“Why didn’t you say so sooner? I’m happy; congratulations, babe.”

“Congratulations, Mal! God, imagine we’re doing this shit at one in the morning. Let’s head back to the house; we need to celebrate this occasion,” Nella said.

We all headed back to the house; we left Macy there. I honestly didn’t expect her to behave that way. When we went to the house, Nella and Chris got more alcohol. We were sitting and talking. Aleck was sitting beside me.

“So, who’s the lucky guy? How long have you guys been dating?” Rea asked. Mallory smiled but looked ashamed.

“Come on, Mal,” Nella said.

“We’ve been dating since college. You guys know him,” she said quietly. I was looking at everyone; Dean looked uninterested, so did Aleck, and Chris just looked confused. I looked at Andrew, and he looked ashamed.

I jumped up. “Oh my fucking god! You two sneaks!” I said, looking at Mallory; she nodded.

“Congratulations, Andrew!” I said, hugging him.

“Wait, wait, wait, hold the fuck up. I hung out with you a month ago, and you didn’t say shit. Congratulations, man! I’m happy for you guys,” Chris said, grabbing Andrew.

“Thanks, guys. It just happened, and we let it happen. We didn’t want anyone to know, so we just acted like normal,” Andrew said.

“Congratulations. It’s okay; we don’t care. As long as you and Mallory are happy, then we’re happy for you two,” Dean said, shaking his hand.

“We wanted everyone here because we need bridesmaids and groomsmen. Also, I need a maid of honor,” Mallory said, looking at me. I looked at Rea and Nella.

“Nope, not me,” Nella said.

“Yeah, I’m not it. Maid of honor is a big fucking job, so no. Have fun, Layla,” she said, laughing.

“Will you be my matron of honor, Layla?” Mallory asked, squeezing my hand.

“Okay. Thank you for trusting me,” I said, hugging her.

“Dean, you’re the best man,” Andrew said, looking at him.

“Okay. Have you started making wedding plans yet?” Aleck asked.

“No, we wanted to let you guys know first,” Mallory said.

“Okay. Just tell Layla what you want, Mallory, and we’ll handle everything,” Dean said.

“Guys, that’s not necessary,” Andrew said.

“Shut up; you don’t get a say. Your friends are billionaires. You’ve been our friend since freshman year, so let us do this,” Aleck said, taking a drink from his beer.

We saw Macy walk up the stairs. “Layla, I’m sorry for everything I said.” I didn’t look at her; I saw Nella and Rea shaking their heads.

“You can’t blame me; it’s just the way you are, always around them,” Macy said.

“Don’t speak to her. There’s nothing you could say that can explain your behavior,” Dean said.

“See, even now you’re defending her,” she said.

“I guess growing up rich has made you fucking stupid, Macy. Leave us alone; we don’t want you here,” Nella said.

“I’m going to bed. Dean, Aleck, stop drinking; you guys have had enough. It’s already late; why don’t we all get some rest, and we’ll talk tomorrow?” I said, standing up.

“Night, guys,” Rea said, following me.

“You’re truly fucking insane. Whoever my brother is fucking is his business. I’m glad it isn’t fucking you. Get your shit; I want you out of here before sunrise,” he said.

I looked at Dean; he didn’t say anything, he just kept staring at me. When I could no longer hear their voices, I removed his hands from my waist, but he grabbed me, pulling me back into him.

“Dean, come on, let go. You’re drunk.”

“No, I’m not. You’ve changed. You’ve become more beautiful with all these tattoos.” His warm breath sent a shiver throughout my body. I couldn’t handle this. I pulled his hands away and walked away for a split second. I thought I heard him say “fuck” and then groan. What the hell was up with him? He had to be really drunk to act like that.

When I walked up the patio stairs, Macy was sitting there.

“Where’s Dean? Where were you? You were fucking, weren’t you?” she asked.

I don’t know what came over me, but I punched her in the mouth. I guess her yelling was loud enough because I heard windows opening. I saw Aleck walk out and put her suitcase in front of her. Dean walked out a few seconds later.

“You fucking hit me!” she yelled.

“Yes, I did. Maybe it’s the alcohol, or maybe I’m just tired of you yelling in my fucking face every single time that I’m fucking Dean. What the fuck can you do if I was actually fucking him? Answer? What can you do? Jesus fucking Christ!”

“Every single time, you’re fucking each other, you’re sleeping with each other. Give it a fucking rest.” I looked at Dean and Aleck.

“THIS. THIS IS WHY WE CAN NO LONGER BE FUCKING FRIENDS!” I yelled, walking into the house and straight up to the room. Once there, I sat behind the door and cried. I was tired; we were just here for one day, and it all went to shit. I heard a knock; I stood up and opened the door. Mallory didn’t say anything; she just came in and held me and let me cry.

After I calmed down, she looked at me. “Are you better now?” “I’m sorry for the way I reacted, but I’m just tired of hearing everyone say shit like that. I care about them, and hearing people say stuff like that makes me want to stay away from them. I can’t even be who we used to be.”

“Hey, Macy doesn’t matter, okay? I, Andrew, Rea, Nella, and Chris, we know you guys, and we know the truth. Never be afraid to be around them like you were, okay?” she said, hugging me.

“Thanks, Mal.”