The Punk and the Plaything (When Rivals Play #3) - B.B. Reid Page 0,71
what turned you into such a fucking bitch.” Releasing her, she stumbled, and it was all I could do not to reach for her again. Not trusting myself with her at the moment, I stormed away.
I needed a fucking drink.
It was a high school prom, so it was safe to say I wouldn’t find one, so I settled for the next best thing. I was out on the terrace, staring out at the green lawn, blowing smoke in the air when Lou found me. This was the first fag I’d had in nine days—a record yet—and I intended to enjoy it. I could always quit again tomorrow.
“Four and Ever are here. I guess it’s safe to assume they made up since they’re all over each other.”
“Peachy for them.”
“Something tells me you had something to do with that.” I didn’t bother responding or look her way, but that didn’t deter Lou. “I’m curious… was it because you cared, or was it so you could move in on sex-on-a-stick?”
“Both.”
“Which one was more?”
“Quit it, Lou.”
“Make me.”
I looked around for Wren because if anyone could shut her up, he could. Most of the time. “Where’s Wren?”
“Keeping your date company, asshole.”
“Remind me. Why am I an asshole?”
“Because you dragged her here and left her alone with the vultures.”
“I needed air.”
“And she needs a date who’s not a scumbag.”
I looked her up and down. That gown made her look way too innocent. Lou was a fucking menace. “You look beautiful,” I offered matter-of-factly.
“Thanks.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she cocked her head. “Did you bother to tell Bee, as well?”
My gaze averted. No, I hadn’t told Bee a goddamn thing except how much I hated her. It was nothing fucking new. She was always beautiful, even when she wore clothes too big for her and was covered from head to toe in dirt and mischief.
I heard a snap followed by a flash of light and was startled when I saw Lou holding up a camera.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Smile,” she instructed before snapping another picture. Pulling the camera away, she winced. “Oh, boy. That is not a good shot of you. I’d be a friend and delete it, but I don’t like you very much right now. Maybe I’ll post it on Instagram,” she mused. “Those thirst buckets that follow you need to know the truth. Did someone call for, ‘no filter’?”
“For fuck’s sake.” Realizing she was goading me back to Bee’s side, I put out my cigarette and flicked the butt before storming inside in search of my date. I didn’t have to look very hard. Even in a crowded room, she stood out. I gritted my teeth, hating that she was so goddamn breathtaking as I made my way to her.
“Done pouting?” she greeted when I reached her.
Wren merely lifted an eyebrow before swaggering away.
“He’s nice,” Bee remarked. “Doesn’t seem to like you very much, though.”
“Probably because I tried to sleep with Lou when she first came to town.”
I watched as Bee curled her lips in disgust. She’d fixed her lipstick, but all it made me want to do was fuck it up again. “Of course you did.”
I shrugged because what was there to say? I was a dog. I see a bone, I sniff a bone. That was all there was to it. “Jealous?”
She took a sip of the punch I hadn’t noticed her holding as she scanned the ballroom. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Stealing her punch, I finished it in one gulp before setting it down and pulling her close. “Very much.”
Her eyes glistened as she sucked in a breath. “I never stopped thinking of you as mine, Jamie. I just… I realized you never could be again. Not after what I did to you.”
She didn’t seem so sure. Was that hope in her voice? It was the last thing I wanted to give her. “Dance with me,” I said instead. I saw the disappointment in her gaze, but she didn’t resist me as I pulled her onto the dance floor. I had no idea what song was playing—some slow, lonely tune with an easy rhythm.
“A live band would have been so much better,” Bee remarked. Her body trembled in my arms, and I realized she was grappling for something to distract her from her nerves.
Unconsciously, I began to slowly stroke her back, offering her comfort. “DJs offer more variety,” I rebutted. Sighing, she laid her head on my chest, and her trembling slowed until she was so still that