Avoiding Responsibility (34 page)

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 fucking 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.

"You heard me. Your ring is fake," Lexi spat feeling a release of all the pent up frustration that one ring had caused her.

"It's not a fake!" Bekah gasped.

"Are you sure?" Lexi asked arching an eyebrow.

"What you think I haven't had it appraised?" she asked revealing the true depths of her shallowness.

Lexi scoffed at her statement. It would have never crossed her mind to get it appraised. The diamonds couldn't have been more real. A closer inspection was hardly necessary. It was pretty clear that it was an expensive engagement ring. "For quality and cost right?" Lexi asked.

Bekah examined the ring on her hand for a second before answering Lexi. "Of course. The ring cost a fortune. Every diamond is authentic."

"But what about authenticity?" Lexi asked knowing the she likely hadn't considered that for she had never thought that he wouldn't give her the original ring.

"Has that ring on your finger been around since before World War II?" she asked grabbing her hand and staring at the ring again. She knew it wasn't but her drunken state wasn't allowing her any discretion. "Has this ring survived Jack's grandmother as he always claimed it did?"

"Of course," Bekah said with less confidence than before. She stared forward at Lexi who was still examining the ring.

"No it hasn't because this isn't that ring. It's a duplicate," Lexi told her gritting her teeth against the reality of her statement. Because no matter how much this was going to hurt Bekah, this fact had already hurt Lexi more than ever before.

"I don't believe you," she said yanking her hand back.

"You don't have to," Lexi spat. "Just get the ring appraised and you'll figure it out real quick. The original ring doesn't belong to you and it was never meant for you."

"How would you know any of this?" Bekah asked getting flustered and reaching out for the bar to steady herself. She was losing color in her face and getting more and more unsteady on her feet.

Lexi wasn't sure she could answer that. How could she stoop any lower? How could she tell her that the ring was intended for Lexi all along? That would just fuel her fire. Lexi didn't have the ring so there was no point in pressing her luck and exposing anymore than was necessary. The real story was too humiliating anyway.

"I just…know Jack unlike anyone else," she said with a sad smile.

"No," Bekah said shaking her head from side to side. "You're just a liar. That's what you said Jack is good at well that's all you're good at. You're just lying to me. You want me to call off the wedding. You want him to yourself. He's not yours. Just wait until I tell Ramsey what bullshit you're spoutin' now. He'll never want you back."

Lexi rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I'm not here to sabotage
you
. Don't flatter yourself. And try and refrain from thinking you know what Ramsey will and will not do. You're just his
sister
."

Bekah glared at her ready to spit back at her. Just then Kersey ran up to them. "Let's go," she squeaked out wiping at her mouth quickly.

"Go?" Bekah asked distracted.

"Yeah where are Amber and Maddie?" Kersey asked looking around them to find out where the girls were. She stood on her tip toes and even in her four inch heels she was still too short to see over the crowd.

"Dancing. What's going on?" Bekah asked her concerned.

Kersey giggled and pulled something out of her purse. Lexi was still fuming from her conversation with Bekah. She could hardly concentrate on what they were saying or what Kersey had in her hand.

"Look what I got," Kersey said covering her mouth as she revealed the boxers in her hand.

"You got boxers?" Bekah asked in awe.

Kersey bit her lower lip and attempted to look innocent. "I won't tell you what I had to do to get them," she said lowering her long black lashes, "but I have them."

"Oh I think I know what you had to do," Bekah said looking at her with a new sense of admiration. "You've got a little…" Bekah motioned for her to wipe the right side of her mouth.

Kersey's eyes bulged and she quickly swiped at her mouth again. "Woops," she said giggling. "Anyway we have to go. I don't think he was expecting me to dip out like that."

Kersey and Bekah dove into the crowd to wrangle Amber and Maddie out of the mass of people. Lexi darted for the door to wait for the rest of the group. She was just glad that they were on their way out. She was too drunk to be around them any longer. She had spilled a secret that she swore she was going to keep to herself. She had never intended to stoop to her level. The Fearsome Four appeared before her all hanging onto each other and giggling about Kersey's success.

As they stumbled down the street back to their hotel, Amber cried out, "How bruised are your knees going to be?"

"Amber!" Kersey gasped.

"Are they already bruised?" Maddie asked bending over a little too far to look at Kersey's knees and showing her ass off to the rest of the street.

"No!" she cried a sly smile still on her face. "Anyway it's not like you didn't do the same fucking thing to Ramsey only two weeks ago!"

Lexi stopped in her tracks her mouth dropping open. She could feel her heart clench and her stomach drop. Had she just heard that? Were they serious? No. There was no way that he would do that. She knew that she had been gone and that she had left him. She knew that she hadn't exactly been perfect while away from him, but she just didn't think he had it in him.

Not that he didn't have the right to. They hadn't been together. She had left. But still she just couldn't believe it. This just wasn't the Ramsey that she knew. Everyone said that he was a man whore, but he had never been like that when he had been with her. She never thought it was possible. Why would he want to get back with her if he had been with Maddie while she had been gone?

"Kersey shut up!" Maddie growled.

"Not again," Bekah gasped gagging a little and pushing her friend away from her. "You little whore."

"It didn't happen! I tried to tell you guys," Maddie said shaking her head and giggling.

"Yeah you just happened to have white stuff on your mouth for no reason when you came back from the bathroom with Ramsey at the club," Amber muttered under her breath.

"Guys I swear," Maddie yelled back.

"I won't hate you this time," Bekah slurred pointing her finger at Maddie.

"Come on. That's ancient history."

"Suuuuuure," Kersey said as they entered the hotel lobby.

Lexi numbly followed them into the elevator up to their floor. She had blocked out the remainder of their conversation. She couldn't even think properly. She couldn't confront them to find out if it was true. They were too drunk to be lying about it. And she was too drunk to question their comments. All she wanted to do was to crash in her hotel room and block out the entire night.

The next morning she woke up with a killer headache and an upset stomach. None of the other girls felt up to breakfast, and just directed the limo to take them back into town. The only good part about all of them being hungover was that none of them wanted to talk. They just wanted to lie back against the cold leather seats and rest their eyes. She was the first person to be dropped off, and was so thankful to be out of the car and away from the four blonde bitches. Lexi grabbed her bag from the trunk and stomped up the stairs to Ramsey's apartment.

Ramsey was standing next to the coffee maker when she walked in. He looked as gorgeous as ever in a flimsy green t-shirt and khaki shorts. His smile lit up as she entered the room. "Hey how was the party? I didn't hear from you last night," Ramsey said cheerfully turning to face her.

The glare on her face was enough to tell all. "I can't believe you convinced me to go to that," she growled hoisting her bag over her shoulder and stomping into the room. She tossed her bag at the foot of the couch and sank into the material.