Page 4 of Crazy as Hell

After living through the same stretch of time over and over again, Naomi finally understood. The smiles, the compliments, the concern in his voice. None of it was genuine. They were carefully crafted tools, used whenever he needed a favor.

Today would be no different.

Having completely forgotten that she was supposed to be attending her first day of testing at Trifecta University, Billy would stop by to ask if she could loan him some money to buy a new suit. The wolf shifter would tell her he had finally landed an important job interview and needed to make a good impression. The story had been believable enough the first time she heard it.

It was also a complete lie.

After a few cycles, something he said made her suspicious enough to follow him after handing over the money. Instead of heading to an interview, he’d spent the money on a date with a girl from a wealthy family he’d been relentlessly pursuing. Billy had always been looking for someone who could give him the comfortable life he believed he deserved, so it wasn’t really that surprising.

The worst part wasn’t even that he’d lied.

It was how effortlessly he looked her in the eyes while doing it.

Naomi had finally come to a painful realization that extended far beyond her connection with Billy. None of the people she’d once considered her closest friends from the group home had actually been her friends at all.

They had merely been allies in the same game of survival.

There was Erin, the seemingly sweet girl who liked to borrow her clothes and somehow always forgot to return them. She was also an expert at using tears to get people to do what she wanted. Or Annalise, who was critical under the guise of trying to be helpful. She had been the first to show her true colors, and had stopped talking to Naomi after she declared she didn’t want a roommate when she moved out.

Then, there was Marcus, who constantly begged her to order pizzas from the restaurant she worked at because of her employee discount. Every single time, he’d swear he’d pay her back later, but later never came. And finally, there was Axel, the mysterious supernatural who had suddenly started hanging out with them after he arrived at the group home. As soon as he had aged out of the system, he had disappeared without a word of goodbye.

Growing up in the foster care system meant they were all focused on survival more than loyalty. Unconditional love didn’t exist in their world. Trust was something earned, but it wasn’t always equal. Everyone learned to cling to whatever scraps of security they could find, and sometimes that meant taking advantage of the people around them. Maybe that explained why so many of them became selfish adults.

It didn’t excuse their behavior.

It was simply the way it was.

Each rebirth peeled away another comforting illusion, exposing the people in her life. Every betrayal and lie was a painful lesson. It wasn’t just a matter of her becoming more cynical. The more she learned, the more she realized just how naïve she’d been. There was a time she had wondered if stripping her friends away one at a time was another form of punishment. Eventually, she accepted a far more unsettling truth.

The loop hadn’t changed people.

It had simply given her enough time to see through them.

It had also allowed her to grow up and mature.

Glancing at the clock again, she got up and went to the kitchen to rinse out the empty yogurt container and top off her coffee. She pulled out the small, collapsible dining table she used whenever she had guests, then went to the door and opened it a few seconds before Billy knocked.

Surprised, he jerked his hand back before he hit her in the face and smiled. “Hey, Naomi! Good timing. This storm is crazy. It’s really coming down out there.”

He leaned forward to give her a hug as he always did, but she didn’t have the time or patience for any of his bullshit. Without saying a word, she turned around and walked over to take a seat on one of the chairs she’d set out by the table. Billy headed straight for her fridge, where he grabbed a bottle of soda without asking.

He’d obviously gotten caught in the rain since his clothes were wet. The wolf shifter was handsome enough to use his looks as a weapon, but there was no way to hide the cunning gleam in his eyes now that she knew what to look for.

Billy cracked open the bottle and drained half of it before he took a seat. “Got caught in the rain on the way over. Man, this storm came out of nowhere. Aren’t you going to offer me a towel or a dry shirt?”

“No need,” she said blandly. “You won’t be staying that long.”

“I—what?” His brows furrowed in irritation, then his expression changed to a replica of concern. “Are you on your period or something?”

That made her want to laugh. Or slap him. Maybe both. It was his not-so-subtle way of telling her to check her attitude, but it no longer worked on her.

“Before you ask, no, I’m not giving you money for your date tonight.”

His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open in shock. She could almost see his mind racing as he tried to recalculate what he was going to say.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He blinked innocently. “Are you mad I didn’t tell you I was dating someone? I just met her recently, and wanted to make sure she was worthy before I told you about her. I swear I—”

“I don’t care who you date. What I care about is the fact you were expecting me to pay for it.”