“Okay, here we go. We have carnitas, lengua, carne asada, shrimp, fish, and chicken.” He carried the plates back to the table in a delicate balancing act.
“That’s a lot of food, but they all look delicious.” I reached out, grabbed a shrimp taco, and took a bite. “Oh my, this is amazing.” I laughed as sauce ran down my chin. “Oops.” I grabbed a tissue and wiped it away, and Braydon laughed.
“I’m glad you like them. This is my favorite place in LA.”
“Really?” I was even more surprised.
“Yeah, Noah and I used to come here every other day.” He laughed. “Good times man.”
“So what happened to Noah?” I questioned, deliberately keeping my voice light. “I know that he passed away, but what happened?”
Braydon froze as he was eating and his brown eyes turned dark. “Zane told you he died?”
I nodded silently.
“Wow, I’m surprised. He never talks about Noah.” He wiped his mouth, and took a sip of his Horchata drink. “Noah was one of my best friends you know. Zane always hated that. I think that’s where the jealousy started.”
“Because you two were friends?”
“Because I kind of took him away from Zane. Since their mom left them, it was kind of them against the world, but then Noah started branching out. He wanted a life outside of the Beaumont walls, you know. He was flash and cool. But he also had a softer side. Zane is just intense and crazy all the time.”
“Not all the time.” I frowned. “He can be light and happy at times too.”
“Wow, you really drank the Kool Aid, huh?” Braydon grabbed my hand. “I don’t need to know what happened with you and Zane, I don’t actually want to know. But trust me when I tell you, he is not a good guy. He’s not like us, Lucky. He can’t just enjoy life and be happy.”
I sighed at his words. “I just don’t understand. Did Noah commit suicide or something?”
“No.” Braydon jumped up. “Hold on, I need to get some more napkins and water.” I watched as he walked away quickly, and sighed when two teenage girls ran up to him, gushing and asking for his autograph. I didn’t understand the secrecy behind Noah’s death. Why did no one want to talk about it? I knew how hard it was to open up after a loved one has died. I didn’t want to talk about my parents for months, but if someone asked me what happened, I wasn’t hesitant or secretive. I saw Braydon signing one of the teenage girls’ t-shirts and picked up my phone to check the time. I groaned when I saw five missed calls and three texts from Zane, demanding to know where I was and if I was okay. “I would hardly be able to text you back if I wasn’t okay.” I mumbled to myself. I pushed my phone back into my bag without answering any of his texts. I was 22 years old and Zane was not my keeper. Let him go jump off a cliff or something I told myself. I couldn’t keep up with him and his moods. And I didn’t think I wanted to know if he had only used me to get back at Braydon.
“Sorry about that. Those girls asked for my autograph.” Braydon stood at the table. “I’m really sorry about this, but do you mind if I take you home now? I have something I need to do.”
“No problem.” I jumped up. “I should be getting back. By the way, did you find out if Angelique got home okay?”
“Angelique?” Braydon looked at me in surprise. “She’s a big girl. I’m sure she got home fine.”
“She was really sick.” I frowned. “You—”
“Shit, what did she say?” He leaned towards me angrily. “Did she say I gave her something? She’s lying. I’m not—”
“Stop.” I help up my hand in confusion. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Oh. Sorry. Forget what I said.”
“What did she take yesterday?” My mind started churning. “Is that why she was sick? Was she on something?”
“How am I supposed to know?” He snapped and he drove off while I was still buckling my seatbelt.
“Did you guys take drugs before you came over?” My voice rose. “You were acting pretty weird last night as well.”
“If you mean, did we smoke some pot, then yeah. Doesn’t everyone?”
“I don’t.” I frowned and bit my lip. “You guys weren’t high on weed. I’m in college, remember? I’m around potheads every day.”
“Lucky. You’re starting to annoy me.” Braydon’s sweet tone was gone. “I thought you were a cool girl and I came all the way from Miami to make sure you were okay.”
“I never told you to come,” I protested, now irritated.
“I’m looking for a wife. Someone who is ready to commit. I thought when we first met that you were a possibility, but I don’t think you are. Zane has poisoned you obviously. I don’t want to deal with this shit anymore.”
“Whoa, what just happened here?” I looked at him like he was crazy. “I’m not trying to be a bitch, but I’m not even interested in you like that, Braydon. And that has nothing to do with Zane. You came on way too strong. You’re a nice enough guy, but you will never have my heart.”
“I don’t want your heart.” He laughed manically. “You’re not cut out for our crowd, Lucky. Take my advice, leave Los Angeles and go back to Miami. Zane is going to eat you up and chew you out. And you’re going to find your heart ripped out and dumped on the side of the road. And you know what? You’re going to have no one to blame but yourself.”
I bit my lip and looked out the window as he continued driving. I wasn’t going to respond to his vile comments. Braydon’s true personality was coming out and it wasn’t pretty. I was so glad that I had chosen Zane over him—even if Zane couldn’t commit and was just using me for some sort of sick revenge plot.
“Thanks for the ride.” I jumped out of the car and slammed the door without looking back. I ran up to Zane’s front door and paused as I realized I didn’t have keys to get in. “Fuck.” I muttered and wondered if I should ring the doorbell or call Zane. Before I could even make a decision, the door opened and Zane was standing there in front of me with a furious look on his face.
“Where have you been?” His voice was deceptively low. “I have been calling you all day. I have been going out of my mind with worry for you.”