checkered Shirt led Mr. Handsy away. About two beats later, Mandy finally reached them.

"Are you okay?" She spoke directly into Nikki's ear and handed her a drink.

"OMG." Nikki took a long sip. "I am now. Thank you," she said to Mr. Yellow Shirt.

"It's all good. I'm Evan."

"Nikki." She gestured to herself. "And this is—"

"Hold on," Mandy said. "Do you know that guy?"

Evan put both his hands up. "Oh no. He's not with us. We've seen him around though."

Mandy narrowed her eyes at him. "So why did your friend walk away with him?" She wouldn't have put it past them to have planned the whole thing. One buddy is all touchy-feely and then the white knight swoops in. It seemed too easy.

"Probably to push him out the back door. Seriously though. He's not with us." Evan seemed to spot someone in the crowd and raised his arm in the air. "Justin, over here," he yelled over the music.

It was Checkered Shirt Guy. He slid this way and that between the masses of people and quickly beelined to his friend. "I talked to the bouncer, that guy won't be coming back ever." He looked at Mandy and smiled. Like he was really noticing her for the first time. "They put him in a cab as I was coming back inside."

Nikki, being Nikki, hugged him and then Evan. "Thank you so much! Let me buy you guys a drink."

"You don't have—"

"I want to," Nikki said.

Mandy wasn't so sure about this idea. Yes, these guys helped them, but she wasn't 100 percent sure it wasn't fabricated. It all seemed a little too convenient—like something you would see in a rom-com but not in real life. But Nikki didn't seem to care. Then again, she had been the one in the situation, and maybe Mandy would feel differently if it had been her. Still, she wasn't going to make eye contact with the bartender and use her "superpower" to get them drinks any faster. She contentedly sipped her cocktail, listening in on the conversation Nikki had been holding with the guys. So far, she'd managed to get out of them that they'd both graduated from UCLA and were working for some kind of app startup, which didn't sound anything remotely like a "real" job. But Mandy had to admit they were nice enough. And once she took the giant chip off her shoulder, she joined in on the conversation.

"So, you said you do art or something?" Evan asked Mandy when it seemed as though the conversation between Nikki and Justin became that—between just the two of them.

"?‘Art or something' sounds about right." Mandy laughed. "This semester it hasn't been as hands-on. It's been mostly computer stuff, which I get that's important and all, and I could probably find a job or something with it, but I miss getting my hands dirty, you know? Like these classes I took in Europe were incredible, and I think I lived under a layer of paint while I was there." Mandy laughed again and took another sip. Yep, these drinks were amazing, and obviously made her really chatty.

"You've been to Europe. Me too. Italy was my favorite. What about you? Let me guess. Paris."

Mandy had been to Paris briefly, and the one museum she got to see was inspiring, but because of the party, it was not her favorite memory. "I actually really just loved London. I had all these plans of traveling, but when I got there, they didn't really happen." She didn't get into why, and how the person she had planned to travel with didn't go. Evan didn't need all her baggage.

"I pegged you as an Eiffel Tower girl."

"Well, you would be wrong."

"You're one intriguing girl, Mandy." And the way he smiled at her made her knees go soft.

Mandy had to admit the rest of the night was actually fun. Evan had turned out to be an interesting guy, and the two of them hit it off much better than Mandy expected—especially seeing how it all started out. Or maybe it was the four Creamy Unicorns Mandy had drunk—two above her usual limit. Either way, last call was announced, and Nikki had left ages before with Justin—which wasn't an unusual thing for her, leaving with someone—and it was time for Mandy to call it a night.

Evan held the door to the club open for her as they both stumbled outside. The air was surprisingly warm for a February evening. They walked down the street a quarter of a block away from the club's entrance so Mandy could get in line for a cab, which—since they came out quickly—luckily wasn't too long. "This can't be where our night ends." He sure was cute, but Mandy knew better than to bring home a guy she'd just met. And even though she was drunk, she also knew better than to go home with him. Mandy had learned her lesson with Theo, and she wasn't a one-night-stand kind of girl.

"We could meet up some other time," Mandy suggested as a compromise. She wouldn't mind seeing him again.

"Come on." He tugged her close and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Let me buy you some pancakes." He nuzzled his nose into Mandy's neck, sending gooseflesh rippling along her skin.

"How'd I know?" someone said, and Evan released Mandy faster than a hot mug just out of the microwave. A gorgeous girl with straight black hair, light brown skin, jeans and a Harvard Law hoodie, and the best oh-you've-been-caught look on her face stood on the sidewalk next to a parked car.

"Lilia, I can explain," Evan said.

Mandy may have had one too many, but it didn't take a sober person to figure out what was going on. Evan was a dirty, lying cheater. And to make it all worse, he made Mandy an accomplice. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

"He didn't tell you, did he?" Lilia asked Mandy.

"No. God. No. I'm so sorry." Mandy was going to throw up, and not from the liquor.

"You have nothing to apologize to me about." Lilia sounded a lot calmer than Mandy expected someone in her position to be. But then again, she had been there once herself—more than once, actually. "He, however, has some serious explaining to do." Lilia perched one perfectly manicured hand on her hip.

"Babe. You were just—"

"You know what? I don't even want to hear it. I just want you out of my apartment and out of my life." She clicked a button on her keys, and the trunk on the car next to her popped open. Lilia then proceeded to throw a bunch of clothes, a couple of books, a lamp, and several other items out onto the sidewalk.

As he tried to gather up all his crap, Evan started with the whole "I'm so sorry. You don't understand. I made a mistake." Blah, blah, blah.

A large group of people who likely were pushed out of the club for closing stood around to watch what was going on. Mandy really needed a cab ASAP. And pancakes. She really still needed some pancakes.

"I don't know what I ever saw in you," Lilia was yelling. Except Mandy knew. Evan, as terrible as he was, had a way of making a person feel special. Hell, he was able to do it to Mandy in just a couple of hours. That didn't make it right, but she totally felt for Lilia. It sucked putting yourself into someone who didn't appreciate you. And even though Evan was good-looking, Mandy was sure it was Lilia who could have anyone she wanted.

The trunk slammed, and Lilia turned to Mandy. "You good? Or do you need a ride?"

The line for a cab was exceedingly long now that the club was officially closed for the night. And for whatever reason, she felt a kind of kinship with Lilia she couldn't explain.

"Do you like pancakes?" Mandy asked.

"I fucking love them," Lilia responded.

So Mandy hopped into the front seat of Lilia's car, and they left Evan on the sidewalk with all of his possessions.

The Denny's was busy—but not so much that Lilia and Mandy had to wait for a table. There was the typical late-night crowd, bartenders and shift workers winding down, and people like Mandy who needed to soak up some of the alcohol they'd consumed.

As soon as they sat down, Mandy ordered a short stack and coffee. Lilia opted for a Belgian waffle with a side of bacon and hash browns.

"So, Harvard Law," Mandy said as she shoved a huge bite of pancakes dripping in maple syrup into her mouth. "That's badass."

"Thanks," Lilia said. "You would not believe the number of times I was confused for custodial staff." She rolled her eyes.

"Don't you wear, like, suits and stuff?" Mandy hadn't been to court herself, but from the movies and TV shows she'd seen, lawyers were always in suits.

Lilia raised her brows and just nodded before she broke off a piece of bacon and speared it with a bite of her waffle.

"No!" Mandy almost fell into her pancakes.

"Girl. Sexism is everywhere."

Mandy had just met Lilia but already loved her.

"You said you go to USC?" Lilia asked, and Mandy nodded. "What are you studying? Not prelaw, I hope."

Mandy shook her head. "No. Although I'm sure my dad would've loved that." She laughed. "I'm doing graphic design and stuff." She was still drunk and didn't want to get into it all too deeply.

"That's awesome. I can't draw to save my life. My stick figures are completely unrecognizable."

"Everyone has some artistic ability."

Lilia tipped her head to the side. "I guess I do like to write."

"You're painting with words," Mandy said. "That's what my friend would call it." How did everything make her think about Isa?

"I'd never really thought about it that way. I like it."

"What kind of stuff do you write?"

Lilia took a moment to eat another bite, as if she was debating how much to say. "I'm a lawyer, right? So I kind of like to write thrillers where people get away with crimes. I like to play out scenarios, see what would be possible and how someone could do it without getting prosecuted. It's cooler than it sounds, I swear."

"It sounds supercool, actually. I'd read it." Mandy wasn't a huge reader, but when Isa recommended something, Mandy felt obligated to give it a try. Isa would definitely want to read Lilia's stories.

Lilia took another bite of her waffle, her fork cutting through the crispy outside and right through the soft middle. Ever since the food was delivered, Mandy has had some serious order envy. Not that her pancakes weren't delicious, but she loved waffles just a little bit more.

"You want some?" Lilia asked.

Mandy shouldn't. "Just a little."

Lilia smiled and cut a section of her waffle off. "I'll trade you for some of your pancakes."

"Done." Mandy sliced off a good portion of her short stack, and then they both exchanged. As soon as the waffle hit her plate, Mandy took a bite. Oh god. Yep, Denny's knew how to make a mean waffle.

Lilia commented on the pancakes. "These are really good."

And then they both were quiet for a bit while they ate. The buzz of other patrons and the heavy scent of bacon and coffee hung in the air. A couple of girls a few tables over drank water with lemon and shared a plate of fries. They didn't look old enough to be in a Denny's so late, but it was totally something Isa and Mandy would've done back in high school, so she wasn't about to judge. The server passed with a tray so full of food she had to balance it on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Evan did that to you," Lilia said, breaking the silence.

It took a moment for Mandy to realize what Lilia was talking about. "You do not need to apologize to me." Mandy wiped her mouth with her napkin, the cloudiness in her head slowly fading. "I'm sorry he did that to you . What a total douche move."

"?‘Douche' is an excellent word to describe Evan. But I'm not any better for putting up with it."

"That wasn't the first time?"

"More like the third. The second was with my old roommate, and they dated three months before I figured it out."

"Ouch." Mandy cringed. "That's the worst. I don't understand why people do that."

"Cheat, you mean?"

Mandy nodded.

"People are selfish." Lilia took a drink of her coffee. "I also think they do it because they either are too worried they're missing something better, or they know something isn't working and instead of admitting it to themselves and being an adult and having an adult conversation, they fuck around." She set her mug down. "That's why I did it."

Mandy's brows shot up. "You cheated?" Lilia seemed so nice, but so had Brandon and V, and they still cheated on Mandy.

"Yep. And the guy I had been with was fine, but it just wasn't working, and instead of talking about it, well…I made a bad decision. As soon as it happened, I felt terrible. But you can't take things back. Once things are out there, they're out there. You can't unbake a cake." Lilia cut another slice of her waffle off.

"Do you think that dating Evan is your way of getting back at yourself for what you did?" Mandy fingered her hair. It had grown out considerably, but she'd never forget that moment in the bathroom as long as she lived.

"Holy shit. Yeah. I guess maybe it is." Lilia took a bite of her waffle and chewed slowly. "I'd never really thought about it like that."

"So when do you stop punishing yourself?"

Lilia seemed to study Mandy. "That's a great question."

"We all fuck up sometimes, and like you said, you can't unbake the cake, so you have to move forward." How was it that Mandy was the one giving this advice? And to someone like Lilia. Smart and beautiful and a fucking Harvard Law School grad. "Are you going to forgive him this time?"

Lilia huffed. "Honestly?" She moved some bacon around in her syrup. "I might've considered it before, but not anymore." She smiled. "You know, I'm glad I met you tonight," Lilia said.

"I'm glad I met you too."