The Jock by J.L. Beck Page 0,73

packing. You talk.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, don’t worry. Just come up when you’re done.”

“Okay, but don’t try to carry heavy shit down the stairs,” he warns.

“I won’t.”

Getting on my tiptoes, I give him a kiss on his cheek before heading into the dorm. Walking up the steps, I’m smiling so hard my cheeks ache.

I smile all the way up the stairs, but as soon as I open the door to my room, that smile vanishes from my face. Amanda is sitting on her bed, painting her toenails.

“Look who it is. The Ice Queen herself.”

God, I’m glad to be out of here.

“I’m just here to get my stuff. You’ll have a single room starting today.”

“Don’t tell me you’re moving in with him.” Amanda rolls her eyes.

“That’s none of your business.” I try to ignore her as I start gathering my things, but I can’t help and continue. “I don’t know why you are so interested in what I do anyway. Jealousy?”

Amanda snorts. “Did you forget that I had him first? Why would I be jealous? You are nothing but a stupid bet to him, and now that he has won, you’ll be the laughingstock of the whole school.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Cage made a bet with his football buddies about you. He bet he could make you fall in love with him after the party incident. Everyone knows… well, except you.”

“You’re lying.” I shake my head. “What Cage and I have is real.”

“If you say so.” Amanda chuckles. “You better don’t come back here crying all night when he is done with you. I warned you.”

Doubt wraps its vines around my legs, threatening to pull me under. What if she is telling the truth? Could it all have been fake?

“Honestly, I can’t believe you fell for it. I thought you were supposed to be smart? I guess that’s what happens when you are starving for some attention.”

Grabbing my half-packed bag off the bed, I storm out of the room. I have to talk to him. I need him to tell me that it’s not true.

This has to be a lie. Because if it’s not, I’ll be the broken one.

22

Cage

As soon as I see her, I know something is horribly wrong. Anguish, the kind that rips your heart from your body, contorts her features. Her steps are wobbly, and her shoulders rise and fall on a sob. I have no idea what could be wrong, all I know is I have to figure it out soon and make whoever hurt her pay.

Rushing toward her, I ask the obvious question, “What happened?”

She shakes her head and looks up from the ground as I reach for the bag she’s almost dragging across the pavement. She flinches as if I’m going to hurt her, but I don’t pull away. I take the bag from her and grab her hand with the other.

Her hand merely sits within mine. Blue eyes shimmer with tears, and my heart clenches in my chest. What the hell happened between her leaving the truck and now?

“What the fuck happened?” I grit out, barely holding myself together as we reach the truck. I open the back door and toss the bag into the backseat. Blair still hasn’t said anything, and I’m close to throttling her.

“If you don’t tell me what the fuck happened, I’m going to go into the dorm and start questioning people.”

“Amanda.” She releases a sob, her pleading eyes meet mine. “She said I’m a bet. That you made a bet with your friends about me. You bet you could make me fall in love with you.” Her bottom lip wobbles, and the ground beneath my feet shifts.

Every beat of my heart feels like a punch to my gut. She found out. I have to make this right. I have to fix this because if I don’t explain quickly, I risk losing her forever.

“Tell me it’s not true, Cage. Tell me because the way you’re looking right now makes me think she’s telling the truth.” Panic coats each and every word that passes her lips.

My lips part, but no words come. Say something. Anything. I want to tell her it’s not true, but that would be lying because it is true. It was a bet, but now it’s more than that.

“I… It’s not what you think.” As soon as I say it, her eyes widen, and she gasps, pressing a hand to her chest as if she’s in pain.

And she is, because of me. I am too. It feels like