Liar, Liar

Chapter 18 - How About That Crap Laced with Animal Abuse?

I can imagine Adam balling his fists, pacing his apartment up and down. "Is this what you do, huh? Pick at people when they are vulnerable? You sent me away, Elisabeth! You told me you didn't love me and to forget about you! That is what I am doing so I suggest you do the same!"

And then the line goes dead.

**

"Oh, wow. That sucks."

I groan and bury my head in my hands. "Yeah, that's one way to put it."

Fern purses her lips and comes over to me from behind the easel. She lifts my chin and for a second I think she is going to comfort me. Instead she lets go and holds her hands up in a stop motion. "Sit still, just like that." Then she hurries back to the ongoing painting and leans into it as she always does. I sigh.

"I just can't believe it."

"Mhm," Fern mumbles, a paintbrush pinched between her lips as she focuses on correcting something out with her finger.

"I didn't even see it coming!" Again, I break my position and run my fingers through my hair, holding it back tightly. "I told Adam to get away and, I don't know... Did I mean it? I mean, I still want him in my life. I just can't have him like that. And I have Dean, so I shouldn't even care and I feel really bad for being so affected by all this. I don't want Adam and all his drama, but I don't want him to, you know, move on without me either." I exhale deeply. It felt good getting it off my chest. Fern peeks out from the other side of the canvas, finally somewhat interested in my crisis.

"Oh, wow," she utters, obviously at a loss for what to say. "That sucks."

I glare at her but the door bursts open before I get to bite. Willow comes striding in, a grocery bag in her arms.

"Guess who got chocolate!" she hollers, and Fern immediately narrows her eyes at her girlfriend.

"Chocolate?"

Willow blows her off with a huff. "Vegan, of course. Don't get your panties in a twist." She sets the heavy grocery bag on the counter, obviously having bought more than just chocolate. "And I got some fruit and vegetables, chips, ice cream, Milk Duds, Coke and..." she reaches her hand inside the bag and pulls out a bottle of clear liquid. "Vodka!"

"What's all this for?" I ask, furrowing my brows. I stand up and take a peek into the bag, fishing out the Milk Duds. Fern clears her throat behind me.

"Go ahead and eat that crap." She points to the yellow box in my hand. "It's only laced with animal abuse and the screams of help from said animals who can't do anything to protect themselves." She props her paint-stained hands on her hips and purses her lips. Willow and I share an amused look.

"You don't need to eat it, Fern," Willow soothes her, walking over and pushing the stray hairs behind her ear. "We love you, but don't take away our Milk Duds." And then she kisses her quickly before coming back to the counter and putting the Coke in the fridge. "I haven't eaten meat in five years. That's more than you can say."

Fern rolls her eyes. "Just reminding you."

Willow chuckles. "Anyway, it's for our movie night that we are having tonight. I know you had a rough evening a couple of nights ago; sending Adam away and all."

I raise my brows and try to give her a reassuring smile. Fern gives me a sympathetic gaze and Willow notices this.

"Wait, am I missing out on something?" she questions, her eyes flickering between the both of us.

After a nod of approval from me, Fern pipes up, "Adam and Ashley are engaged now."

Just hearing it out loud sends a wave of emotions over me. It's overwhelming. The sadness, the anger, the regret. Everything. The fact that it has actually happened seems so surreal I'm having a hard time believing that Adam actually went through with it, and that it wasn't just a drunken hallucination.

Willow almost drops a half watermelon to the ground. "What?!"

"Yup, yesterday."

"But why?"

"Because Adam is a butt-hurt asshole, that's why."

"Because Elisabeth rejected him?"

For a while they forget that I'm there and I have to clear my throat to make my presence known again. "Let's talk about something else, shall we?" I propose. "How about that crap laced with animal abuse?"

And so the night goes on with Milk Duds, chocolate chip ice cream, Coke, Vodka and Mean Girls. However, for a change, I stay away from the alcohol. So Willow and Fern both slip away into a drunken peace of mind while I plaster on a smile for them, pretending to not feel like total and utter crap.