How We Were | ✔️ (Complete)

29. Happy Birthday, Peyton

I glanced at Peyton. He was rubbing at his left eye.

The silence was long, pregnant and really, really uncomfortable.

"Alice just flew in from Paris. We're driving in from DFW right now."

So that's where he was earlier when we were on the phone.

"Oh." I mean, what was I supposed to say? What did he expect me to say?

I cleared my throat. Deliberately ignoring the fact that Peyton was watching my every move like a hawk, I spoke to the girl, this Alice. "Did you come in for Peyton's birthday?"

She looked petrified. "I... well... I didn't, that is..."

"It was a surprise visit. Unplanned," said Peyton, emphasizing the second part.

I glared at him, then turned my attention back to Alice. He was trying to catch my eye, but I refused to give him the satisfaction.

"Oh, that's nice. How long are you staying?"

Alice's eyes grew impossibly wide. "I - uh..." she looked to Peyton.

Seriously?

"We're trying to figure it out," he said.

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

"Oh," I said.

Never had I felt like I needed to escape a situation so badly. Peyton might as well have taken a big old frying pan, snuck up behind me and clobbered me over the head with it. The feeling was the same - I was so confused and disoriented that my vision was blurring.

"Listen," I told Peyton. "Why don't you take Alice home? I'm gonna go back and help Daniel unload the horses."

He opened his mouth to speak, but I kept going. "It works out better. We literally just pulled in and it's so late that he won't have any other help - I felt really guilty leaving him on his own anyway. He'll take me home - he's already offered so you don't have to worry about that."

"Layla-"

"It's too late to eat anyway. We can do something uh... another time." I opened the door.

On one hand, I felt bad for putting him on the spot. I knew his hands were tied. Whatever the story was with the girl, it wasn't as if he could ditch her when she'd come all this way for him. On the other hand, fuck you Peyton, for blindsiding me like this.

***

Pride was another funny thing. So completely worthless, but hot damn was it was resilient and loyal, the only friend left standing by your side long after everything else deserted you. It's what kept you going long after life kicked the shit out of you and left you for dead.

Pride helped me smile and tell Alice that I hoped she will enjoy her time in Canyon, that maybe we'd see each other again. Pride kept me standing there in the driveway with a smile plastered on my face, waving the two of them off when my world was on fire and all I wanted to do was die.

As soon as the taillights disappeared into the darkness, I just lost it. I crumpled into a pitiful heap right there on the dirt road and bawled my eyes out.

I didn't understand. I was just a girl, like all the other girls in the world, worse than some, but certainly better than many. Why did my life always have to be so much harder, so unusually cruel?

Get up, stupid girl...

I couldn't even fully give into my meltdown because my survival instinct kicked in. I had to take care of myself because no one else would, and right now, I needed to get home.