Adrift by Isabel Jolie

Author:Isabel Jolie [Jolie, Isabel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781953942173
Publisher: Isabel Jolie

Chapter 18

Poppy

* * *

“Poppy! Why haven’t you been picking up your phone?” Luna’s shrill shout had me lowering the volume as I slowed behind an older driver on NC-133.

“I turned it off last night. Then I overslept.”

“Well, where are you? I’m at your house with coffee.”

“Aren’t you the sweetest? I’m in transit to my second loan officer meeting. And if I can’t pass this slow car soon, I’m going to be late.”

“Oh, well, I stopped by to tell you all about Saturday night. You didn’t call me back yesterday.”

“What happened?” A break in oncoming traffic gave me an opportunity to gun my car and pass the elderly driver going ten miles below the speed limit.

“Gabe and Reed got into a massive fight.”

“Over what?”

“You!”

“Me?”

“Yeah. Gabe hauled off and punched Reed. Gave him a black eye and a bloody nose. Tate had to break it up. He said he’d never seen Gabe so worked up, and that’s saying a lot because they played lacrosse together in high school.”

A sinking feeling in my stomach told me I must be responsible for the two friends fighting.

“Are you sure it was over me? Why?” When I left Gabe, he’d been calm. I didn’t say anything to put him on the attack, did I?

“Apparently, Reed said something Gabe didn’t like. Tate said he was standing up for you and that Reed seemed to think you were, well…”

“Just say it.”

The sweet girl whispered, “A prostitute.”

“Oh, my lord. Because of my account, he called me a whore, or some similar degrading word, and Gabe punched him?”

“Well, he should have. He likes you, and he stood up for you. You’re not a prostitute. He can’t assume he can buy you simply because you have an account selling photos. I doubt lingerie models have to deal with this. Just because you have subscribers who pay you doesn’t mean you need to deal with scumbags.”

“You’re right. Obviously. But, for the record, I wasn’t going to put up with Reed anyway. That’s why I left when I did. But I’m touched Gabe…wow.” Never in my life had anyone stood up for me. Even on the playground when Joel, this snotty-nosed mean kid teased me by calling out “Floppy Poppy” because I had chubby cheeks and what he coined a floppy belly, Mrs. Ingersoll would tell him to stop calling names, but he never got in trouble. And because there were no repercussions, it became a game, and Floppy Poppy haunted me all the way through middle school.

“Yeah. We set them in different rooms, and I put an ice pack on Gabe’s knuckles and then a bigger ice pack on Reed’s face.”

“Must’ve been awkward after that.”

“No kidding. Tate offered for Reed to stay with us, but Gabe told him it would be fine.”

I nodded in the car, though she couldn’t see me. Made sense. Once he calmed down, the friends would work things out. As they should.

My navigation indicated my turnoff was coming up, and then I’d have to pay close attention. I couldn’t afford to get lost.

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