Born to Die - Drew Starkey

8. Drew

Juliette was typing sadly on her phone after our talk with Marshall.

She was still sitting on Marshall's couch. Marshall left a couple of minutes ago and I'd been reading through the packet he gave us.

"Who are you texting that's made your forehead all wrinkled?" I set the papers down on the desk and crossed my arms, leaning my hips on the desk.

She reached her hand up to her forehead with worry and rubbed it. "No one."

I raised my eyebrows at her and she groaned.

"Corey."

"Corey?" I coughed out. "Corey? Corey, your ex?"

She nodded sadly, staring at the phone as I heard another text come in.

"What's he saying?"

She rolled her eyes and shook it off.

"Seriously, what's he saying?"

She simply held out her phone for me to look at and I quickly took it.

Wow.

It was weeks worth of texts from him about how she abandoned him and changed her entire life after they broke up. Weeks worth of him begging her to respond to him, which she only had a couple of times.

"Block him, what the fuck?" I scoffed, coming upon the photo of her and I that he'd screenshotted off that news article.

"I'm scared if I do that he'll... show up or something."

I gawked at her. "That's insane. He wouldn't do that."

"You don't know him like I do," she sighed, taking her phone back from me. "One time we were in Whole Foods and I was talking to this cashier and Corey threatened that if he talked to me again he'd hurt him. The poor kid was like seventeen. I went back later by myself and apologized on his behalf."

"You shouldn't have to apologize for his immature behavior."

"I know that. I just didn't want this kid to feel scared," she shrugged. "And then another time, my sister's boyfriend invited me and my brother over for dinner and Corey thought I'd hookup with his roommate. Corey stormed in and the door latch broke. He refused to pay for the repairs so then I had to."

My jaw was practically down on the floor and I shook my head. "That's crazy."

She shrugged. "That's Corey."

"And you broke up with him because...?" I teased her.

She rolled her eyes. "Hence my man hiatus. Yet he won't stay out of my life. I don't know what to do."

"Block him," I said seriously. "If he happens to show up here, just come to one of us. He's not allowed on set anyway, so just don't leave set alone."

She shrugged. "Yeah. I guess."

Her phone chimed again and her forehead wrinkled again.

"Jesus," she whispered.

"Give it," I held out my hand and she gave me the phone.

Corey Willis

Stop pretending like I'm the problem

I tried to remember something a girl would say and thought back to rejections I'd gotten in the past

*blocked*

"There," I handed it back to her.

"You blocked him?"

I nodded cheerily. "You're welcome."

She checked her watch and stood up. "I've got to get going."

"You doing something later?" I asked.