Mercy for Everyone but Me

With all the people coming and going, I didn't want to embarrass myself, so I dragged Jessica over to a random barbecue joint. By the time I'd ordered and the food arrived, she was still sniffling across from me, tears streaming down her face.

All that crying was beginning to get on my nerves. I cracked open a bottle of beer and handed it to her. "Alright, if you're just going to keep crying, I'm leaving you here on your own," I said.

Jessica immediately fell silent upon hearing my words. I gave the bottle another shake before she hurriedly accepted it.

"What are you doing out so late, Cassandra?" she asked.

I glanced at my phone. It was 9:30 pm.

I propped my chin up on one hand while holding a chicken wing with the other. Looking bored, I stared at Jessica, who sat across from me. "Just wandering around. What about you?"

Jessica's eyes instantly dimmed. "My boyfriend lives around here. He broke up with me out of nowhere today and blocked my number."

"So you're planning on staking out his place?"

Jessica nodded.

I didn't quite understand. "Why were you sitting on the sidewalk then? Go wait for him outside his door."

Jessica poured herself another drink while replying, "He never actually told me where he lives. Every time I drove him home, he'd just tell me to drop him off there, by the sidewalk. That's why I was waiting there."

I was baffled.

The meat at this barbecue joint was insanely delicious. I started tearing up from the spice.

I accepted a glass of water from Jessica before she began rambling non-stop, telling me various stories about her ex-boyfriend.

By the time I'd eaten my fill, I'd managed to catch up on most of what had happened. While I'd never been in a serious relationship myself, I'd spent years by Sean's side, which had given me enough glimpses into men's darker tendencies.

In the end, it all boiled down to the tired plot of a classic playboy seducing an innocent woman, then casually dumping her when he got bored.

When Jessica mentioned that her ex had a female roommate, I was perplexed. "Jess, could you really not tell he was trash?"

To my surprise, she shook her head. "I know he's not a good person," she said before retrieving a can of pepper spray from her bag and placing it on the table. She looked at me, her eyes clear.

"That's why I'm waiting for him here. I want to teach him a lesson," she continued.

There were so many things I wanted to comment on that I was rendered momentarily speechless. I licked my dry lips and opened another beer bottle for her.

"Way to go. I'm rooting for you," I said.

Alas, Jessica was still a young woman just stepping into the adult world. Two beers later, she was already drowsy. She nodded off in her chair.

The late autumn breeze caressed my flushed body. I squinted slightly, thoroughly enjoying this moment. Jessica peered at me, smiling mindlessly.

"You look like you've lost some weight, Cassandra," she said.

I chuckled. "It's only been a few days since I last saw you. How could you tell?"

"Of course I can! I've always paid a lot of attention to you. Last time, when the cufflinks on your shirt fell off, I was the one who picked them up and slipped them back onto your desk!"

I couldn't recall when exactly that happened, but since I was in a rather good mood, I played along anyway. "Thank you for that," I said.

Unfortunately, every time I found myself in a good mood, there would always be an idiot around to ruin it.

Initially, I'd simply found the nasally voice of the man behind me grating and oddly familiar. He was spouting some disgusting, misogynistic nonsense as I wondered what kind of vermin he was to spew such things in public.

Then, seconds later, I heard my own name.

I finally remembered who he was. It was Eric Sanders, one of Sean's friends who disliked me.

"I won't say anything else, but if she had any conscience at all, she would've left earlier. Honestly, even calling her a slut is giving her too much credit," Eric said.

His loud voice came from behind me. Someone at his table said something I didn't catch, but I didn't turn.

"Untouchable? You were far too young a few years ago to know how dirty that woman truly is."

Upon hearing that, I grabbed the half-empty bottle of beer and stood. Under Jessica's panicked gaze, I nodded at her. "Watch and learn."

Then, I walked toward the group. Three men sat at the table. Apart from Eric, whose back was to me, I saw another unfamiliar man.

Luke, who was directly facing me, interrupted Eric impatiently, "Alright, that's enough. This is pointless."

He then saw me coming and froze, staring blankly as I approached their table.

"Don't tell Sean, though. I still have some of those photos saved on my computer."