Because, what exactly aboutpieis easy?
The one and only time I tried to bake one, it bubbled over and I ended up with a sticky, noxious layer of blueberry goop charred onto the bottom of my oven that no amount of scraping will ever remove, and set off every smoke detector in the building. The fire department actually came and evacuated everyone, it was so bad.
But I digress.
I’m nearly to the back hallway when a voice echoes through the empty passage, stopping me in my tracks.
“Going to stay at your new boyfriend’s place?”
I freeze as the sheer venom in those words hits my back and washes over me.
Ralph.
Damn.
I knew it was inevitable that we’d bump into one another — we’re neighbors, after all — but somehow, I’ve managed to avoid seeing him since the moment I ran out of the stadium the other night. I should’ve known my good luck couldn’t hold forever. Though I can’t help but think, if given the choice, I’d pick a stampede of relentless reporters over a conversation with Ralph any day of the week.
“Or did he dump you already?” he spits, his voice coming closer.
I tense, every muscle in my body poised for action as I turn to look at him. The scowl on his face intensifies as soon as our eyes catch, and I see anger flash like lightning across his features when I don’t give him the satisfaction of a response.
“What, too good to talk to me now, Gemma?” He laughs bitterly. “Think you’re better than me, because you’re letting Croft bone you?”
My hands curl into fists around the straps of my duffle. Through clenched teeth, I bite out a few angry words. “Let’s be honest, Ralph. I was always better than you. Who I’mboninghas very little to do with it.”
“Bitch,” he snarls, stepping closer. “You’ll pay for what you did to me.”
An incredulous laugh pops from my mouth. “For whatIdid toyou? Are you delusional? You’re the one who cheated on me, ignored me, pushed me around, and subjected me to quite possibly the mostboringsex in the history of sex.” My voice gets louder as my words run away with me. “Quick tip for whatever girl you decide to subject to your considerable lack of charms next: therearepositions other than missionary, Ralph!Many of them. And here’s another pointer, free of charge: treating sex like it’s a race to see who can orgasm fastest isn’t fun foranyone but you!”
His scowl darkens to a look of pure hatred and I take a step back, belatedly realizing that maybe it’s not the best idea to pick a fight with a man in a deserted hallway at nearly 10 p.m. when most of my elderly neighbors are long asleep, even if itisonly Ralph — pudgy, short, lazy Ralph. I’ve never seen him as remotely threatening before, but as he advances on me now, his face contorted with so much rage he’s nearly unrecognizable, I think maybe that was a mistake.
A big one.
“You’ve got a big mouth, Gemma. Never liked that about you, except under veryspecificcircumstances.” His eyes glint vindictively as his thinly veiled sexual innuendo hits me like a slap in the face.
Never one for subtlety, Ralph.
He takes another step forward as I retreat from him, the amount of space between us dwindling almost as rapidly as the distance between my back and the shadowy corner of the hallway — somewhere I don’t ever want to be with Ralph, but especially not now, when he looks like his hands are itching to wrap around my windpipe and squeeze until there’s no breath left in my lungs.
“That fucking video is everywhere,” he sneers. “Everyone’s seen it. My friends. The guys at work. My fuckingmother.”
I fight the urge to snapso what?at him, figuring now isn’t the best time for another taunt.
“You humiliated me on national television, Gemma. The YouTube video has millions of hits. I’m a laughing stock. They’re calling meCellphone Guyon the radio, on TV. The internet shit is even worse. I’m a fuckingmeme. And it’ll never end. It’s out there forever.” His breaths are ragged and there’s a look in his eyes I don’t like — an off-the-rails, out-of-control, downrightscarylook. “You’re gonna fucking pay, Gemma.You have to fucking pay.”
He’s threatening me — I register that plain as day. But there’s a small part of my brain still insisting that Ralph wouldn’t actuallyhurtme. Not with anything more than words, that is.
The other, more rational portion of my mind thinks otherwise, and my hand starts slowly unzipping my duffle as I pray my cellphone is somewhere near the top.
“Get away from me, Ralph, right now. Otherwise I’ll—”
“You’llwhat?Call the police?” He laughs, stepping closer. “It’ll take them a while to get here, Gemma. Too long.”
My heartbeat picks up speed as I backpedal further away from him, my hand now hurriedly rooting around my bag for the phone. “You so much as touch me, I’ll press charges. You’ll go to prison, Ralph. Your life will be over, I’ll make sure of it.”
“You already did that, Gemma, when you kissed Croft and made me a fucking fool.”
My back hits the wall and I see victory flash in his eyes, now that he’s got me cornered. Ralph’s body blocks the path in front of me, there’s a wall to my back, a closed apartment door on my right, and the exit is twenty feet down the passage to my left. I could make a run for it, but I don’t much like the idea of putting my back to him, not when he’s looking at me like that. Plus, with the duffle weighing me down, he’s probably faster than me.