Layla Starr sat in the front of the Grind, her well manicured nails clicking on the hard wood of the table. She was already jittery, and she hadn't even finished her coffee yet.
Her cellphone lay in front of her, seeming to mock her with its silence.
Eve hadn't come home last night. That wasn't to odd. She had a date with that jackass Derrick. No, what bothered Layla was that she hadn't even called. They had set up a system. If you were going home with someone you let the other roommate know. It was one of the "just in case" things.
She was ready to leave, coffee in hand, when she saw him, Derrick Patterson, walking through the front door of the coffee shop. He was alone. No Eve in sight.
Layla nearly jumped out of her chair.
"Hey, is Eve with you? In the car? She didn't come home last night, and..." Layla was shocked at how fast she was talking. The panic was obvious.
"No. Got stood up." His smug smile and Australian accent almost made him attractive. Almost.
Layla knew better.
"Damn. She let you know why?" She was hopping from foot to foot.
"Didn't even call." He crossed his arms over his chest, annoyed that she was blocking his path to his morning coffee. "Why? She stand you up to?"
Layla wanted to smack him. Derrick was the kind of guy who didn't have to play nice to get the girl. Even though he treated every model like crap, they still fell at his feet. Her sister, Barbi, had warned her before Laya's first shoot with him. She was young, and stupid, but not stupid enough to hop into bed with him. It looked like Eve had gotten smart at the last minute as well.
"Well, tell your friend she blew it." Derrick pushed past her. "No one stands me up and gets a second chance."
She was about to stop him when her cellphone went off. She pulled it out of the giant bag she had flung over her shoulder. She was hoping to see Eve's name on the screen, but instead was greated with Barbi's.
Derrick's phone went off a moment later.
They both answered.
"Barbi I'll be in later." Layla pressed the phone against her shoulder, reaching out to stop Derrick from walking away.
Then she saw it. The look on Derrick's face. The shock. Suddenly she was dreading what her sister was about to say.
"Layla," Barbi's voice was soft, a very bad sign. "I have something to tell you. It's about Eve."
Suddenly the whole coffee shop went quiet. The phone fell from her ear, and then she screamed.
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