17.

17.

 

  “I’m surprised you picked up.” Levi told her.

     “Me, too.” Parrish responded through the phone.

     “It’s been a few days. Four…”

     “I know.”

     “And you never picked up. Not once… and never called me, either.”

     Parrish stayed silent.

     “I know you’re still upset about what happened the day you left.”

     “Yeah.”

     “Nothing happened between me and Dana…”

     “I just don’t understand why you continue to do this. You know Dana, of all people, is such a touchy subject… and you just keep doing the same thing like how I feel doesn’t matter.”

     “She’s just my friend. What do you want me to do? Tell her we can’t be friends anymore?”

     “No. I want you to act like you have a girlfriend. But you can’t do that, can you?”

     “Here we go again.” Levi said, getting annoyed. “You act like you’ve never done anything wrong in this relationship.”

     “I never said I’ve done nothing wrong. I know I have.”

     “Like… texting all of those other girls, flirting with them.”

     “Yeah, after you did the same thing.”

     “I did not!”

     “Okay, so having naked pictures from Tammy in your phone doesn’t qualify? And neither does texting Domonica things like, ‘Baby, come sit on my lap’ and to Crystal, ‘Daddy misses you’?” Parrish began. “Telling me s**t like, ‘I wish Bryn was here. She was a really good girlfriend’… that doesn’t qualify either, right? Or the night you called me when you were drunk. When you told me you were on your way home from Dana’s house because if you didn’t leave then, the two of you were gonna have sex!”

     “Oh, shut up, Parrish.”

     “No. You need to listen!” Parrish yelled. “You don’t own up to any of these things. I know I shouldn’t have been flirting with those other girls. But I did it because at least I was getting attention from someone even though it should have been you.”

     “That’s no excuse!”

     “Neither is, ‘I was drunk’!”

     “At least I was honest!”

     “Whatever.”

     “Unlike you. You love keeping secrets! Just like that secret you told me last month? Remember that one, Parrish?”

     “Stop it.”

     “It’s so funny how you yell at me for this s**t, but you can keep being raped from someone you’re sexually involved with.”

     Parrish’s entire face became hot.

     “Stop it!”

     “I mean honestly, Parrish. What if you had given me something?”

     “It happened over three years ago! I got tested and checked and everything was fine!” Parrish said, feeling her strength beginning to weaken. She felt tears beginning to develop in her eyes.

     “You of all people should know I want to stay clean. I don’t need to catch anything.”

     Parrish grew quiet letting Levi’s words absorb into her. Levi had said some very hurtful things before, but this was by far the worst.

     “Now I understand why Gemini cheated on you and left you for your friend. I’m sure the b***h she’s with now doesn’t pull s**t like this.”

     Just when Parrish thought she’d heard the worst of it, she was proven wrong.

     “Hello?!” Levi said into the phone moments after. “Hello?”

     There were so many things Parrish wanted to say to Levity that day. Instead, she said nothing and hung up the phone. And when the phone rang numerous times later on, she continuously ignored the sound.