Page 9 of Lightning Angel
But her mother deserved it, didn’t she?
Alexa ignored the voice and focused solely on the burden lifting off her shoulders.
As though ending things with Jude was the best decision she’d ever made.
3
Mystery Guy
Alexa stood in front of her cherry-wood dresser, staring at her reflection. She tapped her foot impatiently on the floorboard, waiting for her best friend to pick up, with the phone pressed to her ear.
Daphne didn’t answer.
Alexa called her again.
Just before the last bell, Daphne’s voice sang from the other end of the line. “It’s been a long day without you my friend, and I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.”
Alexa’s stoic expression in the mirror cracked with a small smile. “That’s the problem, my friend, I can’t wait to see you again—that is tomorrow morning at school—to tell you the drama that unfolded in my unfortunate life just an hour ago.”
“What?” Daphne asked with a bitten laugh.
Alexa wrapped her free arm around herself. “What would you say if I told you that I was dating my—long-lost? secret?—step-brother all these months?”
Daphne was silent for an immeasurable moment before she exploded with, “What?”
Alexa released the breath through her nose. “Jude and I broke up.”
“Not a surprise, but… Lexi! Whatever did you mean bythat?” Daphne dropped her voice in a dramatic whisper, obviously in disbelief.
“He’s my mother’s step-son, son of the… the-the—” she swallowed the cuss word burning at the tip of her tongue with utter difficulty— “themanshe ran away with. And I’m so ticked off right now, so distract me before I turn my room into a wreck,” she gritted out, her words venomous and dripping in frustration.
“Okay, alright. Just take adeepbreath,” Daphne instructed, her words slow and cautious, and Alexa heard her take a deep breath.
“I tried, Daph—”
“Withme, Lex. Come on. Do it,” Daphne urged. “Deepbreaths…”
Alexa clenched her jaw and breathed in through her nose, and exhaled.
“How does that feel?”
“A tad better,” she answered honestly, surprised that sheactuallyfelt a tad better.
“Alright now, where is Cass?”
“She’s on a date with Brandon—”
“She left you behind when you’re about to tear your room apart?” Daphne exclaimed.
“Oh, if only you knew my sister.” Alexa rolled her eyes. “She almost swore not to leave my side, but she had promised Brandon a date, so I reminded her that she better keep her word. Trust me. I practically pushed her out of the house when she and Brandon tried to get me to go with them. I didn’t want to intrude on their time together,andI wanted to be alone.”
“So you can tear apart your room by the time Cass returns,” Daphne said sarcastically, just before her voice grew serious. “Now, tell me everything from the beginning.”
As much as Alexa preferred forgetting what happened and never having to relive the memory, she knew it couldn’t be done before she had spilled everything to her only best friend—best friend besides her sister. She put Daphne on speaker and set the phone on the dresser before pacing back and forth near it as she poured her fury.
Every gasp,what, andhow dare hefrom Daphne only fuelled the flame of her building hatred toward the boy she had not loved but cared for.
Alexa ended the venting with an exasperated, “Distract me!”