Stefanie looked away feeling the tightness in her chest. Memories of growing up listening to the nagging and berating every day of her life made it tough for her to swallow. Even after she made her money, the mental abuse her mother made her endure made her head hurt just thinking about it.
Sighing whimsically, Lauren continued as she picked up the jacket that gorgeous guy had been wearing that night. "Dex and I are two like minded people who should be together. We knew that from the moment we danced together. I know you were watching." Narrowing her eyes suspiciously and noted, “Although you have been acting funny and looking strange lately.”
Touching her face as if she had something on her face, Stefanie asked, “What’s wrong with the way I look? Is there something wrong with my face?”
“It’s the same as the club. Like… ” Lauren frowned with her eyes still severely narrowed. “Are you sick?”
“No! I feel fine, Lauren.” She felt this was another ploy to get away from the subject of money.
Lauren looked skeptical. “You sure? When was the last time you went to a doctor?”
“I had an annual exam recently,” Stefanie answered quickly. “I’m fine.”
Snapping her fingers abruptly, Lauren said, “I know! Oh my gawd, I can’t believe I remembered?”
“What?” Stefanie asked.
“Your mother! It’s your mother’s anniversary of her death. Like a couple of days ago, right?”
Stefanie realized she had forgotten all about her mother’s anniversary, which was always observed at midnight on the same night when she had first been with her mysterious stranger. Usually she would go to the cemetery and lay flowers on her mother’s gravesite at midnight, but this year the encounter with the stranger must have made her forget.
“I remembered that’s why Jezica said that’s why you left the club so quickly,” Lauren said. “Damn, I remember how vicious she treated you.” Shaking her head pitifully, “I see why you struggled so much to be smart.” Imitating Stefanie’s mother using a nasal voice with a lisp, Lauren screeched, “You ain’t never gonna learn shit in ‘dem books, Tepanie! Get you a job, so we can have some food.” Lauren cackled again outrageously.
"She always said when you get tired of being tired, you'll start to fight back. Remember, Lauren? Remember she use to yell at me about that."
Lauren stiffened. "But you never got tired of her."
"She was my mother. I guess maybe I subconsciously got the message after so long." Quickly changing the subject not wanting to speak about her mother with Lauren, Stefanie asked, “How'd you get his jacket?"
"It's obvious," Lauren said with a wicked smile. "But no guy has deliberately left his clothes at your place. It must be tough always being our sloppy seconds, right, Stefanie?"
The pain of those words and all her encounters before meeting Treasure's stranger were just like that.
Stefanie knew she'd lose it if she stayed there any longer. "I'll send a messenger for the check, Friday," she said stiffly trying to keep her composure.
"No bother. I can have my own messenger service drop it off. Dexter and I are going on his boat for an overnight so I don't want to be waiting around for you."
Stefanie made her way out of the apartment and looked down at the check in the elevator. Something in her gut told her she needed to get the bank as soon as possible.
Glad to be back in her car, she lit up a cigarette as soon as she started taking off.
***
When she was on her way home from the bank, she decided to unexpectedly stop in on Jezica. Since it was during the day, she knew Nick wasn't there, but she did slow her roll before turning in the driveway just to be sure remembering Jezica's warning.
YOU ARE READING
La Revanche des Trois (Revenge of Three)
Romance3 Friends and one finds herself extremely unhappy as she realizes her friends are using her. Yet revenge isn’t as sweet as she thought it would be when she falls for her friend’s boyfriend and then ruins another marriage.
