Skeptics and True Believers

"Where are you girls going tonight?" Matt asked from his couch.

"Oh you know, just out and about," I shrugged.

"Come on Matt. You know we're going out to drink and dance the night away without having to deal with men," Sami smirked. "We're trying out our lesbianic options."

"So I shouldn't worry about other men trying to take Val away from me?" he laughed.

"Nope. You should worry about us instead," Rena grinned.

"Them, not me," I said, gesturing to Sami and Rena. "I'm not asking for a death wish. You're already pissed at me for taking the high score on your 'Gears of War' game."

"Cuz it's my game!" he whined.

"It's not my fault you suck at video games," I shrugged.

He just glared at me, crossing his arms over his chest as Val walked down the stairs, dressed in her short red dress and heels. She paused on the second to last step, noticing Matt's glare in my direction and raised an eyebrow in my direction. I just shrugged, reaching into my bag and checking the time on my phone.

"Do I even want to know?" she asked.

"Not really," Rena replied. "It's just a stupid fight."

"It's not stupid! She insulted my video game skills!" Matt bellowed, pointing accusingly at me.

"As I said, it's not my fault you suck at video games," I laughed.

"That's what this whole argument is about? You sucking at video games?" Val laughed disbelievingly, looking in Matt's direction.

"I do not suck at video games!" Matt huffed, sinking lower into his spot on the couch.

"I'm gonna wait for you in the car," I giggled.

"Yeah, this argument's boring," Sami added.

Rena, Sami, and I walked out of the house to wait for Val as she consoled her boyfriend's injured ego. I opened up the driver's side, deciding to be the designated driver for our night out and started the car, hearing the sounds of Jane's Addiction playing softly in the background. I pulled out my cell phone once again and sent a text to Brody, informing him that I would call him tomorrow afternoon, knowing he wouldn't get it until then anyway if he was out getting drunk with friends.

It had been another week since that morning with Jimmy and the photo album and I had been completely busy with booking my next photo shoot in the next few days. Organizing the photo shoots was really the hard work. Taking photos for it was the simplest thing, even though I had to work with other people. I hated being stuck in meetings all the time. The whole reason I got into photography was so I didn't have to have a regular nine-to-five job. I wanted to be able to be my own boss and set my own times. It just didn't work that way in the world of high fashion though.

I couldn't understand my growing relationship with Syn however. Since the night at the bowling alley, it seemed that all of our conversations were comfortable before someone said something that set one of us off. They always started out well and ended horribly. It was odd, considering we never had these conversations in private. I hadn't allowed myself to be alone with him again since that night because I was afraid of where my confused emotions would take me.

My discussion with Jimmy seemed to revive a lot of the mixed feelings I had possessed for Brian, which made me miss him even more. I was stuck with Syn, who was like Brian in many ways but certainly not the same person. It was strange to me to think of him with a split personality but that's what it felt like. Brian was the good natured guy who loved me more than anything else while Syn was the cocky, self-centered asshole who got on my nerves. There was no in between. Grey area didn't exist with him.

I had called Mr. Mollie about setting up court dates, only to be surprised when he informed me that Syn hadn't taken the necessary actions to begin that process. I wondered if it was because he was having second doubts or if he was just too busy with working with the boys to make time for meetings. I told Mr. Mollie to send me a copy of the divorce agreement, just in case I decided that I didn't want to stick with my original plan anymore. I had a feeling that Syn wasn't going to cave as soon as I had hoped so I would just have to sign the papers and cope with the feelings on my own. The ambiguity of our situation was causing more confusion than I could deal with.

Val walked out of the house a few moments later with a huge smile on her face, which meant that she had yet another disgustingly cute moment with her boyfriend. She hopped in the back along with Sami and fastened her seatbelt, leaning back against the seat and sighing contently. I just shook my head and backed out of her driveway, feeling a little envious of her happiness with the person she loved.

"So, you and Matt made up?" Rena asked.

"I just reminded him that he makes up for sucking at video games with his talents in other important areas," she said coyly.

"As in the areas that involve him giving it to you good and hard," Sami giggled.

"God Sami! I don't want mental images!" I said in astonishment. "It's bad enough walking in on Rena and Zacky playing naked peek-a-boo."

"You should've knocked before you decided to just traipse into the house!" Rena said defensively.

"I did knock! I knocked for a good five minutes before deciding I couldn't wait any longer for a cup of flour so I could cookies and then wound up walking in and seeing more of the two of you than I ever wanted to see in life," I said seriously. "At least you two weren't fucking on that couch or I would've been scarred for life."

"You know what you need Dee?" Sami said, leaning forward a bit in between the seat.

"What's that Sam?" I asked.

"You need to get laid, that's what you need to do," she smiled.

"Sex is the answer? Jeez, I didn't think it was that easy," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes a bit to her statement.

"Well seriously, when's the last time you've had sex?" Sami asked.

"Sami! You can't just ask questions like that," Rena laughed.

"Why not?" she asked.

"It's a little rude and it's none of our business," Rena replied.

"But it's a good question to ask," Val said, adding her two cents to the conversation.

"I'm glad that everyone's taking such an active interest in my sex life," I laughed.

"So, are you gonna answer or what?" Sami asked expectantly, glancing at me.

"Let's see," I said, trying to think back. "The last time was about a week before the private investigator found me so it's been about two months?" I said unsurely.

"It's good to know you haven't been in a five year dry spell waiting for him," Val said, referring to Brian.

"Of course not! God, I'm human and if he was allowed to sleep with other girls then I should be allowed to sleep with other men. It was good learning experience for me," I said.

"Before that, you hadn't been with anyone else, had you?" Rena asked seriously.

"Nope. Brian was the one and only but our wedding ruined that," I said, laughing bitterly. "How ironic that a day that every little girl looks forward to growing up turns out to be the worst day of my life."

"But you didn't know that he was going to be such a douche," Sami said.

"I should've seen it coming. He wasn't the same guy I met in high school but I thought it was just a phase. I guess it was denial," I shrugged.

"Everyone thought it was just a phase," Val said.

"I mean, Zacky's got those kind of phases and he quickly moves through them. I'm sure you thought the same thing with Brian," Rena shrugged. "I'm sure he still wanted to be with you even though he was having issues conveying that with his bitch mood."

"I doubt I was even missed," I sighed.

"That's not true Dee," Val said quietly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, eyeing her suspiciously in the rearview mirror.

"Well," she began warily, tucking a piece of her newly dyed dark hair behind her ear, "that night, he was a wreck. We told him that you had disappeared and he was so worried about you, especially since you weren't the type to just wander off without any explanation. I don't think I've ever seen him as hysterical as he was that night when we were searching for you."

"I left him my note," I said emotionless.

"He got that later in the morning and when he read that, it was just like all the life had been sucked out of him. He was so disconnected from everything around him that it just seemed like he was one big empty shell. He fell into a huge depressive slump, going out to the bar every night and drinking heavily. There was a time when Jimmy had to pick him up every night from Johnny's just to get him away from the liquor. He barely spoke to anyone and when he did, he didn't say much," she explained.

"But he snapped out of it eventually," I said bitterly. "He had no problem moving on and finding a girl to replace me with."

"After you left, he completely changed into someone else. I had no idea who this new person was but he appeared and ruined everyone's lives. He became such a negative force that I couldn't stomach being around him. He continually slept around and got wasted day in and day out. It was about a year and a half until he finally got out of his depressive funk and started returning to normal or as close to normal as he could be without you," she said.

"I remember that time because I had just started seeing Jason around then," Sami said. "He was more of an asshole before than he is now. Since you've come back into the picture, it seems he's turning into a better person. He's actually being nice for a change," she said.

"As messed up as everyone was when you left, he was by far the one that took it the worst," Val said.

"But he did move on," I sighed. "As I said, he had no problem finding Tina and deciding to slip a diamond on her finger so they could get married."

"But he never did give up looking for you. Any time he thought he had a new idea about your whereabouts he drove or flew to these places on a hunch. He really did try his hardest to track you down," she told me.

"Well he found me eventually," I sighed. "About five years too late."

"I'm glad he did," Val smiled.

"In a way, I guess I'm glad he did too," I replied.

The car filled with awkward silence from the conversation that had just taken place as I mulled over the new information. I guess I figured that it was just an easy transition for Syn after I left because he drove me away to begin with. I never really thought that it would be difficult for him since he was so eager to have public sex with a waitress at our wedding. I figured that he didn't want to be married to me so he just decided to look for a way out. I gave him what I thought he wanted but then hearing that he had a hard time without me just made me wonder about that.

If he had no problem sleeping with other people when he was with me, what the hell did that mean he wanted from me? Did he expect me to just play housewife while he was off on tour, living his rock star lifestyle? He couldn't have honestly expected to me to just stand by and watch him sleep with other women while I tried to make out life together work. It was ludicrous. He either wanted to be with me or he didn't. He couldn't have his cake and eat it too in this scenario.

The rest of the drive to the club was awkward to say the least. We all just sat uncomfortably in the seats, trying to think of things to say to each other while the radio played a mixture of different rock tunes to ease the painful silence we were in. I had a feeling that they were afraid of my reaction to Val's information but I was fine. I felt a little confused but I wasn't going to let it ruin my night out away from all that drama.

We finally arrived at the club, Echoplex in downtown Los Angeles. I parked the car nearby before we started walking to the entrance of the newly developed popular club. I could hear the loud thumping of music pounding against the walls as we neared; only fueling the excitement I felt at the thought of a night out. I really wanted to get a drink and start dancing. I wasn't trying to think about any of the conflicts I had been experiencing or the confusion of my emotions. All I wanted was to let loose and dance tonight like I did in New York. It was all about fun.

I flashed my ID to the bouncer, who had no problem letting in four attractive females straight away as opposed to sending us to the back of the line. I paid my entrance fee and got my bright pink wristband so I could immediately hit the bar. Sami was standing beside me as we ordered our drinks. We ordered a round of Jager Bombs to start the evening off; all of us slamming it back as quick as we could. After my first shot, I decided to order a Tokyo Tea so I would be buzzed early in the evening.

We wandered away from the bar, carrying our drinks to a nearby table and taking a seat near the rails overlooking the dance floor. I surveyed the crowded dance floor, noticing that there were lots of people moving below amongst the dimly lit floor. Loud remixes of popular music played loudly throughout the sound system which made me nod my head along to the infectious beat. I took a sip of my drink, looking back to the group of women that were with me and smiled.

"I can't wait to get out there and dance," I admitted honestly.

"You always want to dance," Rena laughed.

"That's why I wish Brody was here still. He would've loved to come out here and dance the night away with me," I sighed.

"But then it wouldn't be a girl's night, would it?" Sami said, drinking her apple martini.

"I guess not. I would wind up trying to find some babe to hook him up with for the evening, which would mean I wouldn't be able to stay at my house if they chose to go there," I laughed.

"See? It works out so much better this way then. At least you can go home tonight," Val smiled.

"That's true. I guess there is an upside to it all," I replied.

"There might be another upside to the evening," Sami said, eyeing a very attractive dark-haired man walking by our table who quickly scanned my body. "Maybe you might get lucky tonight," she added with a wink.

"You guys are just so determined to hook me up with someone tonight, aren't you?" I laughed.

"Well, if you can't be with Brian then you might as well have some fun with some random bar hottie," Rena shrugged.

"What makes you think I'm interested in hooking up with someone?" I asked.

"Cuz its random sex with a hot guy! Who would pass that up?" Sami said as if it were obvious.

"Are you saying that you wouldn't pass up random sex with a hot guy?" I asked seriously.

"That's different. I have a hot guy waiting at home to have sex with me," she replied.

"It's just an option. If you do wind up hooking up tonight, I have no problem driving home," Val smiled.

"No, no, there will be no hooking up," I laughed. "This is a girls' night out so that's what it'll remain. I'm definitely not interested in finding some random guy at a club to hook up with," I said, finishing off my drink.

"We're just letting you know that there are options available," Rena smiled.

"I know and I appreciate it but I don't need that. All I need is a night out with my new girlfriends so we can dance and forget about everything else," I told them.

"You're just Ms. Antsy Pants wanting to get out on that dance floor, aren't you?" Sami giggled.

"Of course I am! I'm liquored up and ready! The dance floor is practically calling my name. It's saying, 'Delilah, come out here and shake your ass! It's not the same without you! Come make all the barely legal tail in here jealous with your sexy moves!'," I said.

"Jeez, I had no idea that the dance floor knew you so well here," Val laughed.

"Every dance floor in the world knows me by reputation," I smiled. "It's an honor for me to dance on them with my red hot moves."

"Then we shouldn't deprive that dance floor of your moves, should we?" Sami said, throwing her drink back in one swift swig. She stood from her seat and offered her hand out to me, "Come my darling."

I took her hand as she led me down towards the dance floor, both of us moving our bodies to the loud bass-filled beat. We made our way through the throngs of people before finally settling on a spot in the middle of the floor, Sami pulling me close to her body as we swayed together. The alcohol I ingested earlier upon our entrance to Echoplex was making its way to my bloodstream, causing a slightly euphoric feeling. I was just glad that I was buzzed enough to have some fun.

After about a song or two, Val and Rena joined us in the middle of the floor. The four of us continued dancing together without a care in the world, earning a lot of different looks from the single men in the club that were looking to score someone to take back to their place for the night. I could hear a familiar pop song playing loudly through the speakers, earning many cheers from the people surrounding in happiness at this particular choice in song as I grabbed Val and pulled her closer to me.

"You're so trying to put the moves on me, aren't you?" Val giggled in my ear.

"Oh course I am," I replied, rolling my hips against hers. "I know that I'll at least score with you."

"I'm not that fucking easy," Val said.

"You are for me," I replied as Rena and Sami cheered the two of us on. "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to do this," I said, smacking her ass.

"Delilah!" she squealed astonishingly.

I winked at her and continued to dance, enjoying myself a little too much on the dance floor. I noticed there was a small circle around the four of us, everyone watching as we danced closely to each other. I was too involved in the beat of the song to notice my surroundings. In that moment, I wasn't thinking about anything else in my life. The whole Syn and Tina dilemma was the furthest thing from my mind. I wasn't worried about the divorce or my confusion. I was too involved in throwing all my energy into dancing with Val, Sami, and Rena.

We stayed out on the floor for what seemed like hours, only taking a few brakes to grab some more drinks or to smoke out on the balcony. We were a sensation at the club because everyone seemed to think we were a group of sexy lesbians and it was a rare thing to see at a straight club. I thought it was hilarious but we decided to play it up. Val was my girl with Rena and Sami stuck close to each other for the evening. We were the spectacle of the club but none of us seemed to mind. We always enjoyed playing up to ridiculous attention.

I dragged Rena out for a cigarette break while Val and Sami headed towards the bar for more drinks. Rena was almost near drunkenness while I was still slightly buzzed from slamming back another two Jager Bombs at the bar earlier. I pulled out a cigarette case from my bag and pulled out two smokes, lighting up one and then handing that one to Rena, who was leaning against the railing that overlooked lower downtown Los Angeles.

"Thanks," she smiled, putting the cigarette to her lips and taking a drag.

"No biggie," I said dismissively, lighting up my own cigarette. "Usually Brody has to light my cigarettes for me when I get sloppy drunk too."

"I'm not sloppy drunk," she said in offense. "Just a tad drunk."

"True. At least you're not flashing the entire club. I've done that," I admitted, moving next to her on the railing.

"Oh Jesus," she laughed. "I'm not the least bit self-conscious about my body but I don't think I'd ever do that, drunk or sober."

"Yeah well, I've got lower inhibitions than expected. For some reason, everyone still thinks I'm just innocent little Delilah Emberson who's younger than everyone else and has never done anything wrong all her life," I sighed. "It's frustrating."

"Yeah, you're definitely not the way everyone described you. I mean, I thought you were gonna be some kind of young girl but you're not. You're crazier and funnier than they mentioned," she smiled.

"Well I'm not Delilah Emberson anymore either, or Delilah Haner for that matter," I said point blankly. "Now, I'm Casey Delilah Spiegel, the fun-loving photographer who's seen the whole world and gained more experience in different situations than most people are able to acquire in an entire lifetime. This person's never had to go through the horrors of falling in love," I said, pointing towards myself.

"But you also feel the pain of your former self," Rena said knowingly. "We know you do."

"Well, I try my best to keep that to myself," I said, leaning on the railing. I looked up the street and frowned a bit at the familiarity of this area. "You see that building over there?" I asked, pointing towards the large hotel that was up the street a ways.

"That hotel?" she asked as I nodded. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, that balcony on the tenth floor where the ballroom's located is the place where Brian was fucking the waitress at our wedding," I said, taking another drag of my cigarette.

"No shit?" she asked in shock.

"No shit," I stated, flicking the end of the cigarette to rid the ashes.

"Damn, that's horrible. I'm sorry," she said sympathetically. "How can you stand to be in Los Angeles when it reminds you of such a horrible event?"

"The same way I'm able to stay in Huntington reminded of all the good times I used to have with him. I'm just sucking it up and trying to do what I need to do before I make a decision about returning to New York."

"You mean you're not sure if you're going back?"

"I dunno if I want to go back. I mean, I left because I was running away from everything before and now that I'm found, I was able to come home and face a lot of the demons I've been carrying around. I'm not sure if New York's the right place for me anymore. I've never felt as at home as I do here, you know?"

She nodded, "No, I get it. I'm sure you'd make everyone else happy if you decided to stay."

"Probably," I shrugged. "They all keep talking about how much they miss me. I'm not sure if I'd be able to gather the strength to leave them again but who knows? I love being in New York. It's a change in venue and a chance for me to start over again once this divorce goes through, if it does," I muttered the last part lowly.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask, aren't you supposed to be going into court soon or something?" she asked, stamping out her cigarette.

"That's what I thought but apparently Syn's dropped the ball on that one," I shrugged. "I'm not sure why he's jerking me around when he was the one that wanted this divorce in the first place. I actually looked into it and since I left and couldn't be found, he could've just annulled the marriage after two years of searching for me. I don't know why he didn't just do that," I explained.

"Maybe he's not ready to give you up quite yet," she said.

"Could be I guess," I shrugged again, stamping out my cigarette. "But it's highly unlikely."

That moment, there was a loud commotion near the door to the balcony as two people stumbled outside, moaning and making out. Rena and I were the only ones out here, standing near the corner of the balcony hidden in the shadows so we had access to this couple's private moments. Rena looked at me with a sly grin on her face, trying her best not to laugh at the situation. I put my hand over her mouth and silently shushed her so we could find a way to sneak out of there without notice.

The couple was now against the railing, the blonde woman's back pressed firmly against the metal rails as the brown-haired guy wrapped her legs around his waist. They were making out rather aggressively, the sound of lips smacking heard over the faint music from inside the club and moaning every now and then, which only added to my urgency to flee the scene undetected. I was always on the balconies at the wrong time.

I started surveying the current area we were standing in to find a way to make it to the door. Rena, on the other hand, decided to whip out her phone and film the two, holding her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing as she sent Sami a video text to explain where we were. I shook my head at Rena, looking back to the couple momentarily to see the man's hands working up the blonde's skirt.

"Val and Sami are coming out here to rescue us," Rena whispered in my ear lowly.

I nodded, patiently waiting for the two girls to walk through the door and ruin the moment between the couple. Rena started messing with her phone once again, taking a few photos of the couple as the man's hands roaming over the blonde's scantily clad body. I shook my head at their choice in participating in public sex and hoped that Val and Sami would save us from watching further degradation. I don't think I could stand the sound of their moaning anymore.

"Hey-o!" Val said loudly as she and Sami walked out onto the balcony.

The couple broke apart instantly at the disturbance as my eyes went wide with shock. I heard Rena gasp as she took notice of the familiar looking blonde that was pressed against the balcony. Sami started laughing, shaking her head at the two of them as Val seemed about as shocked as I was.

The blonde that was pressed up against the railing in a very compromising position was Tina, the future wife of Synyster Gates. The man was a younger guy, more around her age than ours, and very attractive. He looked like on the underwear models or Calvin Kline but I couldn't be sure if he was the one I used to see on the billboards in Times Square back in New York. He seemed more annoyed than Tina about the disturbance but I guess it was understandable, since he thought he was going to score.

Tina, on the other hand, seemed just as shocked at Val and Sami were. She had yet to see Rena and me hiding in the shadows but I'm sure once she did, her whole demeanor would change. Rena pulled at my wrist, nodding towards the door so we could join the other two. I followed quietly, glancing over to Tina who took notice of us and glared. I chewed my lower lip, unsure of what to say to anyone else.

I just walked back into the club, hearing the loud pulsating beat of the music whilst the other girls followed closely behind, buzzing about what we had just witnessed. On the one hand, I felt really bad for Syn to see that his fiancée was cheating on him with some underwear model at a club but on the other hand, I didn't really care because it felt like cosmic payback for what he did to me all those years ago. I had a feeling karma would occur and it was just a matter of when and where.

"Dee, can you believe it?" Sami asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Sorry, what was that?" I asked, not having heard the full conversation.

"Can you believe that bitch was cheating on Brian like that, in public no less?" she asked.

"It's shocking," I replied.

"God, it's like they're perfect for each other with all the cheating that goes on between them," Val said, shaking her head.

"You mean this isn't the first time?" I asked in disbelief.

"Psh, are you kidding? Both of them are actively cheating on each other and they think we're all none the wiser," Rena explained. "This is just the first time I've actually witnessed it with my own eyes."

"Not me. I've seen Tina with other guys before so it's not new," Sami laughed. "I'm just shocked it was public sex this time. Normally I see her wandering out of their neighbor's house in late afternoons when the boys are practicing."

"Do they know that they're cheating on each other?" I asked incredulously.

"They should," Val laughed. "But I doubt it's something they talk about. I'm not even sure why they're getting married if they cheat on each other all the time to be honest. I guess it's just easier than going through a messy break up."

"I need a drink," I muttered lowly, heading directly to the dimly lit bar.

"Wait, are you actually upset about this whole thing?" Rena asked in confusion.

"Of course she's upset! She's gone through all this before with Brian when he cheated on her at their wedding," Sami replied.

I squeezed my eyes shut, taking a deep breath and pushing the sudden memory from my mind as I approached the bar. I set both hands on top of the counter and looked directly into the eyes of the attractive male bartender who kept smirking at me.

"I'll take a Corona," I said to him.

He went about his business, opening up a bottle of Corona for me and placing a wedge of lime and some salt in the neck of the bottle for me. I smiled gratefully at him and handed him the cash I owed, plus a three dollar tip. He winked at me before taking more drink orders from the people surrounding. I turned around and noticed that the girls had gone quiet, looking a little guilty for bringing up my past memories but I smiled reassuringly, trying to convince them that I was ok.

"I'm sorry," Sami said guiltily.

"It's fine. I'm over it," I sighed. "Look, let's just not mention anything we saw here tonight, alright?"

"Are you sure? I mean, you can totally nail that bitch to the wall with this information now. Isn't it fair to Brian for him to know what's going on?" Val asked.

"It's none of my business. I'm not getting involved with them because it's not my relationship. Syn and I need to work out our shit and be done with it. He and Tina can figure out their own shit on their own time," I said, taking a swig of my beer.

They all looked at me skeptically as I looked back to the dance floor, wanting desperately to escape the current conversation I was in. I didn't want to know anything about Syn or Tina that was potentially dangerous to their relationship because I didn't want to think about how they could just go about their lives, faking some kind of united front when they were really unhappy with each other. Rather than just end things so they could see other people, they just decided to get married and carry on with their philandering discressions.

If they didn't love each other then what was the point in taking the next step? Why did I have to get involved in their stupid relationship if they weren't really serious about each other? I felt angry with Syn for bringing me back here to face all this pain when it wasn't even for the greater good. I was forced to suffer through all my emotional turmoil because he wanted me to. He chose for me to get the divorce. He's the one that's keeping me here with his lack of explanation. For the first time, I really and truly hated Synyster Gates.

I finished off my beer, placing the empty bottle back on the top of the bar and deciding to throw all my negative energy into dancing. I hated that those two seemed to ruin my fun for the night with their stupid drama.

"I'm going back out there to dance," I said to the three women standing near me.

"By yourself?" Rena asked curiously.

"Sure," I shrugged. "I just need to dance."

"I'll go with you," Sami said, setting her glass of vodka on the counter.

"Alright," I nodded, taking her hand and leading her out to the dance floor again.

I heard a remix of one of my favorite songs begin to play loudly, which caused me to smile as I pulled Sami closer to me. I automatically found the beat to the song, singing along to the words and allowing the music to take over the current anger I felt. It was soon replaced with a sense of clarity as I moved my hips in synch to the beat. Sami sensed that I was getting back into the mood I was in earlier before the whole balcony incident so she loosened up as well, getting a little more flirtatious with me as we danced.

Rena and Val joined us once again, glancing at me questioningly but dropping their clouded thoughts so we could continue our evening without any other disruptions. Unfortunately, our fun did not last as long as I hoped it would.

Tina made her way towards our group, looking royally pissed off as she approached. I showed ambivalence toward her, continuing my dance with Sami, who seemed to feel the effects of her last drink kicking in. She was getting a lot grabbier as we continued our dance, which I didn't mind since I knew she was drunk and just enjoying herself but I would have to draw the line if she decided to kiss me. At least I would deliver her to Jason later, who would more than likely take care of her needs.

"Is there something I can help you with?" I asked Tina over the loud music, twirling Sami around.

"You better not rat me out to Brian," she seethed. "What happened here tonight is none of your business. It's between me and him."

"I couldn't agree more," I shrugged as Sami pulled my hips against hers. "That's between you two. I'm not gonna be involved. Though I must say, that's pretty fucked up of you."

"You don't know anything about it so don't you dare say shit to me!" she yelled.

"You're right. It's not my place," I agreed, noticing Val and Rena looking ready to step in if a fight occurred. "I won't say anything to Syn about it. It's between you and him honestly and I could care less about your relationship. I would just try to keep it out of the public eye if I were you. Balconies tend to be a popular place to get caught," I said, slightly frowning at that comment.

She stepped closer to me, glaring as if she wanted to kill me. I had a feeling she was attempting to intimidate me but was failing miserably to do so. There was no way in hell that Tina would ever intimidate me. If it came down to a fight, I knew I would be able to take her out. Sure, she would probably get a few good swipes in and claw the shit out of my skin but I had good left hooks from the countless bar brawls I used to get in when I was living in Germany. I could hold my own.

"Just stay the fuck out of my way," she growled.

"I've never been in your way," I replied emotionlessly. "Look, I don't care. Just go back to your underwear model and leave me alone. I'll be out of your life soon enough but you don't have to tolerate me. We'll both be out of each other's existences as soon as your fiancée files the paperwork to head into court. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take these ladies home," I said, grabbing Sami's wrist and walking past Tina.

"You better watch yourself Tina. I've got your moments with Hot Pants on my phone," Rena said, holding up her phone with a smug grin. "I might accidently send it out one day."

Tina dropped her jaw a bit, shocked by Rena's admission before we turned and headed out of the club. I laughed a little, shaking my head at the whole situation as we left the loud bar. I had a feeling that Tina was going to kiss Rena's ass now so that she wouldn't send her compromising video out to our friends.

"That was a little much, don't you think?" I asked Rena.

"Bitch deserves to fear me a bit. I just wanna see her squirm every time I glare at her. It'll be fun," she laughed.

"Fuck you're evil Rena," Val laughed.

"Women are evil. It's just the nature of the beast," she shrugged, dropping her phone into her bag.

"I'm never fucking you over ever," Sami admitted with a giggle.

We started our walk up the street back to the car, the breeze of the Los Angeles night air hitting our warm skin as we passed the different night clubs on the strip. Thinking about this evening's events and discussions that focused primarily on the one person I hoped to forget about, I couldn't help but wonder if my friends were trying to interfere in my whole debacle with Syn or not. I had a feeling that Val wanted me to speak to him and patch things up while Sami and Rena wanted to rid Tina from their lives. If Syn and Tina got married, she was stuck with the group for a long time.

I just couldn't get over Val's admission to how the 'happy couple' cheated on each other constantly. It made me wonder if that whole thing started way before my wedding day or not. What was the cheating about anyway? When he decided to fuck that waitress at the wedding, what was going through his mind? I always blamed myself for not being enough for him but I guess I really didn't know much about his thoughts when we got closer to our wedding date. By the time I caught him with his pants around his ankles, it was too late for words.

I guess the one thing I had to worry about now was keeping the events of this evening under wraps. I hoped that Rena wouldn't send the video out to Syn because it would be a horrible way for anyone to find out that their significant other to find out of indiscretions committed. I still cared enough for him to not find out in such a way. I figured it wouldn't be much a problem to keep the night's events to myself, considering the fact I never allowed myself to be alone with him. There was no way it would slip out on accident.

He would find out anyway. Karma always finds people in the end.