Chapter Seven:
Verbal Ass-Kicking

Luca's phone rang as they traveled down the strip. She knew who it was but she wasn't sure if she should answer it.

Natalee looked at her. "If you don't answer it, I will."

"Hello?"

"Hey, where are you guys now?"

"We're here," she said.

Greg smiled. "Really?"

"Yup," she said. "We're going to the apartment right now."

"I can't wait to see you," he said, softly.

"Well, are you busy?"

"No," he said.

"Because I think we need to talk," Luca said.

Greg was silent for a few seconds. "Okay," he said, nervously. He didn't want to lose Luca but that was the first thing that came to mind. "Can you come over in an hour?" The sooner, the better.

"Yeah," she said before hanging up.

Luca looked at Natalee. "What am I going to say?"

"Practice on me," Nat said. "While we bring some boxes up. Okay?"

"Are you serious?"

"It'll help, seriously."

Luca walked up the stairs without saying anything for first few trips, it was their first break when she spoke up. They sat on the living room floor of their new apartment.

"Well, I guess I'd say….God this is awkward. Okay. 'Greg,….'" She took a breath. "'I know this is going to be so weird, but I have to come clean about something. I don't work for the government. I don't even have a real job. I thought I was going to have a CD--I'm a singer, see--but, I don't know what's going to happen now. Actually…I've written a lot of songs about you.'"

There was silence.

"That's it," Luca said.

"Well, go tell him," Natalee said with an encouraging smile.

Luca was paralyzed. "I--I can't."

"I'll drive you, okay? Would that help?" Nat asked, rubbing Luca's back.

Luca took a deep breath. "No, I need to do this myself."

So, she told him. She didn't know what was going to happen, but at least it was the truth and at least it was out.

He didn't say anything for a second. When it finally soaked in, he couldn't do anything but walk away.

"Greg?" Luca followed him towards the kitchen.

"Luca," he said. "Please stop. I can't handle this. This whole time I never lied to you."

"I didn't know this was going to happen," Luca said, pointing quickly to him and then herself. "If I did, this conversation wouldn't be happening."

"It shouldn't be happening," Greg said. "I can't believe you'd lie to me. How do I know you're not lying about everything else you've said to me?"

"Because I'm telling you I didn't."

"Well, I don't know if I can believe you."

Luca left. What else was there for her to do now? She already managed to botch up her life and it was only her first day in Las Vegas.

A few days of Luca locking herself in her room again and Natalee knew she had to save her best friend again.

She banged on Greg's apartment door until he finally opened it.

"What the fuck is going on?" he asked as she burst through his door.

"A better question: Why the fuck are you an asshole?"

Greg looked at her, puzzled. "I'm sorry, I'm an asshole?"

"Did I stutter?"

"Natalee, she lied to me!"

"About her job, who the fuck gives a damn about a job?" Natalee asked, outraged.

"It's still a lie."

"It's not like she's a professional ax murderer. She was trying to impress you," Natalee reasoned. "Seriously, would you have been interested if she was just a waitress?"

Greg didn't answer for a second. "Yes. That doesn't matter to me. Honesty matters to me."

"Whatever," Natalee said. "I still think you're an asshole. She's depressed again; I hope you think about that when you break some other girl's heart. Poor Luca's loved you forever. And you never lied to her?"

"What do you mean?"

"You went through high school lying to everyone--even yourself--about your crush on Luca," she reminded him. "And you knew she liked you."

"She is a grown woman now," Greg said. "I was eighteen."

"Eighteen is pretty adult, I think," Natalee noted.

"She should know better."

Natalee felt bad knowing that she had to leave Luca alone in the apartment, but she needed to find a job.

"I left some orange juice and a bowl of Life out here for you," she told Luca before her first interview.

What she didn't expect was the cereal to still be there when she returned.

"Luca?" She banged on the door. "Luca! Open up, you're seriously scaring me!"

"Natalee."

She turned and Luca was in the hall, out of her room. "What's going on?"

"Greg picked me up before you left, we went to breakfast," Luca said. "To talk."

Natalee nodded. "So?"

Luca smiled. "He forgave me, Nat." She shrugged. "I guess I owe this all to you."

"Well, I'm proud of you, Luca," Natalee said.

"Why?"

"You told him the truth even though you were afraid to," she said.

Luca shrugged.

"I did do a pretty good job of verbally kicking his ass, though," she said with pride.