Chapter 42
Easton
What the actual fuck did I just witness?
After fighting off Aisha’s dirty ws as she tried her damnedest to pull me in for a kiss-not happening,
not ever again-1 head for the gym to go to the pep rally and see Harper’s lips smashed against…
ke’s.
Yeah.
No.
I storm toward them, ready to rip ke off of her when Harper breaks away from him first, her eyes
wide as she stares up at him. The look on her face clearly says, what did I do?
While the look on ke’s face says, hell yeah.
Fucker.
My hands curl into fists as I wait for her to see me. Will her to see me with my mind.
Come on, Harp. Give me a look. Just one. You can do it.
But she doesn’t. She justughs off whatever urge might’ve taken over the both of them, her gaze
briefly cutting to mine only when she hooks her arm around ke’s to let him lead her into the gym.
I re, frozen, my fingers clenching and unclenching as I contemte all the many ways I can
rearrange ke’s stupid face.
“…don’t know what came over you just now, but keep doing it,” ke says with a
Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.
chuckle as they walk into the gym together.
Wait a minute.
Harper kissed ke? It wasn’t the other way around?
I storm into the gym after them, about ready to ask her what the fuck she’s doing when I realize there
are hundreds of us in the gym. Hundreds of witnesses. I’m not supposed to like this girl. Or even talk to
her.
“Hey, there you are.” I turn to see Ryan approaching me. “Want to sit together?”
“Sure. Not with ke though,” I add as we start toward the bleachers.
“Really?” Ryan frowns, ncing around as if he’s trying to find him, scowling when he does. “He keeps
talking to my sister.”
This is my chance to distract him from mepletely. “Uh, don’t know how to tell you this, but I just
saw them kissing in the hallway.”
“What the hell?” Ryan sounds positively enraged. Good. Maybe he can kick ke’s ass for me. “I’ll
murder him.”
I grab his arm when he acts like he’s going to do just that. “Bro, it was nothing. Seriously.” I’m
downying it so my own mind won’t go into pure freak out mode. “I just thought you should know.
Watch out for that guy.”
e
“I know. He’s aplete yer. And no good for my sister,” Ryan mutters as we
climb up the bleachers and find a spot to sit.
Sadie chooses that moment to plop her butt next to Ryan. “Who are you talking about not being good
enough for Harper? You, Easton?”
The pointed look she sends me reminds me of how she caught me with Harper and I send her the
same kind of look in return. “No. I just saw your bestie making out with ke.”
Sadie starts tough. ps her knee like I told her a hrious joke. “No kidding? God, I’m almost
jealous. She’s getting so much attention from guystely.”
“Like from who?” Ryan asks her.
“Yeah, Sadie. Who?” My voice has an edge to it. This girl needs to keep my name off her lips.
“Like I’d tell you two.” She waves a hand, dismissing us, but I can tell Ryan wants to ask her more
questions.
Thank God the rally finally starts.
It’s the usual kind of thing you can expect from a high school rally. A rousing performance by the band
of the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ and our fight song, the cheer team shaking their poms-and their asses-
along with the beat while we all lose our minds in the stands. The football teames out. The
coaches talk them up. Teachers make announcements. The cheer teames back out onto the floor
for another ass shaking performance.
Aisha finds me in the crowd and never looks away once while she performs. It’s unnerving. I stare
back, dead inside as I think of the way Harper jumped on ke.
The manwhore with the stupid man bun.
My friend.
How could he?
How could he not? Harper is a delectable little piece with a juicy ass and juicier lips. I’m dying to tap
that juicy ass. Just once, to get her out of my system. Then I can move on. Obsess over someone else.
Ryan would kill me if he could read my thoughts right now. Hell, Aisha would too, since she’s still
shaking her tits at me with that fuck me expression on her face.
I finally have to look away, unable to take it any longer. My gaze scans the crowd, snagging on Harper,
who’s watching me with pain and confusion in her eyes. What a load of shit. Who does this girl think
she is? ying the both of us for fools is what she’s doing.
I’m over it.
Over her.
Liar.
Yeah. I’m also most definitely a liar.
The remainder of the rally passes in a blur. I’m not paying attention, too consumed with thoughts of
Harper and her betrayal. Of her giving that mouth to someone else, even for just a little bit.
That mouth belongs to me.
It’s mine.
No one else’s.
The rally ends and we exit the bleachers, herded like cattle. I fall into step behind Ryan with Sadie
ahead of him, trying my best to ignore the familiar voice rattling on behind me.
“Come on, H. Let’s grab dinner tonight. You said you’d be down.”
I clench my jaw and breathe through my nose. He’s asking her on a date and I’m right fucking here.
And Ryan’s already so far ahead of us with Sadie, he can’t even hear ke ask his sister out.
“I wish I could, but I don’t know. I have a ton of homework to finish.” Harper sounds genuinely sad.
“I can help you with it after we eat. I’m a genius, remember?” ke’s tone is cajoling. Flirtatious. The
fucker thinks a couple of winks, one shitty kiss and a free dinner is going to break this girl down?
Nah.
Maybe I should help it along.
“You should go for it.” | nce over my shoulder and stare directly at Harper, noting the guilt shing in
her eyes.
Good.
“Go for what?” she asks me, her dark eyes zing.
“Dinner with ke. I’m sure he can show you a good time” I smile–more like a baring of teeth-and then
get the fuck out of there.