Free Use Somebody by Riley Jean Page B

wasn’t taking it back.
    Gwen looked up at me with tear-kissed lashes. “Don’t call him that.”
    Hearing her rush to his defense made my hackles stand. Something had happened. I was sure of it.
    “What’s wrong?” Summer inquired, while Kiki patted her back. “Are you and Hunter alright?”
    Gwen clutched her stomach and bowed her head just as two tear drops fell to the linoleum floor. Her voice quivered as she whispered, “It’s over.”
    I stood by and watched as Summer and Kiki engulfed their friend in a powerful hug, making sympathetic sounds as Gwen’s shoulders shook with quiet sobs. They repeated words of encouragement: You guys’ll work it out , they said. You’ll pull through.
    I kept my mouth shut, because all I had up my sleeves were hate grenades . Hunter wasn’t a boyfriend worth mourning. He had been nothing but a leech, draining all the best parts of Gwen dry and then leaving her with nothing. Good riddance.
    “See? A girls’ night is exactly what you need!” Kiki said brightly, wiping the wetness from her cheeks.
    “I’ll do your nails,” persuaded Summer. “I have thirteen different shades of pink!”
    “Thanks, guys,” Gwen sniffled and wiped her nose. The movement shifted her glasses. “But I think I’m just going to head home.”
    No surprise there. The girls tried to change her mind, but not me. I understood the need to be alone, from one homebody to another. I wasn’t going to stop her.
    With that, she picked up her gigantic tub of ice cream and shuffled through the self-checkout line, not before Summer and Kiki wished her well, and I put aside my bitterness and gave a soft apology.
    I had no words of comfort to offer my friend. But I was, after all, sorry she was hurting.
    “Poor thing,” Summer lamented. “They just have to get back together. They’re soul mates!”
    Before I could think better of it, I snorted.
    “What?” Summer demanded. “Don’t you believe in soul mates? And true love?”
    Hunter and Gwen? Definitely not. “No,” I scoffed. “It’s all transient bullshit.”
    She sighed and shook her head. “Whatever you say. Let’s go dye your hair black.”
    “Scarlett?” Kiki asked. “That’s your full name?”
    “Duh,” Summer confirmed for me. “What did you think Scar was short for?”
    Kiki shrugged. “You know, as in, Hakuna Matata?”
    That night, with a proper dye and a cut, Kiki brought my curls back to life. Straightening my hair every time I went out in public (or every time I worked, rather) really was a bit of a hassle. I was pleased to see that even though the curls made a comeback, I still looked different enough from my old self.
    I declined the girls’ begging to do my makeup, even when they offered to do it dark, to keep it consistent with my style. I told them I wasn’t aiming for any particular style, I just wanted something low maintenance and easily forgettable. When they begrudgingly accepted, I caved and told them maybe some other time.
    Then I went home and had a little secret fun with my eyeliner.
    The image of tough-as-nails Gwen in tears stayed with me long after I left. I wasn’t too socially inept to realize my anger was not a normal or acceptable reaction. Still, unlike the other girls, I was unable to muster up much sympathy for their broken relationship.
    I had about as much faith in love and soul mates as Ebenezer Scrooge had in Christmas. The concepts seemed idiotic when even the mighty Gwen and Hunter had fallen. She had been so sure—beyond the shadow of a doubt—that they would be together forever, and now look! And look at all the statistics of divorce! How could anyone be arrogant enough to claim their love would last forever?
    All. Transient. Bullshit.
    I didn’t believe in that stuff anymore. I didn’t even care if that made me less of a human. Emotions were nothing but a detriment to our sanity. They made smart people foolish, and strong people weak. They were the bane of all evil. That was why I