Follow You Down by Hot Tree Editing, K. B. Webb

never seen her flirt back. She may bat her eyes for a second, but she never shows those guys a tenth of the attention she shows me on a daily basis. I may shoot a death glare or two, but I never really get jealous seeing her parade around those guys, because she fucks me every night. It’s my name she screams when she cums at night, so there is nothing to be jealous of.
    I slip on my boots, find my favorite hat, grab my wallet and keys, and follow Logan out the front door since he’s riding with me tonight. I’m surprised to see Candice’s car parked behind my truck and her standing next to it.
    “Ugh, Lucas, you got company.” What the hell is she even doing here? Logan takes a step back inside. “I’ll wait in here till you’re ready to leave.”
    I can tell she is caught off guard a little when she hears the door slam and sees me standing outside of it.
    “Hey, Lucas. I was about to come knock on your door. Are you going somewhere?”
    “Yeah, I’m headed out right now. Why are you here, Candice?”
    She stares down at her shoes nervously, pushing up on the balls of her feet and wringing her hands. “You haven’t returned any of my calls or texts in weeks. Why?”
    She’s right. Since the first night Dani and I got together I haven’t called her at all, and I haven’t answered any of her texts or calls. I was hoping she would back off, take the hint, but I was obviously wrong. Now, I’m being confronted head on with the situation and I have no clue what I should do about it. Do I tell her the truth or feed her bullshit to spare her feelings. I have never intentionally hurt Candice. I told her what I wanted and needed from her from the moment we started hooking up in high school, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t know she feels more for me. She always has. I decide honesty is the best policy, but I also will keep a few things to myself so there is no added pain in what I’m about to say.
    “I’m sorry, Candice. I’ve just been busy, and well, I don’t know if this thing between us is a good idea anymore.”
    “Oh.” She is obviously let down, and I see a few tears run down her cheek that she quickly wipes away.
    “Please don’t cry, Candice. You know I don’t want a relationship, and I realize now that it’s not fair for me to string you along like I have for years. You deserve to be happy and with a guy who wants a real, serious relationship, with you.” I shrug my shoulders. “I’m just not that guy.”
    She lets out a sarcastic laugh. “Oh please, Lucas. Don’t feed me the old it’s not you it’s me bit. I’m smarter than that.” She pushes off my truck and takes a step toward me. “You and I both know that this has nothing to do with my feelings and everything to do with Dani Hartley.”
    “Who told you about Dani?”
    “Who do you think?” She raises her eyebrows and eyes me like I should know exactly who she’s talking about. “Nikki, of course. She told me she had seen you at breakfast with her a few weeks ago, and when we went to Ricky’s last night, she pointed Dani out as the girl you had been with.”
    Of fucking course. Nikki can never seem to keep shit to herself. She has to make everything into her business, even when it’s obviously not.
    “This doesn’t have anything to do with Dani. She’s not my girlfriend. This has to do with me not wanting to string you along anymore. I’m trying to be a good guy, Candice. Why can’t you just take this for what it is?”
    “Because you’re lying!” I have known Candice for almost ten years, and she has never yelled at me, but right now she is screaming so loudly her face is red and the vein in her neck is sticking out. “It has everything to do with her! I have been through so much shit with you, Lucas. I have stuck around even when you fucked my cousin. You are supposed to end up with me. Not some ginger bitch!”
    “You need to watch your fucking tone with me, Candice. I don’t know who you think you’re