going to wait! I never wanted to!”
“Is that what this is about? Because I’ll take you upstairs right now if that makes you happy.” He threw out his arm in the direction of the staircase.
“If you think I’d let you near me—” The phone rang. Its shrill tone pulled me out of the downward spiral my emotions were taking. “Saved by the bell,” I muttered and picked up. “Hello?”
“June Howard?” Oh, crap. I knew that voice. Mrs. Angelo from the attendance office at the high school.
I put on my best June Howard impression. “Yes.” Mom was in no condition to talk, and I was in no mood to explain the situation to the freaking school. Things were a mess enough already.
“Ma’am, this is Mrs. Angelo from Cheyenne Mountain High School.”
“Mrs. Angelo, good afternoon!”
“I’m so sorry to bother you at this time, but will April be returning to us this semester?”
“I’m sorry?” Crap, my impression might have slipped there.
“We haven’t seen April back yet. Is she ready to return? I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. We’re just trying to keep track of her.” Sympathy dripped from her voice.
Crap. Crap. Craptastic crap. “Absolutely, I’m so sorry. Excuse her for me, would you? I’ll make sure she’s ready tomorrow.” April was going to fry for this one.
“Absolutely, Mrs. Howard. Have a nice day.”
The click sounded the end of the call, and I put the phone back on its charging deck. Riley was still there, staring, and just like that, the fight drained out of me. “I don’t want anything to do with you, Riley. We’re done.”
“I love you, Ember.” Was that panic crawling into his eyes?
“You love yourself. Maybe you loved me when we started dating, but something warped along the way, and you know it’s true. If you love me, you never would have slept with Kayla.”
“How many times can I say I’m sorry?”
“You’re not sorry you did it. You’re sorry you got caught.”
“Please don’t end this.” He lunged toward me, and I evaded. “Please. Our brothers are on the same team, our moms are friends. We have a plan, Ember. Just let me get it back on track. I’m so sorry. I can make this up to you.”
I threw up my hands. “Stop. Stop chasing, stop apologizing, just stop . . . being.”
His gaze narrowed, focused on my exposed forearm. “What the hell is that?”
I flicked my wrist inward and saw the black marks he meant. “Josh’s number.”
“Well, that’s just fantastic. We have a fight and you hop right to the next guy. I never really pegged you for a whore.” Hello, Mr. Hyde.
There must have been parts of me that still loved him, because they shattered in that moment, leaving me naked, bare, cold. “Now we’re definitely done. You can leave.”
His face relaxed, a soft sigh escaping his lips. Dr. Jekyll was back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I just saw those numbers . . . I know that would never happen with you and Josh.” He shook his head with a patronizing smile. “You’re not even his type, too timid. It’s like for hockey or something, right?”
What the hell was that supposed to mean? Too timid for Josh? “And if it’s not?” I needed to hurt him, to make him feel just an ounce of the devastation wrecking me. “What if he wrote it there after he spent the night with me in Breck?”
His eyes flew wide for a second before they narrowed into a glare, bringing back Mr. Hyde. “Tell me you didn’t fuck him! Tell me that’s not how you spent Friday night!”
“The night I caught you with Kayla? You’re such a hypocrite, Riley!” I blinked back the threatening tears. “Three years! I gave you three years! I loved you, cared for you, stood by you! I gave up every dream I had and let you plan out our lives by your insane notions that we had to be a perfect couple for you to go into politics in like ten freaking years! For what? To have you doing Kayla on the side for a year of it?” This time my hands slammed into
“Is that what this is about? Because I’ll take you upstairs right now if that makes you happy.” He threw out his arm in the direction of the staircase.
“If you think I’d let you near me—” The phone rang. Its shrill tone pulled me out of the downward spiral my emotions were taking. “Saved by the bell,” I muttered and picked up. “Hello?”
“June Howard?” Oh, crap. I knew that voice. Mrs. Angelo from the attendance office at the high school.
I put on my best June Howard impression. “Yes.” Mom was in no condition to talk, and I was in no mood to explain the situation to the freaking school. Things were a mess enough already.
“Ma’am, this is Mrs. Angelo from Cheyenne Mountain High School.”
“Mrs. Angelo, good afternoon!”
“I’m so sorry to bother you at this time, but will April be returning to us this semester?”
“I’m sorry?” Crap, my impression might have slipped there.
“We haven’t seen April back yet. Is she ready to return? I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. We’re just trying to keep track of her.” Sympathy dripped from her voice.
Crap. Crap. Craptastic crap. “Absolutely, I’m so sorry. Excuse her for me, would you? I’ll make sure she’s ready tomorrow.” April was going to fry for this one.
“Absolutely, Mrs. Howard. Have a nice day.”
The click sounded the end of the call, and I put the phone back on its charging deck. Riley was still there, staring, and just like that, the fight drained out of me. “I don’t want anything to do with you, Riley. We’re done.”
“I love you, Ember.” Was that panic crawling into his eyes?
“You love yourself. Maybe you loved me when we started dating, but something warped along the way, and you know it’s true. If you love me, you never would have slept with Kayla.”
“How many times can I say I’m sorry?”
“You’re not sorry you did it. You’re sorry you got caught.”
“Please don’t end this.” He lunged toward me, and I evaded. “Please. Our brothers are on the same team, our moms are friends. We have a plan, Ember. Just let me get it back on track. I’m so sorry. I can make this up to you.”
I threw up my hands. “Stop. Stop chasing, stop apologizing, just stop . . . being.”
His gaze narrowed, focused on my exposed forearm. “What the hell is that?”
I flicked my wrist inward and saw the black marks he meant. “Josh’s number.”
“Well, that’s just fantastic. We have a fight and you hop right to the next guy. I never really pegged you for a whore.” Hello, Mr. Hyde.
There must have been parts of me that still loved him, because they shattered in that moment, leaving me naked, bare, cold. “Now we’re definitely done. You can leave.”
His face relaxed, a soft sigh escaping his lips. Dr. Jekyll was back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I just saw those numbers . . . I know that would never happen with you and Josh.” He shook his head with a patronizing smile. “You’re not even his type, too timid. It’s like for hockey or something, right?”
What the hell was that supposed to mean? Too timid for Josh? “And if it’s not?” I needed to hurt him, to make him feel just an ounce of the devastation wrecking me. “What if he wrote it there after he spent the night with me in Breck?”
His eyes flew wide for a second before they narrowed into a glare, bringing back Mr. Hyde. “Tell me you didn’t fuck him! Tell me that’s not how you spent Friday night!”
“The night I caught you with Kayla? You’re such a hypocrite, Riley!” I blinked back the threatening tears. “Three years! I gave you three years! I loved you, cared for you, stood by you! I gave up every dream I had and let you plan out our lives by your insane notions that we had to be a perfect couple for you to go into politics in like ten freaking years! For what? To have you doing Kayla on the side for a year of it?” This time my hands slammed into
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