Lydia

Reggie invited Jake and me over to her place one evening during the summer. She had a new boyfriend, an art student who also went to her college. His name was Rick, and they started dating two months ago.

"I think he's the second Rick I've dated in my life. By far, the best. This one's mine," Reggie warned when she introduced me to him.

I noticed he looked at me up and down. "You've got Jake. He's all yours now," she added. Reggie was never one to sugarcoat her words. She spoke her mind and feelings.

Jake shook Rick's hand.

"So, you're my girlfriend's muse," Rick commented, eyeing Jake up and down. "Nice pickings, Regg."

I didn't understand what Rick meant, and he saw the confusion in my eyes.

"Regg did a project in first semester. It's erotic art. Jake was her model," he answered my unspoken question.

"Oh?"

"You didn't tell her, Jake?" Reggie lightly swatted Jake in the arm.

Jake looked uneasy and kept his eyes up the ceiling. I let go of his hand and gave myself some breathing space from him.

"Yeah, I'll show it to you later, Lyds. I hope you're not easily offended," Reggie said.

After a few drinks and some snacks, we played some games on Reggie's PlayStation.

Jake didn't drink more than a beer and watched my drink intake. When Reggie offered more alcohol, Jake raised his left eyebrow at me, slightly shaking his head.

"Just a soda," I said to Reggie.

After a while, Reggie went outside to smoke a joint. She asked Jake and me if we'd like to join her and Rick.

"No, we're good," Jake replied.

"Aww, come on, Somersby. It'll be like old times," Reggie cooed.

Jake cocked his head to one side and glared at Reggie. She flushed, then quickly masked her embarrassment and sighed.

"Okay. Rick and I will be back shortly," she said.

Jake and I sat in uncomfortable silence. He and I spent the next few minutes checking messages and playing games on our phones.

After a few minutes, I put my phone away, but Jake refused to make eye contact. He was hiding something.

"Jake, what is it that you're not telling me?" I asked him.

He shrugged his shoulders. He then rubbed his neck and ran his fingers through his hair.

"You and her. Did you guys do it?"

Jake barked a nervous laugh, and his eyes darted across the room.

"C'mon, Missy. We've got better things to talk about."

I looked at him. He had guilt written all over his smug face.

"You guys did it! You and Reggie had sex! When?" I prodded.

"It was first semester after Elsie. You know, we were both high, and we were working on that project of hers and all..." He was rambling. Nervous and rambling.

I got up. I didn't need to hear any more of this.

"Lyds, where are you going?" Reggie asked as she and Rick walked in hand in hand.

Thank goodness for Rick. Otherwise, I would have completely lost it there and then.

"You should look at the project Reggie did with Jake," Rick said.

"Sure," I agreed reluctantly.

Reggie and Rick were as high as kites, and Jake was acting shady. This was getting weird.

As Jake and Reggie walked upstairs first, Rick was right behind me. I thought he sniffed my hair when we got to the top of the stairs, but I said to myself that I imagined things. In hindsight, he did sniff my hair.

As we got to the room, Reggie pulled out her portfolio folder and showed Jake. Rick's eyes were hazy as he gazed at me. He didn't understand personal space. Each small, subtle step I took away from him, he moved closer.

"Come and have a look, Lyds. Your boyfriend has the best body." Reggie smiled seductively at me in her stoned state.

"Hey, watch it, Regg," Rick reminded her. "I thought you said I had the-"

"Oh, you do, darling. You do," Reggie made her smooth recovery.

Rick danced to the music in the background and placed his hands on my hips in an attempt to dance with me. I slapped his hands off me hard and stepped away, then glanced at Jake to check if he saw it.

He didn't see a thing because he was busy flipping through the portfolio. I walked over to Jake, and what I saw stunned me. The photos were erotic art, as Reggie and Rick had pointed out. The main subject was my boyfriend standing next to me.

His naked body was captured in black-and-white photos. Every muscle. Every inch. Including one hot photo that revealed full nudity. He was sitting back on the window ledge, with light coming from the sun through the window, in contrast with the shadows of the room. His head leaned back, and his eyes were closed.

The photo captured his model-like facial structure and high cheekbones. His biceps were well-toned, and his six-pack abs were glorious.

He looked glorious, like a halcyonian Greek god.

But that was not him and me. That was Reggie.

There was one sepia photo of the both of them naked, with Jake touching her and looking down at her. I didn't know how to react because the images shocked me. They were superb for the genre they were taken for, but this was my boyfriend. Jake kept rubbing his neck, and his cheeks were flushed red.

"Lydia, it was before you and I started dating. You were with Marc. I was high in the last photo," Jake pointed out.

"Maybe I should pull out some photos of Marc fucking me," I answered, glaring at him.

"Oh, that would be hot," Rick said. "I'd love to see you naked, sugar."

Eww! Gross! I thought to myself.

"I'll fucking kill you if you touch her," Jake muttered under his breath, staring at Rick.

"She's mine." Jake was pissed. His eyes were glaring at Rick, and his teeth were bared. The muscles along his cheekbones ticked.

Reggie then came up to me and put her hand on my left breast. At that point, I just wanted to get the hell out of that room.

"You know, I was so jealous of you. But I thought you were hot, especially since grade nine," she said.

"Reggie, we're friends," I protested, as I removed her hand. "You're high."

"I see why Jake wanted you. Why he wanted to fuck you. From the moment he met you," she continued, breathing into my neck.

I moved one step back, enough to regain my personal space.

"Did you know that I hated you in senior high?" Reggie announced proudly.

"You were so shallow, pathetic, and weak," she laughed in full confidence.

"Regg, don't say anything you will regret. I don't need to hear this negativity," I warned her.

"You were such a superficial tart," she loudly stressed.

"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful," she mimicked my voice and played with her hair coyly.

Then it happened. I took my drink and threw it at her face. Just like that.

I looked over at Jake.

"Guys, it's time for us to go. Missy and I have to be up early in the morning," Jake called out to Reggie and Rick.

He grabbed my hand tightly and walked towards the door. He tried to hide his anger and shame, but his eyes kept glaring at Rick and Reggie. His voice was strained, and his body was tense.

"Sure you don't want to join us? You're both so fucking sexy," Reggie sang out.

"Your friends are hot like you said. I want to watch them do it," Rick suggested to Reggie, as he embraced her.

"We're outta here," Jake walked out of the room, with me in tow.

His grip was tight, and he walked so fast that I nearly tripped.

Reggie and Rick blew air kisses at us. That was the last I saw of her for a while.

Erotic art.

A few days later, Reggie emailed me a copy of naked Jake with a short note.

Lydia,

This one's for you. He's yours. All yours.

Love,

Reggie

Reggie's true colors came out, and those colors weren't pretty. Carrie saw it, and she was right. I felt like a fool. I didn't want to believe that friends could be purposely hurtful. We had been friends since grade four.

This friendship turned into something toxic, sick, and twisted. It hurt like a disease attacking my heart, which was choking from the pain.

I was done with Reggie. I had to remove the deadwood in my life. My relationship with her was pushing up daisies-it was dead to me.

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A/N: Did Lydia do the right thing by cutting Reggie off for good?

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