Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57675 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 288(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57675 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 288(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Okay, Wanda’s really not making any sense now. This is a huge city, and there’s no way my erratic dating could possibly be depleting the pool.
“Wan, hold on,” I say, trying to calm her down. “Listen to yourself …”
But she cuts me off.
“No, you listen,” she hisses. “You have everything, Bethany, everything! And I have nothing! You have a beautiful baby boy, whereas no man will even come within ten feet of me. You got pregnant, whereas my ovaries are drying up as we speak. And now? Instead of getting a diagnosis of a loose pussy, you hook up with two hot doctors and are seeing them on a serious basis? What. The. FUCK!?!?” she screams into the phone. “I hate you!”
Then she hangs up, and I stare at my cell phone in shock. The silence rings around me, and I can’t believe what just happened. Clearly, this woman has issues. The person whom I thought was my best friend has literally been eaten up by jealousy this entire time. She thinks that I’m stealing all the men in the world, despite the fact that I’ve been on a string of bad dates just like everyone else. She’s envious because I got pregnant, whereas guys won’t even show up to meet her in person. Most of all, she hates my guts for being in a relationship with two handsome, successful men.
I want to scream “what the fuck?” right back at her. Is our friendship a complete lie? Has she been seething with envy for years now, watching as I made my way through life? Were all her platitudes and overtures of friendship fake? Have I been duped?
My heart hurts just thinking about it. After all, I truly thought Wanda was my best friend. I’ve thought that for years now. She always doted over Danny, and listened to my stories on repeat. She always seemed zany and wacky, but not so much so that it was clinically troubling. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe I misjudged things.
After all, why isn’t she taking a look at herself? Why doesn’t she tone down the wild clothes and Pippi Longstocking hair if she wants to be more successful on the dating market? Even more, why doesn’t she look inside her soul, and do a hard assessment of her likability? Wanda could use some major toning down when it comes to her opinions. Guys don’t really want to argue about gun control, abortion, and women’s rights all on the first date. And even if they do, they don’t want it to end in a flaming fight with epithets being hurled at them by some crazy bitch they only just met.
So why can’t Wanda do that kind of self-assessment? I don’t have an answer, but my recommendation is that she needs therapy, bad. Clearly, this is beyond my purview, and she needs the assistance of a professional. My head hurts and my heart pounds with the drama that just went down. Wanda is, or rather was, a dear friend, and I’m shocked by the revelation that she’s hated me this entire time without reservation.
But even more, I’m concerned about my relationship with Ryder and Ranger. They think I was insanely stupid for talking with someone who’s an investigative journalist about the beginnings of our relationship. Was I foolish to do that? Did I over-share, even if at that time I thought Wanda was my best friend? I’m not sure, but all I know is that my heart’s breaking at the thought that our relationship might be over.
22
Ranger
It’s been a tough couple days. My stomach’s been roiling and my chest is tight at what’s happened. Bethany told her friend how she met us, and then that friend, who also happened to be a reporter, blabbed to the world. What the fuck? How did this happen?
The good part is that no one seems to have put two and two together quite yet. We thought that there would be reporters swarming our practice the next morning, demanding to know about this patient that we allegedly took advantage of. But instead, it’s been quiet. No one’s come by, and in fact, everything’s business as usual.
Of course, Bethany hasn’t come into work. She called in sick, and the staff accepted her excuse of a tummy bug. Ryder and I know better though. We were cruel to her about this entire situation, and she’s avoiding us.
Frankly, I feel sick about the way that we treated her. Sure, at first we were incensed when we found out that she’d shared our story with a someone who also happened to be an investigative reporter. Didn’t she realize the jeopardy she was putting us in? But thinking back, maybe it wasn’t so bad. Bethany never expected to be used as a pawn, and what happened was completely unexpected.