Avoiding Responsibility (Avoiding #2)(53)
Author: K.A. Linde

Bekah grumbled something unintelligible before flipping the paper back over to the correct side and turning it right side up. She smoothed the wrinkled paper out on the bar and looked at what was left to complete on their list. "Someone has to get boxers," she said reading each article carefully. Someone had been marking each one with a fat black check once they had succeeded in their task.

"And…wait that’s it!" she screamed holding the paper up in triumph for a second. She beamed at the group around her who the majority had no clue what she was yelling about. "We just need boxers. Since this is out last stop and I’ve taken a shot at every bar, I can mark that off," she told the crowd before slamming the paper back down on the bar, pulling out a Sharpie, and making a big show of marking off the ninth item on her list.

"So who’s going to get us boxers?" Bekah asked of the girls around her who were only half paying attention to begin with. When no one answered her question, she openly glared at her bridesmaids until they realized she had addressed them and quickly responded.

"You should get them Bekah," Maddie said before unconsciously bursting into laughter and leaning into Bekah’s shoulder.

"I probably should," Bekah conceded almost too easily as if she wouldn’t mind the idea of sliding some other guys underwear off.

"Yeah girl," Amber crowed nudging Bekah’s shoulder playfully. "You’re the f**king bride. Any guy should feel lucky to give you his boxers."

"Definitely," Maddie agreed.

"Well let’s start scoping them out," she said glancing around the room to see what guy would willingly give her their underwear.

Lexi was glad she hadn’t been volunteered for this one. After having to endure that phone call, her role in the bachelorette festivities had been greatly reduced. The girls had kept to themselves, sharing inside jokes and old stories that Lexi could never understand, and mostly acting as if she didn’t really exist. The whole exchange between the girls kind of felt like a high school and college reunion for them rather than a bachelorette party. In truth, she felt more like a tag along to their adventures than anything. And though it was frustrating on some level to be dismissed so easily, it was also a huge relief. This way she didn’t have to try to be included or fake her enthusiasm for a night out with the monsters.

She still wasn’t sure about Maddie though. The girl already had two strikes against her: one strike for the phone call and a second strike due to the fact that she had slept with Ramsey. Lexi was kind of curious if there was something more to that story though. Maddie kept giving her strange looks all throughout the night like she knew something that Lexi had no clue about. She wanted to just ask her what her f**king problem was, but as she was trying to keep a low profile that wouldn’t have been the easiest thing to do. So the whole thing was discouraging to say the least.

"What about him?" Bekah finally asked pointing out a guy to Maddie and Amber who was standing against the wall. He was pretty gorgeous with longer hair slicked back off his forehead and a rather defined jaw line. He wore a snug fit v-neck t-shirt and tight jeans.

"He’s gay," Amber said almost immediately.

"There’s no way. Just look at him," Bekah argued tilting her head to the side.

Amber shook her head. "No for real. He’s not straight."

"So he doesn’t count," Maddie told her.

"There’s nothing in the rules that says g*y guys don’t count," Bekah countered still staring at him.

"No, but come on. He has to be straight and sexy. We don’t want just any guy’s boxers," Amber drawled.

"Fine. Fine," Bekah grumbled gritting her teeth in attempt not to show her anger.

"Well hey once you find him let us know," Amber drawled leaning into Bekah. "We’re gonna go dance." Maddie stumbled forward careening around Amber and wrapping her arms around Bekah.

"Come dance with us!" she squealed a giggle escaping her.

"You two go dance. I’ll catch up," Bekah said shoving Maddie off of her.

"Ok love ya," Maddie cooed dashing after Amber who had already begun to disappear into the mob of people.

Bekah swiveled around to see who else was in the vicinity. Lexi really wished that she could disappear right then. She hadn’t meant to be left alone with her, but she hadn’t realized that Kersey had left during the discussion about the list. "Where’d Kersey go?" Bekah asked her taking a step forward and running into a guy standing at her side. She didn’t even bother to apologize.

Lexi just shrugged attempting to angle her body away from Bekah so that she would cease conversation. She hadn’t really been directly addressed all night. And she didn’t want to make polite conversation with Bekah. Lexi was here. She was drunk. She was putting up with them for the evening, but she wouldn’t exactly say she was having a good time. And having Bekah talk to her wasn’t high on her list of things she needed to do for the night.

"Lexi?" Bekah asked obviously not getting the mental waves of rejection that were pouring off of Lexi.

Not seeing any way to avoid speaking with her Lexi turned her body back to Bekah. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming out tonight," she said a smile appearing on her face.

Lexi’s danger senses immediately started tingling. She had never been around Bekah when she was drunk, but she didn’t think that automatically made her a human being. "Ok," Lexi stated carefully trying to fight the buzz that said to just let it go.

"I mean since Parker is so busy it was great to have someone be able to fill in for her on such short notice," Bekah said. "She just has so much ahead of her. She’s really going places."

Lexi’s hand clenched the edge of the bar she was holding. She didn’t need to hear any of this about Parker. She knew she was going places. She knew she was smart and a brilliant doctor despite being one of the youngest in the profession. She didn’t need Bekah to tell her any of this. And the alcohol was just making her feisty.

"So thanks," Bekah said.

"Sure," Lexi forced out turning her attention to the floor to keep from looking at Bekah.

"And hey, I just want you to know that there’s no hard feelings about what you told me last year," Bekah said smiling as sweetly as the first time she had met her at the Country Club.

Lexi looked at her as if she had just sprouted wings and had begun to fly. How dare she ever bring last year up to her! Not to mention then claiming she had no hard feelings, as if Lexi hadn’t been the one screwed over in the end by the sack of shit, lying, manipulative bitch in front of her. She could clearly remember her rage at first finding out about Bekah’s diabolical plan. The anger might have subsided, but she wouldn’t exactly claim that there were no hard feelings.

"I know you were just saying all of that to get a rise from me and to make me jealous. But that’s in the past now," Bekah said reaching out and grabbing Lexi’s shoulder for support. She was still smiling that devious little smile.

Lexi steeled herself for what she was about to do. She honestly could not let this continue. She had been the bigger person. She had attempted to put as much of the past behind her as possible. She was coming to their f**king wedding for Christ’s sake. Then she had to go and bring all the old shit up.

Lexi sighed and wished for what wouldn’t be the last time that she hadn’t taken that last tequila shot. "No I said all of that because it’s true," she stated as firmly as possible. She hadn’t lied to Bekah about anything that had happened between her and Jack. They really had been perfect for each other once upon a time, and he really did lie to everyone. She had thought she was exempt at the time…so it wasn’t exactly a lie just a truth that she had come to realize.

"Whatever you like to believe," Bekah drawled leaning back against the bar and feeling like the queen of the universe in that moment.

"You can’t possibly know our history better than I do," Lexi told her anger threatening to overflow her buzz.

"I know that you’re second best," Bekah slurred back forgetting all semblance of restraint.

That stung and Lexi knew it was meant to. Bekah had always despised her relationship with Jack. No, she had always been jealous of what they had. So any kind of insult would just be coming from a jealous woman so Lexi kept her focus.

She had been with Ramsey for nearly a year which Bekah had approved of just as much as she approved of Lexi seeing Jack. And even if they were on the rocks now, it didn’t mean that she couldn’t still hold her head high. Their relationship was built on more than Bekah and Jack’s.

"Not with your brother," Lexi spat back at her.

Bekah gritted her teeth. She clearly didn’t like to hear her talk about Ramsey. "And look at how well that’s going…" she said looking her up and down as if she were some low life tramp.

"You know nothing about my relationship," Lexi growled getting even more riled up.

"Just that you’re naïve," she stated whisking her blond hair over her shoulder. "You think the world revolves around you, which shows how little you really know about my brother. The only thing Ramsey has ever really cared about is himself. You are no different. I’ve been there his whole life. I will always know and understand him better than you ever could. You’re just a fling among many," she said getting more irritated the longer they stood there.

Lexi didn’t even want to touch that line of conversation. Bekah would always think about Ramsey whatever she wanted. "Well I’ve known Jack much longer than you. So does the same logic apply?" Lexi asked a glint of victory in her eye. She knew that Bekah couldn’t come back from that. She had used her own argument against her, and Lexi didn’t care how brilliant Bekah was supposed to be that was a hard logic to get around.

"Jack’s different," she answered immediately unable to come up with another statement.

"Of course he is."

"I’m marrying him," she growled throwing her left hand out for examination.

Lexi stared at the ring in front of her. Now that she had it so close she could see that it was in fact a duplicate. There was just something about the ring that was too…modern. The silver was too polished. The diamonds perhaps a bit too large for the enclosures. The shape just a bit too perfect. It was the delicate simplicity and raw original manufacturing of the ring Jack had given to Lexi that had made it so unique. This was not that ring. That much was finally clear to her. She had known all along after he had told her, but she had never really been certain until just then.

And then she knew what she wanted to say in that moment as Bekah stood with her engagement ring for full display. The ring…the fake ring was just as much of a sham as their relationship.

"It’s fake," Lexi said never taking her eyes from the glittering diamonds. She had been thinking it but had never meant for the words to actually slip out.

"What?" Bekah gasped pulling her hand back as if it had been burned.

There was no turning back now. "It’s fake," she repeated.

"I am marrying him," Bekah said not fully understanding the gravity of her statement.

"No. The ring," Lexi stated simply.

"What about my ring?" she asked turning her hand over to examine it more closely.