CAMBRIA

THIRTY-SEVEN

She was numb. Completely numb. Jackson had hurt her in the past but nothing could compare to the hurt she was feeling now.

For days she tortured herself, trying to pinpoint exactly where everything had went wrong. She blamed herself, which she shouldn't have done, but she couldn't help it. All she had wanted was Jackson. He asked her to choose him and she did. And now, she lost both of them.

For days she didn't leave the house. Mara and Hailey concluded her inconsolable. She thought she'd never be okay again. And then somehow Mara convinced her to go out with them. They force-fed her tequila until she no longer had any coherent thoughts, especially pertaining to Jackson Harding.

She wore a skimpy black dress and heavy eye makeup. They went to the bar where they danced to the music and ordered more drinks. And then, not even an hour later, as she was standing at the bar waiting for another drink, she spotted Jackson's brother.
"Kyle?"
He turned to face her. "Cambria, hey, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here with my friends," she gestured to Hailey and Mara.
"I've never seen you here before."
"Do you come here often or something?"
"Uh, yeah. This is my place."
"Oh, really?"
"Mhm. Jackson never mentioned it?"
"Nope. He did not."
"What's happening with you guys anyways?"
"Absolutely nothing."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly that."
"I thought you guys were dating."
She laughed. "No. Definitely not. I think I might hate him."
At this, he smirked. "Girls only say that about guys they love."
"Fuck off."
"Can I buy you a drink?"

They moved to a table in the corner to talk privately. He bought her drink after drink. And then they did shots. At one point he asked if she wanted to smoke a joint, so they headed outside.

Kyle lit the joint and passed it to her. "I thought you were going to become my sister-in-law."
She inhaled, then blew out the smoke. "I don't buy that."
"It's true. We all thought you guys were bound to end up together."
"Don't tell me that."
"What'd he do this time?"
"I really don't want to talk about your brother right now."
"Hmm. Okay. I have a better question." He took the joint from her, put it between his lips and inhaled. "What would Jackson say if I brought you home tonight?"
Cambria was on fire, delighted by the question. "Why don't we find out?"

_______

The next morning, she awoke in Kyle's bed. When she left the Harding residence nearly one week ago, she didn't expect to be back here so soon. Especially under such circumstances.

She felt a lot of things, but regret was not one of them. She wanted to hurt Jackson like he had hurt her.

Light streamed in through the curtains as she opened her eyes. Her head was throbbing, a clear indication that she drank far more than she should have. Kyle was behind her, arm draped over her waist. She thought back to the night before, stumbling through the door; his hands in her hair, his mouth on hers.

She thought of Jackson the entire time.

As if summoned, the door to Kyle's bedroom opened, and in walked Jackson.
He looked over at the two of them in bed, the sheets barely covering their naked bodies, and said, "nice," before walking back out.
Cambria was stunned. He must have seen her shoes at the front door.
She gently shook Kyle until he awoke. "Good morning," he breathed lazily.
"Your brother just walked in here."
"Which one?"
"Who do you think."
He blinked once. "Did he say anything?"
"Nice."
Kyle seemed completely unbothered by this. "You want coffee?" He stood and began pulling on a pair of sweatpants.
"I should go."
"Are you hungry? I can make bacon."
Her stomach was in knots. There would be no eating.
"That's okay." She extricated herself from the bed, covertly covering her body as she grabbed her dress from the floor. "Actually, can I borrow some clothes?"
"Yeah, sure." He scoured through his dresser drawer, then handed her a baggy t-shirt and a pair of Nike shorts.
"Thanks."

They exited Kyle's bedroom and headed down the hallway, down the stairs. The house was eerily quiet. Too quiet for a Sunday morning.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.
"Mom and dad are at the cottage. No idea about everyone else."
Cambria was grateful that Leanne and Dave were not here to witness this. The shame was tangible.
They reached the foyer and Kyle opened the front door as Cambria struggled to get her shoes on.
"I had fun last night," he said to her.
She smiled up at him, trying not to vomit. "Me too."
"Can I see you again?"
Just then, Jackson appeared. He walked directly to his brother and punched him in the face.
Cambria jumped backwards, covering her mouth with her hands.
Kyle recovered from the blow, then wound his fist back and returned the favor, hitting Jackson square in the jaw.
Jackson came back and tackled Kyle, both falling to the ground.
"Stop, both of you!" Cambria tried to pull them apart but was not successful.
Landon and Victoria materialized and ran towards their brothers, struggling to separate them. They got hold of Kyle and yanked him away, just as Cambria pulled Jackson, who toppled backwards on top of her.
"You're a piece of shit," Jackson spat at Kyle.
"Go fuck yourself."
Jackson stood, then walked out the front door, slamming it behind him.
Cambria took one last look at Kyle – a farewell – then followed Jackson out.
He was walking down the driveway. "Where are you going?" she called out to him.
He turned around to face her. "What do you want?"
She caught up to him and they stood face-to-face. "You mad?"
He laughed. "You fucked my brother."
"So?"
"So? Is your goal to fuck every one of us? Cause congratulations, you only have one left."
"Why does it matter who I sleep with? Why do you care?"
"I don't."
"You don't. Ha! That's gold, Jackson. Your reaction says otherwise."
"You're just a whore."
"Fuck you. I thought you didn't want me."
"I don't."
"Good, then you shouldn't have a problem with it."
"I really don't get you."
"What is there to get? You ruined us. You ruined everything. You sabotaged my relationship with Finn. Told me we'd be together. Then you went and fucked everything up. This is your fault."
"So you fuck my brother to spite me? How noble of you."
"Don't spin this on me as if I'm the bad guy. You're the bad guy. This is just collateral."
"Keep telling yourself that."
"I can do whatever I want."
"Yeah, you can."
"Does it bother you? That I fucked your brother?" She took a step closer. "That he touched my skin, felt every part of my body that you have? Does that make you jealous?"
He held her gaze, not saying a word.
"I hope it hurts," she said. "I hope this hurts you as much as you hurt me."
"Are you proud of yourself? Do you feel accomplished?"
"Yeah, I do."
He laughed and shook his head. "This is low, even for you."
"You think this is low? Don't test me, Jackson. I can always go lower."

And with that, she left, Jackson in her wake.