"I'm pretty sure you couldn't have messed up that bad." Halsey encouraged.
"No it was bad." I said looking over at Jane who nodded.
"Cody was crushed."
Halsey frowned deeply.
She knew that this was bad. Very bad if she wanted us back together.
"Maybe this is suppose to happen. Cody and I aren't meant for each other. And that the only way to really move on from each other is to hate each other." I sighed.
"He hasn't moved on though!" Lexi cried.
"He has a girlfriend and possibly wife Lexi I think that proves it enough." Jane sighed as she rubbed my back.
"But you two are perfect for each other!" She cried desperately.
"If it was meant to be it would have happened by now." I said.
"But he hasn't asked her yet, they can still easily break up no strings attached." Halsey pointed out.
"Exactly!" Lexi cried.
I've gotten Jane to give up on it, I've given up on it Halsey and Lexi need to, too.
"I'm just going to finish planning Tate's wedding ,and go back to New York it is for the best." I said as I stood up.
"You still have two weeks just think of all the things that can happen in two weeks." Lexi cried desperately.
"In two weeks I can forget about Cody Clarke." I said coldly as I left the front porch.
I was in no mood to stay around and have another gossip session. Even though I love those girls so much I just couldn't do it today. The best way to stop thinking about someone is to keep yourself busy so that is what I did. We have less then two weeks before the wedding and not everything is ordered.
So I went back to Tate's house got on my laptop and ordered the food that Tate and Courtney had picked out a few days ago. Making sure to get a little extra. Then I ordered the desserts for the dessert table. All of the food adding up to a little more than 4,000 dollars.
I spent the rest of the day planning the wedding out, Courtney and Tate coming in a little later and they helped. We drew out exactly where everything was suppose to go for this wedding. It was going to be a lot of work.
I glanced up at the clock and frowned it was already 5:00 in the afternoon I had started this whole thing at 11. My stomach grumbled from me skipping lunch.
"Well I have to go my mom is going to fit my dress for me." Courtney said kissing Tate on the cheek goodbye. "Do you wanna join?" She asked me.
I shook my head giving her a small smile.
"I think I'm good."
She smiled back at me.
"Okay then, I'll see you both tomorrow."
I waved to her as she walked out the front door. Turning to face Tate. We haven't been alone in a while. He would either come home late or I'd be coming home late. He was usually out with Cody I was usually doing wedding stuff during the day so we never really saw each other.
"Wanna go grab something to eat?" He asked grabbing his wallet. "Chicks dinner is calling my name."
"I guess." I said slipping on some shoes and following him out to his jacked up truck.
I hated it.
But guys love there trucks so I didn't dare argue with him why he got it jacked up. Or chose the rims he did.
"You truck smells like cologne that's $40 too cheap." I told him as I strapped my seat belt on.
"Ha. Ha. Ha." He responded dryly as he backed out of his drive way and turned up the radio.
A country station came on, and Tate started singing the words. He was not a good singer at all. So I just laughed at him, while he keep belting out lyrics to songs I've never even heard before.
"Do you think Courtney fell in love with me because of my singing skills?" He asked turning the radio down a bit.
"I highly doubt she did." I laughed.
"I took two years of choir, I think I know what I'm doing." Tate said.
"Two years of choir back in middle school that was so long ago I doubt you even remember anything from that class."
"I know which note is a C." He argued.
I clapped.
"Good job, like knowing one note will help ya any."
He rolled his eyes.
"Your mean you know that, crushin my dreams and everything." He pouted.
"Oh did I make the little boy feel bad." I said in a baby voice.
"Who are you calling little boy, I'm getting married in two weeks!" He shouted proudly, then he frowned his shoulders slouching a bit.
"I'm getting married in two weeks." He said under his breath.
"It's crazy I know." I nodded.
"I'm gonna start a family with Courtney."
I nodded.
"Things are going to be so different then it was."
"That's what happens. She will be waking up beside you instead of walking in to your house at 9 in the morning."
"Darn mother won't let her stay over." Tate grumbled.
I laughed.
"Not even one night!" He cried holding up one finger. "Trust me I asked."
I laughed again as we pulled up in front of Chicks Cafe. Last time I was here I was with Cody. It was our first date really but he called it a friendly outing.
"Ta' ta' today junior!" Tate shouted from across his truck.
He was already out of his seat and about to close his door. And I hadn't even moved an inch. I quickly nodded unbuckling and trailing behind him. We fell into a nice cushioned booth. I picked up the menu but I already knew what I wanted.
What I got last time. A hamburger. But then I thought against it, maybe in some crazy way ordering something different from what I had ordered with Cody would help me move on. I shrugged wouldn't hurt to try so I ordered the chefs salad.
"What are you going on a diet or something?" Tate said as the waiter left.
"No, people can eat salad whenever they want." I argued as I stuck a straw in my lemonade.
"I think only people who are on diets do. Do we need to have a talk?"
I shook my head smiling at Tate.
"Seriously." I laughed.
"Okay, meat is good!" He exclaimed. I rolled my eyes as he continued.
"A hamburger is great, a nice, juicy hamburger. Do you know what you get from beef?" He asked waiting for me to answer.
I didn't.
He sighed rolling his eyes at me not playing along with him.
"What do you get from beef?" I said bored.
He grinned.
"ZIP!" He cried so loud everyone in the diner could hear him.
I covered my face laughing.
"Zinc! Iron! Protein!"
"And there's other stuff, I'm suppose to say what zinc, iron and protein do for you but that's Cody's job." He said sipping on his drink.
"What do you mean?" I asked confused.
"Oh Cody and I are doing a little presentation about cattle. Why it's good for you. I don't know Cody thought it was a good idea."
"And Cody's just full of great ideas." I said sarcastically.
"Ya well some times they are, like splitting the ranch with me. That was a great idea." He exclaimed.
I nodded sipping on my drink.
"Jane told me you were trying to get over Cody." Tate said slowly, like he was walking on eggshells when Cody was brought up.
"I am over Cody." I corrected to him.
And again I wanted so badly to believe myself that I was over him.
Tate didn't look convinced.
"You know he isn't over you either right?"
"Yes he is. He has a girlfriend now. If that's not him being over me I don't know what is." I said leaning back in the booth.
"Maybe his using her as a backup plan." Tate shrugged sipping on his Pepsi.
"Like a rebound?" I scoffed.
"Exactly." He cried. "I just think that you should you know talks to him about how you feel before he goes and does something stupid."
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. I've known Tate my whole life. Heck I lived with him till my sophomore year. I think I'd know when he was hiding something from me.
"What do you know Tate?" I asked right as our food came.
Tate used that as an excuse to not answer my question. Which irritated me and just proved that he was in fact keeping something from me.
"Tate." I said cashing him too look up at me. "Care to explain?"
"Explain what?" He asked taking a huge bite out of his hamburger.
"What do you know that your not telling me?"
He held up a finger and chewed slowly. I rolled my eyes starting to get frustrated with him.
"Nothing." He finally said.
"Bull."
"No really I'm not hiding anything from you. I just." He sighed. "With you coming back it has reopened some wounds with Cody and he is struggling. I just don't want him to fall back into his drinking days, because honestly that's the only good thing about Mollie. She got him to stop going to the bar every night and instead he takes her out."
I still wasn't completely convinced but he did have a valid point so I decided to let it slide.
"You don't like Mollie either?" I asked stabbing a piece of lettuce with my fork.
"No one does." Tate scoffed.
"But she was a sweet girl when I met her two years ago. What happened?"
"Two years is a long time, Emma. And a lot can happen."
"You really suck at giving me information." I pouted.
"She turned into a brat, okay. She use to be the shy one but then somethings happened and she was all of a sudden very popular with her class and when she graduated that's when Cody started to notice. Sure she's hot but she lacks deeply in the personality apartment."
I laughed as Tate took another big bite from his hamburger. I looked down at my salad taking a bite of it. It was actually really good.
My eyes light up as I saw Kelby walk through the door of the diner. He saw me and waved coming to walk over next to me. I didn't even think and waved back. Tate looked at me wired since his back was turned to Kelby. And I wish he didn't look back.
Tate's eyes went cold as he glared at Kelby who had now stopped a few feet from our table. He didn't know Tate was with me or he probably would have turned around and walked out.
Without any hesitation Tate stood up tossing a 20 dollar bill on the table and stormed out of the diner. Making sure to shove Kelby's shoulder hard. I frowned deeply.
Kelby gave me a sad smile and came to sit next to me.
"Sorry, I wouldn't have walked over here if I knew he was here." He sighed.
"No it's okay." I responded taking another bite of my salad as I looked over at Tate's half eaten hamburger.
"He really hates me don't he?" Kelby sighed running a hand through his hair.
"Ya." I said turning in the booth so I could face him. "I meant to ask you about that."
"About what? Why Tate hates me?"
I nodded.
Kelby let out a long frustrated breath.
"It's kind of a long story." He said. "I'll tell ya if you want but not here."
I nodded and we stood. I went up and paid for the dinner leaving the 20 dollars Tate left as a tip. I followed Kelby out to his truck and climbed in. It weirdly felt normal. And I liked that.
"But I'm only telling my part. Tate's part isn't my part to tell."
I nodded understanding, as I waited for him to start.
"I guess you already know how Jace died." He started off which surprised me.
"Ya, Jane called me crying."
He frowned.
"I'm the reason his dead."
My eyes grew wide. I turned to face him waiting for him to continue.
"Jace and Jane had broken up a little bit after you left, probably a month or so. And a couple months after they broke up Jane and I started going out. Then things got a little more serious with us and things were all good. I don't even know why she broke up with me. That's something I still haven't ever been told but she did. It surprised me because I thought everything was going great. But I guess things weren't or else she wouldn't have broken up with me. Anyway." He sighed stopping to take a breath.
"I reacted stupid. I went with Cody to the bar every night. We were being so stupid. I didn't even mean to I mean I was drunk but some people think it's revenge. But I drove him drunk one night and Jace's just happened to be driving around that time of night. We where at the four way stop and I never stopped."
I was quiet for a moment. Letting the new information process.
"Jane never told me." I said frowning. "Does she blame you?"
"That's a part that kills me. I don't know I can't get her to talk to me even look at me." Kelby shook his head.
I felt bad for him. Really bad actually.
"Would it help if I talked to her?" I asked.
Kelly's eyes lite up and he looked over at me. Swerving a bit from the sudden movement.
"Would you?"
I nodded.
"That's what friends are for isn't it?"
His smile grew.
"I don't even care if she does blame me. I just need to know." He said keeping his eyes on the road.
"I'll talk to her tonight and let you know."
"Thanks Emma, you don't even know how much this means to me."
I smiled at him and it was quiet for a couple of minutes before I spoke again.
"But if that's the story then what does it have to do with Tate?"
Kelby didn't look at me. He stayed staring straight at the road in front of him.
"Again you'll have to ask Tate about his part of the story I was only tellin' mine."
I nodded turning my head and looking out the window. Neither of us spoke again until he pulled up to Tate's house. I climbed out and gave him a small smile, which he returned with one of his own and a wave before pulling out of the driveway fast.
I then realized Kelby doesn't even stay in Tate's driveway for long. Every time he has dropped me off he never got out once. But as soon as the door was shut behind me and I was a few steps in front of the truck he darted out of that place.
I walked into the house carefully, and didn't find anything. Like I excepted. I thought maybe Tate would be sitting on the couch angrily watching tv or something but he wasn't. He wasn't in the kitchen getting another beer so I don't know where he was r what he was doing.
I glanced out the front window and say his truck was gone. I must have not of realized it as I was walking up to the front door. So that must mean he went some where instead of coming home. And I have no clue where.
It's not good that he is completely pissed off at the world right now. He tends to drive horrible when his mad because he gets so focused on being mad at what ever the heck his mad at instead of obeying the laws of the road.
Trust me I know this because he has asked me to help him pay for speeding tickets before.
This started to worry me so I called up Courtney. Careful to not tell her I have no clue where her husband is. Because we don't need the bride freaking out.
"Hey Emma! How's your dinner date with Tate?"
And that's how I knew he wasn't with her.
"Oh it is fantastic! He just wanted me to call in and check on you while he went to the bathroom. His phone is dead so."
"Oh how sweet of him!" Courtney cried. "It's kind of a mess right now. Fitting my dress but I am so excited for him to see me in it."
I smiled.
"I'm sure you are, well I was just calling to check up on ya but my main course just got here so I'll have him call you back later."
"Alright, have fun, bye!"
I hang up the phone with a big sigh.
I guess I really shouldn't worry all that much. Tate's a big boy and if he gets into some trouble I'm sure he can get out of it. I sighed grabbing myself a can of lemonade and sitting down in front of the tv with my laptop.
I started opening up emails from work and scanning through them while watching Criminal Minds and sipping on my lemonade. It was all good, until a couple hours later I got interrupted with a phone call.
It was a number I didn't recognize, so I just tossed it back on the couch. Figuring it was some salesperson trying to make me buy something. I did not need that again.
But that same number keep calling me over and over again until I finally answered it.
"I don't wanna buy any of your stupid stuff." I grumbled angrily.
"Emma, what are you talking about?" Cody said from the other end.
"Oh, I thought you were someone else."
"Clearly."
"So huh, why did you call me?"
"Is Tate with you?"
"No I thought he was with you?" I said getting up and slipping on my shoes as I started to head out the door.
"No he was suppose to come here but he hasn't shown up."
"Well where would he go?" I asked as I walked out.
It was one thing to be on the phone wth Cody, because if he irritated me I could just hang up. But when his sitting in the driveway staring back at me I couldn't just hang up.
"Why are you in the driveway?" I asked.
"I was coming to see if he was here, but I'm just leaving now." He said hanging up and starting to pull out of the driveway.
If my brother is missing I am going with him to find him. So I ran up to his truck and jumped in the passenger seat.
"Get out!" Cody said pressing down on the brakes.
"If Tate's missing I'm coming with you to find him." I replied grabbing the seatbelt.
He was about to argue but decided against. Instead he finished backing out. I went to pressed the seatbelt in but the darn thing wouldn't clip.
"You need new seat belts." I replied letting the strap fall back.
He didn't say anything.
"If you where coming to Tate's house why did you call me?" I asked him.
"I didn't know you would be back. Or else I wouldn't have drove to his house." He replied.
I scoffed. "Well then do you have any idea where he went?"
"I have one idea."
I waited for him to explain but he never did.
"Well what's your idea?"
"I'm dropping you off at my mom's and I'm going there alone." He explained.
"You aren't dropping me off anywhere, I'm coming to where ever you think he ran off too. Even if it's some old, spooky warehouse."
"Try calling him again, then." Cody told me.
Which I did but my phone went straight to his voice mail.
"Nothing." I sighed tossing my phone in the middle seat, in defeat.
"He probably ignored your call, because your the reason you made him run off."
I rolled my eyes too tired to argue with Cody instead turning and looking around the truck. Nothing has really changed since the last time I was in here. The seats still looked tattered and old. It was still the same bright orange truck I had almost died in.
I chuckled at the memory.
"What are you chuckling about over there?" Cody asked glancing over at me.
"Nothing." I shrugged.
"No your chuckling about something."
I sighed. "Just about when I almost died in this truck."
A small smile found its way onto Cody's lips.
"You didn't almost die, I would have never of let that happen."
"I was pretty darn close." I replied.
He chuckled as he pulled into his parents driveway. I glanced over at him confused.
"Calm down, I need you to run in and get my credit card I left here yesterday."
"Why do you need a credit card? We are going to find Tate not going on a shopping spree."
"Where he went is gonna be an over night thing." He replied.
"Fine." I grumbled getting out of the truck as I went to close the door though I saw sitting in his center console on the floor was two credit cards.
That's when I realized he was just going to leave while I went in. Douche.
"Oh look I guess you didn't forget it, you have two right here." I smiled proudly climbing back in and grabbing them to show him.
"No, those ones won't work." He argued.
"If you really left it then you go get it, plus I have no clue where it is at."
He rolled his eyes, putting his truck in drive.
"I hate that I can't get away with anything when your around."
"Don't worry I won't tell Mollie about this." I smiled triumphal.
His grip on the steering wheel tightened.
"Three rules on this trip. And if you don't obey them I'm kicking you out on the side of the road."
I rolled my eyes. Cody would never do that, he sucks at threatening me.
"Rule number one- you do not bring up Mollie. We do not talk about her at all.
Rule number two- if you stop saying smart ass responds I will too.
And number three- we don't bring anything up from two years ago."
"Deal. Smart ass responds are about the only way we talk, but I'm sure I can find a less smart assy way. And deal."
Cody let out a sigh and we drove in silence down the old dirt road. We have driven together many times before except for this time was different. Because this time driving down this road we weren't in love.