Was she going to end up like her mother, unloved and alone and miserable while trying to raise a child? Watching the man she loved move on to someone else? God, now she was just making herself crazy.
“Here you go,” the cabdriver said.
“Thank you,” she murmured and paid him, and went into her building. It wasn’t until she got into her apartment and kicked her flats off that she dared to look at her phone.
No texts from Asher.
***
Gretchen: I’m looping all my bridesmaids in on this text conversation because I feel we should all be on the same page. And that page is the Cabbage Soup Diet.
Taylor: The cabbage soup diet?
Brontë: Shakespeare says “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” Gretchen. It doesn’t matter what you look like.
Gretchen: I’m hearing blah blah blah from all you normal-sized girls.
Chelsea: Wait, are you telling me to diet? Seriously?
Gretchen: You guys, I’m on day three and I’ve already lost four pounds. This is great! And no, you skinny bitches can suck it. I need to diet. I’m just sharing my joy.
Audrey: Can you guys take me off this loop? I’m at work and I don’t need my phone going off constantly. Will email u later sis. Kisses.
Gretchen: Fine. I took her off. Doesn’t anyone want to hear about the miracle of this diet?
Chelsea: I assume it involves cabbage and soup? Sebastian just told me I’m not allowed. And I have a bout on Friday and need my protein. So I’m out.
Gretchen: Only one day is cabbage soup! The first day is all fruit and the second is vegetables!
Taylor: So why can’t this be called the fruit, vegetable, and soup diet?
Chelsea: More like cabbage poop diet.
Taylor: Ha!
Taylor: And are you really going to stay on nothing but fruits and vegetables until your wedding?
Gretchen: I don’t know! Greer’s the bridal expert. Greer, where are you? Do you know of any good crash diets for pre-wedding bloat?
Oh god, right now she did not want to be talking about food or diets or even weddings. She curled up miserably on her couch and texted them back.
Greer: Guys can you take me off the loop, too? I’m sorry. I’m just struggling right now.
Gretchen: Oh no, what’s wrong?
Taylor: Do you need a drive-by delivery of pizza and/or chocolate?
Chelsea: :( Do you need me to elbow-check someone?
Brontë: The antidote for 50 enemies is one friend.
Gretchen: Seriously do you have a book of these, Bron?
Brontë: I’m good at memorizing. :)
Gretchen: Anyhow, spill it, Greer, or you’re going to have a bunch of women show up on your doorstep.
Taylor: OMG we can be her squad.
Chelsea: Yes! Squad goals!
Greer laughed despite herself. Her friends were insane, but it felt better knowing she had a posse of people she could pour her heart out to at any time. She thought for a moment, and then texted back.
Greer: You know how the whole two wrongs don’t make a right thing exists? I just did wrong number two and I’m feeling terrible about it.
Gretchen: Spill the beans. We need deets.
Greer: It’s too much to text. Let’s just say that Asher bribed my dad to get him to put on a wedding so I could manage it and he could be around me, so now I’m sending his ex to spy on him and see if he wants to be with me.
Greer: I guess that wasn’t too much to text after all.
Chelsea: !! You sent Donna?
Taylor: Wait, he put together the whole wedding thing just so he could be around you?
Greer: Yup.
Taylor: I don’t know if that’s sweet or crazy.
Gretchen: OMG I AM SO PISSED AT HIM. Does he know how much I have needed you in the last month? I am kicking his ass. I had to taste my own damn cakes!!! There is no cake on cabbage soup diet!
Brontë: I . . . also think it’s kind of sweet. But I married a manipulator of my own. :)
Chelsea: Aw, I was kind of hoping Bron-Bron would have a quote about liars being great in bed or some shit.
Brontë: I’m mostly familiar with the classics, and I don’t think Aristotle said a lot about liars being great in bed.
Taylor: Socrates?
Gretchen: Can we focus on the wounded party here? IE me? I’ve been without my wedding planner for the past month because your dad’s wedding is a fucking fake?
Greer: It is apparently being done for publicity and the fact that Asher bribed him.
Taylor: Aww, for you? <3 <3
Gretchen: Taylor, shaddup. This is still NOT CUTE.
Chelsea: So . . . you’re throwing Donna at him?
Greer: I have to know if he really wants me.
Chelsea: I just worry you’re going to get hurt, Greer.
Greer: I’m already hurt. I just need to know if the wound is survivable.
Chelsea: :(
Greer: I can’t trust what he says, not right now. This is the only way I’ll know. I give him what I think he wants the most and if he gives it up to be with me, then I know he really wants me.
Taylor: This sounds like it’s going to backfire spectacularly.
Greer: Yeah, it does. Which is why I’m having a nervous breakdown.
Taylor: That does it. I’m on my way over with pizza!
Greer: Don’t you have a raid or something?
Chelsea: She always has a raid.
Taylor: I’m making Loch play my toon. It’s going to be awful but I told him if he fucks up bad to pull the cord out of the router and pretend a power outage. Coming over with pizza!
Greer smiled despite her misery. Her friends were awesome. She really was lucky to have such wonderful support. Count on them to cheer her up when she was down and have her back no matter what terribly shady things she was up to.