Chapter 77
Maria looked at me, confused. “What was that about?”
Dylan stormed into the hall. He had seen Logan walk out here just moments before. He debated whether he should go look for him or wait for him to return.
Luckily he didn’t have to debate long. Logan appeared at the end of the long, dark hall. Dylan stomped over to him.
“Oh, Dylan!” Logan said, then noticed the look on his face. “What’s going on?”
“You need to stop ignoring Hazel,” Dylan snapped.
“What are you talking about?”
“She told me she tried to talk to you and you blew her off. When she tried talking to you about the situation with that Peter guy you blew her off. You treat her like shit and she…” he shook his head, unable to finish the thought. He thought of the way he’d seen Hazel look at Logan, and the way she hugged him. He couldn’t understand why she did when Logan treated her like this.
1 can’t talk to her tonight, Natalie…” Logan started to protest.
“Oh, fuck Natalie. What has she ever actually done for you? I’ll wait.”
Logan struggled to think of something, but when he couldn’t, he said, “I’m not with her for what she can do for me. I want to make her happy, and keeping my distance from Hazel is one way to do that.
Whatever Hazel has to say to me can wait.”
Dylan scoffed. “You’re a goddamn idiot.”
He stormed off towards the bathrooms, hitting Logan’s shoulder hard with his own as he passed.
Logan clenched his fists and watched Dylan walk away. He pictured himself going after Dylan and punching him in the face, but he didn’t want to ruin his own party. He took several deep breaths instead, trying to calm down.
I waited near the entrance of the balloon tunnel with Maria, watching for either Dylan or Logan to return. But I was too anxious to wait for long. I looked around and spotted Natalie standing with one of the board members. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere else. He turned for a moment, and I watched Natalie take that opportunity to scurry away to the drink table.
“I’m going to talk to Natalie,” I told Maria.
“What are you going to say?”
That was a good question. I didn’t know. I just knew my anxiety was through the roof and I needed to be doing something, anything to fix this. “…will figure it out on the way over.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Maria offered. This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.
“No, but if I start blinking SOS in morse code at you, comme save me,” I said and started walking away.
“You got it,” Maria called after me.
I walked up to Natalie, who had just set down an empty champagne glass and picked up a full one.
“Nat, can we talk?” I said.
She snorted at me. “Don’t you have a desk to pack up?”
I took a deep breath, struggling to keep my cool. “I just want to work out some sort of compromise with you. Some way I can still work here and we both be happy.”
“Hmm,” she said, taking a sip of her drink. “I don’t think that’s possible, because if you’re anywhere near my man I won’t be happy.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Nat, please, think about someone other than yourself for once in your gd life.” My anxiety had quickly turned to anger and I wasn’t able to keep myself composed anymore.
Natalie didn’t say a word. She gave me a fake smile, then before I could register what was happening, she lifted her glass of champagne and dumped it out on top of my head.