the world. I love skateboarding and I’m good at it, sure, good enough to be in the pro circuit. But I’ll never get famous from skateboarding alone.”
Feeling a headache coming on, I rub the space between my eyebrows. Why am I even asking questions or seeking to find the rationale behind her actions? It’s pointless. Not wanting to get into an analysis of this particular reason, I say tiredly, “The other two reasons?”
“I wanted to piss off Sarah. Sarah Kase. She’s not just a bitch to you, Jordan. She’s always acted better than me. And sure, she’s better at skateboarding, but she treats me like trash. Kelly was the same way.”
I swallow down the words threatening to rip from my throat. Kelly is Beck’s ex-girlfriend and Camila’s ex-best friend. Camila used to come on to Beck while he was with Kelly. When Kelly wouldn’t back off after Beck broke up with her, he made out with Camila to push Kelly away for good. It was easy for him to do, since Camila was always throwing herself at him. And his plan worked. I’d love to point out how screwed up Camila’s mindset is if she tries to hurt friends by hooking up with a guy they like. Maybe she needs to just pick nicer friends who treat her well?
Instead, I murmur, “Yeah I saw the episode where Sarah tried to kiss Beck.”
I don’t think Camila hears me, she’s back to looking contemplative and not making eye contact with me. “I mean, I realize now they were just jealous of me. Not for skateboarding, but for the attention I get for my looks.”
Maybe if we were close friends, this statement wouldn’t be so obnoxious. It’s clear the woman is drop dead gorgeous and exudes sexuality. I’m sure looking the way she does comes with some complications, like friends getting jealous, but I’m definitely not the person she would want to open up with about this. To start, we’re not friends. Not even close. Is this her trying to change that, open up about her vulnerabilities? Not that being beautiful is necessarily a vulnerability, but… I shake my head. I’m exhausted and the pounding in my head is getting worse.
“Thanks for explaining this to me, Camila. I’m super tired though and going to call it a night.” I stand up, and despite some definite ineptitude in appropriate social interaction, she follows my lead.
“You said there was one more thing?” I remember, wanting to soften the blow of pushing her out the door.
“Oh yeah.” She laughs in earnest this time. “But that one’s obvious.”
“It is?”
“Yeah, Beckett Steele is hot. I did want to hook up with him. And maybe I should be apologizing for that too, but you can’t really blame me, right?” Her words might sound somewhat flippant, but her eyes tell a different story. Yikes. She definitely still wants him and if her hazy expression means anything, she’s imagined it in plenty of detail. She’s probably even imagining it right now.
“Don’t worry, I know he’s with you now,” she offers in reassurance before we say goodnight and I shut the door. It would have been nice if she also told me she wasn’t going to pull any of that on him again, but I suppose the conversation could have gone worse. And it’s over now. She’s given me an explanation that will have to do, and will give me some peace of mind when I see her around at skateboarding events. If I really wanted to dig deeper I could have asked about whether she went in his room at night and spied on him like the footage showed, but part of me doesn’t want to confront that.
I go straight back to the bathroom to brush my teeth again and use some mouthwash. That weird conversation might have given Camila some peace, and at least I feel more comfortable dismissing the entire situation and leaving it as water under the bridge like I told Beck earlier. But it still left a bad taste in my mouth.
Chapter Fifteen
Jordan
I spend all of Friday contemplating if it’s foolish to try a 720 in the finals. Yes I’ve landed it three times now, but that’s only three times, all on the same ramp behind the Jay Beach house. I’m familiar with that setup, the slope and everything about it. But as I sit by watching the guys compete on Friday, there’s a burning inside me and I can’t seem to put it out. When they