Chapter 41
Harper
I rush into the bathroom and make sure that I don’t have ck mascara running down my cheeks.
Aisha clearly has the worst timing.
And Easton clearly has no balls.
I mean, he does, duh, but I want to scream, why does everything have to be soplicated and
dramatic.
Im my hands onto the sink. A stall door opens. Sadie takes one look at my reflection in the mirror
and the angry way I’m gripping the sink and rushes over. “What happened?”
“Easton,” I say his name like a swear word. “He’s just so hot and cold, and just SO…” | throw my hands
up. “He’s warning me away from ke now as if he has a right to. It’s so stupid!”
“Hold up.” Sadie washes her hands and grabs a paper towel. “The most popr boy in school who was
just making out with you in the library warned you away from the other popr guy he’s always been
competing against…did he say why?”
I frown. “Well, ke talked to me this morning, and I did flirt, but it wasn’t anything that Easton’s never
pulled with Aisha.” Maybe I was being defensive, but I hated how much Easton saw-like he’s fully
aware of the power he holds over me and lives for my surrender, so yeah, if a hot guy’s gonna flirt with
me like ke, right in front of the guy I really like who’s driving me crazy, what do you think’s going to
happen?
“Ah, double standards, gotta love em.” Sadie rolls her eyes. “Look, if ke is giving you attention, it’s
not a big deal. If Easton can’t handle that, then he can just grow a bigger dick and learn how to pursue
a girl without snapping his fingers.”
“Yeah.” I sniffle. “I guess.”
Do. Not. Think. About. His. Dick.
“Don’t overthink it, plus we have a pep rally to go to, and you know I like it when the football team runs
by in those tight pants.”
Iugh. “They aren’t even that tight.”
“Tell that to DJ’s dick. God, I love sports.”
I smile and thenugh. “You’re such a horny slut. Quick, what’s it called a touchdown or a goal?.”
She doesn’t even hesitate. “When DJ’s running the ball, does it really matter?”
Iugh and roll my eyes, distracted and feeling just a bit better since my run-in with Easton.
We link arms and walk out of the bathroom just in time for the first warning bell to ring for the pep rally.
Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.
“I gotta go grab a protein bar, plus I left all my stuff at the table.” I rush past Sadie and go into the
cafeteria to grab my bag and everything else.
I quickly dump my trash and grab a bar out of my bag.
ke walls in through the double doors and smiles at me. “I was justing in to grab your stuff for
you.” He tilts his head and I can’t help but think he’s so good looking. I don’t know why I never focused
on him before. Maybe because I knew he was always off-limits, and he’s never really flirted with me in
a way that didn’t make me want to knee him in the balls? I swear his green eyes sparkle as he walks
over to me. Jeans tight, short sleeve vintage shirt clinging to his body. “You okay?”
I nod my head clinging to my backpack. “I will be.”
“Is this the part where you tell me what asses guys are or where you confess it’s that time of the month,
and I should approach you while holding chocte out in front of me if I want to keep my sight?”
“Why would I blind you?” Iugh.
“I have sisters.” He shudders. “That was the most tame scenario I coulde up with. So what is it?”
He’s so confident standing there watching me. He isn’t intense and he doesn’t hover too close. It’s
almost like he waits for me toe to him or to
react to him?
“Boys are all asses.” I finally blurt.
“Up top.” He holds out his hand for a high five. I hit it, grab my bag, and follow him out of the cafeteria
toward the gym.
I bypass my locker and keep my bag on me when ke stops in his tracks. “Shit, I think I left my
phone. Save me a seat?”
“Yeah, sure.” I nod then start looking around for Sadie or Ryan as I make my way toward the gym
lobby.
I stop at the water fountain to fill up my leopard Swell bottle. By the time I’m done, mostly everyone is in
the gym, and I can hear the loud music pumping through the
sound system.
I smile to myself.
Ah, high school.
There’s just something about music, everyone screaming and wearing school colors that makes even
the most negative emo kid wanna do a little fist bump and yell. “Go, team!”
I turn to open the gym doors and see a cheerleading uniform out of the corner of my eye. Of course, it’s
Aisha, and she looks pissed.
She catches my eye and then grabs at something or someone in the dark hallway leading to the locker
rooms.
I immediately recognize Easton’s shirt.
She clings to it and shoves him toward the wall, then leans up on her tiptoes, pulling his neck down
with her free hand.
I lose it.
Ipletely and utterly lose it.
It’s one thing to suspect.
It’s another thing to have to watch it.
To stomach it while knowing he was just with me.
I can’t do this.
I just can’t.
My breath startsing out in short spurts like I’m about to hyperventte. I do a small circle, feeling
slightly faint.
I have to get out of there.
All my brain can do is show me pictures of her leaning in and Easton meeting her mouth with his. What
if they see me? Are they still kissing?
How stupid can I be?
He warned me!
He doesn’t care.
He never will.
I feel like I’m going to be sick.
I turn on my heel, ready to run, when I see ke walking toward me, holding out his phone. I don’t
even think about it as I hear Aisha and Easton’s voices behind me.
I grab ke by the shirt once he’s close enough and kiss the hell out of him. His lips part, and then
he’s tugging me against him. He tastes different than Easton, but damn, he’s a good kisser.
I don’t know how long we
All I know is I hear the word slut.
ke freezes.
I pull back to look over my shoulder. Aisha is standing there, her arms crossed, face red.
Easton’s expression is one of pure rage as he looks between us, and even though the kiss saved me
from their confrontation and made my pride feel better for like two seconds…
Now all I feel.
Is sad.