My Best Friend Used Me, Now She Pays novel · Chapter 11 of 24

Chapter 11: Collection

"No," I said.

Kyla's hand was still out, palm up, waiting for the green book.

"No to which part?"

"All of it."

I opened the ledger on the hood of her Audi, flat under the light of the deck lamp.

Her note sat there in pink-pen loops, with its little heart.

I took my pen from my dress pocket, where I'd put it out of habit, and drew one straight line through it.

Then I wrote underneath, in my own square hand.

Terms refused.

Kyla watched me with her head tilted.

"You can't refuse," she said. "You don't have an alternative. You have a clinic with a bad knee in a strip mall."

"I have my name."

"Your name's worth nothing. It's a Corolla with a cracked bumper."

"That's the nicest thing you've said about me all night."

She laughed, a real one, surprised out of her.

Then she stopped.

"You're going to try to win," she said slowly. "God, you actually are."

"I'm going to collect."

"Collect what? We're not in debt, Nini. I'm trying to be generous."

"You called me at 2:07 for a phone charger."

Her face didn't change.

"I want three things back," I said. "I want my name on my work. I want the hours I spent on you, written down where people can read them. And I want you to say one true sentence in front of the people who watched you steal it."

"Which sentence?"

"You'll know."

"I'll never say it."

"Then I'll collect it anyway."

I closed the book and put it under my arm.

She didn't stop me.

Over the lip of the deck, the lights of Dayton spread out like spilled coins, and somewhere a train was rolling.

"You'll be crawling by July," Kyla said pleasantly. "Come find me when you are. I'll still be kind."

← Chapter 10 · All chapters · Chapter 12 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend