Bridgette is sitting cross-legged on my bed. She reaches to the floor and grabs her purse, pulling her phone out of it. “That’s it. I can’t take it. I’m commenting on her Instagram post.”
I try to pull her phone away. “Don’t. I don’t even want her to know I saw it. It’ll serve her purpose.”
Bridgette rolls onto her stomach to protect her phone from me. “That’s why I said I’ll comment. I’ll say something to make her feel as insecure as she’s trying to make you feel. I’ll tell her she looks healthy. Everyone knows when you tell someone they look healthy, it really means fat.”
“You can’t say that to someone who is actually sick. And really skinny.”
Bridgette groans and then rolls onto her back, tossing her phone aside. “She deleted it! Dammit!”
Thank God. I appreciate Bridgette’s support, but I really don’t need her wedging herself into mine and Ridge’s—and Maggie’s—issues.
“You want me to call Warren and ask him what happened?” Bridgette almost sounds giddy. She would be one to thrive on drama.
And I’m not gonna lie. I’ve thought about calling Warren myself because I have so many questions. I know they’re driving back right now and Ridge will probably come over and try to explain himself, but it would be nice to be a little enlightened beforehand so I know exactly how much and how loud I should yell at him when he arrives. Not that the decibel of my voice will matter in our argument, but it might make me feel better to scream at him.
Bridgette calls Warren and puts the phone on speaker.
“Hey, Babe,” he says as he answers.
“So, what the fuck happened last night?” Bridgette says.
Yeah, she doesn’t know how to do anything with tact. Warren clears his throat, but before he starts speaking, I interrupt him.
“Are you signing this conversation for Ridge? I really don’t want to talk to him right now.”
“I’m driving,” Warren says. “Kind of hard for me to drive, hold my phone, eat this cheeseburger and sign everything I’m saying. Besides, he’s staring out the passenger window, brooding.”
Bridgette leans toward the phone. “Sydney and Ridge’s relationship is in jeopardy, yet you guys had time to stop for burgers?”
“I stopped for a burger. Ridge won’t eat until all is right in the world of Ridney.”
I roll my eyes. “Well, then, he’s gonna be really hungry by tonight.”
“He didn’t do anything wrong, Sydney,” Warren says. “I swear. That was all Maggie.”
“He was asleep on her bed!” Bridgette says.
“Yeah, because he spent two hours repairing the generator to her vest and then had to hold the cord so she could use it. He didn’t sleep all night and when he finally did get a few hours of sleep, Maggie took a picture of him and went and pulled some really shady shit. I’m telling you, it was all Maggie. I’ve never seen her like this.”
I glance up at Bridgette. I don’t know if I can trust Warren. As if she can sense what I’m thinking, she says, “We’re not stupid, Warren. Bros before hos. You would defend Ridge even if he murdered you.”
“Hold on,” Warren says. “I need to take a drink.”
Bridgette and I wait and listen as he slurps down a drink. I fall back onto my bed, frustrated with Warren. With Ridge. With Maggie. But for once, I’m not at all frustrated with Bridgette.
“Okay,” Warren says. “Here’s what happened. After we left the hospital and got back to Maggie’s house last night, it was an entire hour of them screaming at each other. It’s like they both released years of aggression all at once, and there were so many insults coming from both sides. All of the—”
“Wait,” Bridgette says. “Now I know for a fact you’re lying.”
“I’m not lying!” Warren says defensively.
“You said they were screaming at each other. Ridge can’t scream, you idiot.”
I press my hand to my forehead. “It’s sort of a figure of speech in this situation, Bridgette. He was angry and he was signing. Warren refers to it as screaming.” Bridgette shoots me a look of suspicion, like she still doesn’t trust what Warren is saying. I give my attention back to the phone. “Why were they fighting?”
“Why weren’t they fighting? Ridge was mad because he was there and she wasn’t even that sick. He was mad she isn’t taking her health seriously, and it’s starting to inconvenience those around her. She was mad because he brought up the fact that she was inconveniencing you and was putting a strain on your relationship with Ridge. I’m telling you, I’ve never seen them like this. And it wasn’t the kind of fighting that me and Bridgette do, where we’re just trying to get under each other’s skin. This was legit—I’m fucking angry at you—fighting.”