After realizing that I needed to leave Magnolia Proper to find a decent place to get a drink, I drove down to the next closest restaurant that I thought I could lay low at while sipping on a cocktail.

I was walking into Applebees when I see a single text from Bellamy come through. Surprised to see her break from the group chat, I quickly open my phone to see what she wrote on the sly.

Bellamy: You look hot. I know you were struggling with moving on from Mark when you left here, but I just wanted to tell you that you deserve to have fun, make mistakes and live a little. You no longer have to worry about his reputation or your actions having repercussions on a national level. I know Drew was giving you shit about shitty chain restaurant alcohol, but get it girl!!

I smile and then send her three hearts back. I'm glad to know we are states apart but she still has my back. She was who I went to after I found out about Mark's affairs and let me stay at her place in Malibu until I was ready to face him. She seemed almost as furious as I was when she found out about his flings. I was worried she might be the one to kill him.

After the hostess waves me to the bar, I find a spot on the end and slide onto the barstool. I felt the stares as I strutted across the restaurant and I am definitely the only one here in a nice dress with curled hair. I am grateful that the bartender is a no-nonsense older woman who doesn't give me a second glance as she asks, "What can I get ya?"

I look over the sticky plastic happy hour menu and all their featured drinks seem like sugar in a hurricane glass.

"Um, do you have a wine list?"

"No, but I can tell you what we got."

"Okay."

"Red or white."

"Um, the red list, please."

She shakes her head and I can tell her patience is wearing thin.

"No, there is no list. We just have one red available right now."

I blink, my shock probably displayed clearly on my face.

"Is it a Pinot?"

"Cab, Sutter Farms."

Oh god. I desperately wanted a glass of wine but am not desperate enough to drink Sutter Farms. Donna's wine would probably make me feel less shitty.

"Okay, um what is the white option?"

"White Zin. Sutter Farms."

"Okay, no. Um, can I just do a vodka soda please?"

"House okay?"

If Sutter Farms is their wine option, I can't imagine what their house vodka is.

"No, do you have Absolut? Or hell, Tito's?"

"We got Absolut, it just won't be five dollars," she says and I can't believe a vodka soda here was only going to be five dollars!

"That's fine." I tell her and then she waves her hand at me and says, "I.D."

I forgot about DuBois still being my legal last name and hope she doesn't notice. I guess it's also on the credit card I am going to pay with too.

She barely even glances at it thankfully and then waltzes away to go pour my drink. I slide my phone out and text Finn.

Me: Did you know you can drink for $5 here?!

I send a photo of the menu and notice there are wonton tacos under appetizers that are only five hundred calories. I have been eating nothing but avocado toast and apple slices so the picture makes my mouth water.

I feel the stool next to me slide out so I look over and notice a girl that looks to be about my age slide into it. She whips her gaze over to me as she adjusts her jacket and her eyes widen.

"Sadie?"

I take the blue-eyed, raven-haired girl in and would recognize that perfect porcelain skin anywhere.

"Alyssa?" I ask and she's suddenly throwing her arms around me.

"Oh my god, why are you here?"

"I wasn't really in the mood for a dive bar," I reply and she laughs her deep throaty laugh and waves a hand at me.

"No, not here, in Magnolia I mean. Shit, I never thought I'd see you again," she says in disbelief. "I follow you and Mark on Insta, aren't you supposed to be in L.A? Or Somewhere far more fabulous than here?"

Alyssa Mercer was fully aware of my dedication to chasing after Mark. She was my one friend in Magnolia and every crazy adventure I had was with her. We slowly drifted apart during the summer I was permanently attached to Mark's penis. I follow her on social media too, but she doesn't post much.

"I'm here to clean out my grandmother's house," I confess. "Just a quick drop in."

"You look good! I haven't seen this new look on your socials yet," she says as she spins a lock of my hair around her finger.

"I literally just debuted it like a half-hour ago," I tell her and as she drops her hand back, I notice her ring.

"Ah! You're married!" I gush as I tug her hand toward me.

"Yep. To Ryan Harrisburg." A face doesn't immediately flicker to mind so she adds, "Remember him? Ollie's friend who got arrested for stealing Visine from the grocery store."

"Oh my god! Yes, I do remember Ryan. He wanted to go to jail over Sadie calling his mother to tell him what he did."

"Because he was so stoned, yep. That's my Ryan."

"I feel like this marriage happened recently. Last I saw, you were with that blonde guy."

"Dustin, yeah. He left to go backpack in Costa Rica or some shit. Ryan and I reconnected and were married within six months."

The bartender drops my drink down in front of me and Alyssa asks for a Long Island. I decide to chance the tacos and put my order in too. Alyssa looks back to me and says, "Nowhere else can you get a Long Island for seven bucks."

"Is that what you are doing at Applebees at four o'clock on a Saturday night? Getting toasted off cheap drinks?" I ask and she laughs again. Alyssa has this smoker voice even though she's not a smoker, and her laugh always sounds like it's coming from deep within her chest.

"No, Ryan works behind here. He does all that heavy equipment shit on construction sites. He works some weekend shifts, so I usually come here and just wait until he's off. They share a parking lot so it's easy to meet him."

"And the drinks are cheap," I add and she nods in agreement.

"What the fuck are you doing in an Applebees at four o'clock on a Saturday night?" She asks with a light laugh, "I'm thinking you don't care about the happy hour prices."

I shake my head, "I just wanted to get out of my grandmother's stifling house." I don't mention that the attic is currently filled with rat poison and I was forced to leave.

"So you came here?"

"Like I said, I wasn't in the mood for a dive."

"Well, what the hell else have you been doing since you've been back? Seen any of the old gang?" Her Long Island is slid in front of her and she sucks a fourth of it down on her first intake.

"I saw Ollie at Squeeze. He looks different," I tell her with wide eyes.

"Yeah, little shit is still a stoner though. He and Ryan still hang out," she admits and I nod as I digest the information. "Did he hit on you? You two hooked up right?"

"Oh god, once for like three minutes," I answer before taking a large sip of my vodka.

"Best three minutes of his life probably. Who else have you seen?"

"Do you know Matty Quinn?"

She laughs, "Oh yeah, I know Matty. His mom always brings her homemade wine to get-togethers."

"I tasted that wine on Thursday. He took me to Movie on the Lawn," I say while grimacing and she laughs again.

"Wow. You went out with church boy Matty Quinn. You have changed."

"I think it was a one and done thing. He was flirting with this girl, Layla something right in front of me."

"Oh fuck, that's right I forgot about that," she says and then looks off into the distance as she recalls something.

"Forgot about what?" I ask and fully turn towards her. She flicks her short dark hair behind her shoulder and then leans into me, "That girl Layla and Matty were hooking up for a while but then her ex-boyfriend moved back to town after his dad died and she dropped Matty to go console him. They got married, but then divorced a bit later and Matty has been pining for her all these years. She's the one that got away, but I don't know why she won't go for him again."

"Well it might be because he's dating his mother," I add but am alarmed at all of this new information I learned. I think I discovered why Finn hates Matty.

"Oh yeah, those two are weirdly close." She inhales another gulp of her cocktail and while we are on the subject I decide to ask.

"Was this ex-husband Finn Weston?"

"You know Finn? Oh duh, of course you know Finn," she says like it's obvious and then shakes her head while laughing.

"What? Wait, you do know him?"

She nods, "In this small town, yeah. Finn is a little older than us so I didn't really notice him in high school. He started playing on Dustin's softball league, and I tried to go for it after Dustin and I broke things off but turns out, he doesn't do serious relationships after his divorce. I thought I'd be fine to be a one-night stand, but...he didn't go for it."

I sigh out, relieved to know he didn't hook up with Alyssa. Also interesting to know he doesn't do serious.

"Why you asking? You wanna fuck Finn?" She bluntly asks with her dark eyebrow raised high on her pale forehead. I can't hide the pink that colors my cheeks and the grin I am biting back still manages to sneak out. She laughs, "Girl, if you want a fling or a hookup- he's the place to go."

"I just think he's cute that's all," I confess but she's eyeing me like she knows that's bullshit.

"You must have guys lined up in L.A," she says with a shake of her head.

"Yeah, I didn't really want to go out with anyone that had connections to Mark. I'm done with the professional athlete world."

"God, you and Mark seemed so in love on Insta. You really can't know a person just off their social media can you," she says and then polishes off her drink.

"Yeah, you don't post much. Tell me what's new with you. Where do you live now? Where do you work?" I ask and realize I am almost done with my drink as well.

"Nothing overly exciting is happening in my world. I work at the library, checking in books and wiping snot off books, ya know that fun shit, and I live over near the art supply store, on Randall."

"Oh, nice!"

"Yeah. Pretty lame, but now that I know you're back in town..." she says as a mischievous grin spreads across her face, "Maybe things will be more lively."

A breath of a laugh escapes me.

"Oh, I dunno about that. I'm trying to lay low. Just deal with Sadie's house and then figure out where to go from there."

"A nice beach, with a cabana boy perhaps? Sling some more of that bikini line you were advertising for last summer?" She jokes and my tacos are dropped down in front of me. I am pleasantly surprised when they look like the photo and Alyssa glances down, "Those are bomb." She then plucks one of the four up and stuffs it into her mouth.

Any attempt at eating these gracefully went out the window when after the first bite, the insides fell all over the plate. Alyssa gives me a thumbs-up as she chews and I agree with her. These are bomb.

I feel my phone buzz and I get a fluttery feeling when I see Finn wrote me back.

Finn: Looks like I don't need your coordinates. Just a photo of who is trying to take you home.

I laugh and swig an arm around Alyssa. I hold my phone up and she grins with the end of a taco sticking out of her mouth. I quickly send it to Finn and while chewing Alyssa says, "Please tell me I am going on Alabama's Insta story."

I smirk, "Finn wanted to know who I was with."

"Oh shit! I would have tried to look hotter!" She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and then says, "Okay, so you're a drink deep. I can ask this-" I give her a nervous look and then she says, "So what the fuck happened with you and Mark? I mean Finn is sexy as fuck but like...you had Mark DuBois. Why are you blowing your life up? Seems to me you had it made."

I jiggle my empty at the bartender and Alyssa asks for another round too. I drop my glass down and then lean into her, debating over how honest I should be. Only Bellamy, Drew, Mark's brothers and some of his teammates fully know what went down six months ago, even though there had been problems no one knew about going on for over a year.

"Do you listen to podcasts?" I ask her and she looks at me like I just asked her the dumbest question in the world.

"Of course."

"Okay well, do you listen to Celebri-Tea? With that one woman who was on Below Deck?"

She shakes her head, "Oh I don't do the TMZ, celebrity dish shit."

"Alright, well this woman has a Reddit page where everyday people can write encounters they've had with different celebrities, good, bad and ugly and other people can fact check it, it's so dumb but I listen to it because sometimes people I know end up on there."

"God, of course you know celebrities. Have you met Tom Brady? Is he as hot in person?"

"Yes and yes. But...back to the podcast, I promise this is going somewhere," I tell her and our new drinks appear in front of us. "Okay well one week she did celebrity sex encounters and let me tell you, male country singers are cheating man whores."

"Not surprised."

"Well, the following week she did famous athlete sex encounters," I start and Alyssa stops slurping. Her eyes widen and she knows what is coming. "Someone mentioned Mark."

"Are you fucking serious?"

I nod, "Yeah, so naturally I am listening to this podcast and am shocked. Like, sitting in my closet, organizing my shoes and then hit with a grenade."

"Oh shit."

"So naturally, I pull up the Reddit page and start scrolling and there are multiple encounters on there with women who claimed to have been with Mark. They had details, Alyssa. Intimate details!"

"You found out your husband was cheating on you on a fucking podcast?" She reiterates. Completely appalled.

"Yeah, well this was all going down when the Rams were in the playoffs, so things were already tense as fuck in my house. Mark was...I knew if I approached him with this during the intense fucking weeks he was having, it would be even worse. So I sat on it. Well then they won the Super Bowl, and I still wasn't quite ready to blow apart Mark's dream so I sat on it some more, not sure I had even wanted to blow our lives apart."

"Fuck Sades."

"So anyway, the parade and fanfare finally died down and whisperings of trades were happening and I realized I didn't want to move again and start this all over. I couldn't move knowing he was cheating on me. So I went and looked on the Reddit board again to see if anything new had been posted under Mark DuBois and turns out...he had an L.A chick. I fucking lost it and confronted him."

"Did he confess?"

"Yeah, he had been sleeping around for years. I mean, Mark and I had other problems, we just finally hit our breaking point. So...then Sadie died and left me her house so I decided to do a cleanse out here. Our court date is in August and then I don't know what the fuck I am going to do."

"Damn girl..." she says staring off and sucking her drink down. "That's insane."

"I hope this can stay between us. I mean, it's kinda old news now, but...I don't need any of that attention again."

"Yeah of course."

I give her a grateful smile and we both glance down at my phone when it buzzes. She flits her ornery look up to me and then says, "Now I know why you wanna fuck Finn Weston."

"What? Why?"

She eyes me like she can't tell if I am joking. When she realizes I am clueless, she slides the straw out of her mouth.

"Oh shit, I forget you didn't go to high school here. You might not know...I thought that's what you meant when you brought him up earlier."

"I hadn't heard of Finn until recently," I admit and she laughs again.

"Oh yes, I bet you have."

"How?"

"Mark's brother Pete is the reason Finn lost his baseball scholarship to UCLA."