Vexed by Phoenyx Slaughter

it.
    “Is it a guy? Tell me it’s about a guy.”
    “Sort of. I started something before I came out here and just up and left.” Good God, it sounds even worse when I say it out loud.
    “I want to hear everything.”
    I don’t have a chance because as we walk into my apartment, it’s clear it’s one of those nights. Roxy’s entertaining a number of her rough-looking friends again. Some of them wear vests with patches, similar to Romeo’s, so it makes me miss him even more. These guys are nothing like Romeo and Dante, though. While yes, Romeo’s pretty crude, I never felt unsafe around him. Quite the opposite.
    These guys, though? They’re more like boys pretending to be hardened men, instead of actual men.
    Elliot hesitates inside the door.
    “Who’s the queer, Athena?” the least charming of the bunch, Snake, calls out.
    The guys catcall and make a bunch of nasty comments, and my cheeks burn with shame. I don’t want Elliot to think these are the kind of people I associate with.
    “Uh, these are my roommate’s friends,” I tell him, too embarrassed to look him in the eye.
    He seems to acknowledge that with a single nod. “I’m gonna go, honey. I don’t care for the way Miss Congeniality over there keeps staring at me,” he says, indicating Snake.
    “I’ll go with you.”
    When we’re outside, I offer a lame apology, but Elliot stops me.
    “Are you sure you’re safe there? It looks like one big STD petri dish going on.”
    I snort at the joke because I’ve had similar thoughts. No judgment, but Roxy gets around. Good for her and all, but the guys are sleazy and treat her like crap, so I don’t understand the appeal.
    “Yeah, none of them bother me.”
    “Well, if it ever gets bad, don’t hesitate to come over. I’ve got a couch and you’re welcomed to it anytime.”
    “Thanks.” My eyes well up and Elliot shakes his head. “Save that for the camera, honey.”
    “Oh, shit. We’re supposed to be at rehearsal.”
    Elliot had gotten me my first “role.” Had I not listened carefully the first day of class, I would have laughed when his friend offered me the part. It pays nothing and the rehearsal time has been significant, considering how little I’m on stage.
    It’s fun, though. And I’m getting experience and hopefully someone will see me in it and maybe offer me a bigger non-paying role.
    One can only hope, right?

13
    “ H i , it’s Athena. I wanted to talk…explain…”
    My thumb hovers over the “delete” button. I end up hitting “save,” because fuck it feels good to hear her voice.
    She can fuck right off, though, if she thinks I’m calling her back.
    I reached down and strapped my balls back on this week and threw myself into work at the garage. Turns out to be a good thing because with summer here, we’ve got more cars than mechanics and fabricators. My shop has a reputation for transforming clunkers into show-quality classics one bolt at a time. Right now, we’re backed up and the fourteen to sixteen hour work days give me the perfect distraction.
    Thank fuck I never brought her here like I’d been planning.
    “Yo, boss,” one of my mechanics calls out. “Greyson has a ’76 vette he wants to unload. It’s in rough shape. You want it for a project car?”
    Fuck me. I just can’t catch a break, can I? I finally got her off my fucking mind, and then the car she told me she wants shows up at my shop? Seriously? What did I do to piss off the universe?
    For some idiotic reason, I say yes to the car.
    Goddammit. It’s even red.
    I’m exhausted and annoyed when I drag my ass into the clubhouse. After days of being reminded of her every time I look around my clubhouse, I’ve come to fully appreciate the wisdom of having a home away from here like Dante, Luck, and some of the other brothers have. Returning to my empty room night after night sucks.
    The camera I used to film us the last time we fucked taunts me from my dresser. I haven’t bothered to watch it.