I Hate You More

by Moody, Alexandra

Tessa’s lips lifted in a matching smile. “You did?”

  “I did.”

  I had no idea what they were talking about, but given how excited the two of them seemed, I was desperate to know. I leaned forward on the table to get closer to them. “What did you get?”

  “So, I did a thing…” Mia replied.

  “What kind of thing?”

  “A bad thing.” Mia’s grin was growing wider by the second. “And you’re probably going to kill me, but it’ll be totally worth it.”

  “What is it?” A part of me wanted to laugh at her enthusiasm; another part of me was growing increasingly worried. If Mia thought what she had done was bad, that meant it was probably going to terrify me.

  She leaned across the table, and Tessa and I moved in closer to listen. “I got us fake IDs,” she whispered.

  I let out a relieved laugh. “I thought you were about to say you’d set fire to Mrs. Wilson’s car or something.”

  “Not your worst idea.” Mia smiled as she leaned back in her chair. “She does keep confiscating my phone in lessons.”

  “Where’d you get them from?”

  “I have my sources,” she said with a wink.

  I laughed and shook my head. For a girl who’d only started at Fairview six months earlier, Mia was certainly well connected.

  “And what exactly are we going to do with these IDs?” I asked.

  Tessa and Mia shared a meaningful look before Mia replied. “We’re going to Dizzy on Saturday night.”

  “We’re what?”

  “Going to Dizzy on Saturday night,” Mia repeated.

  My mouth was hanging open as I tried to process what she was suggesting. We went to a few Fairview parties last year but had never tried to get into a nightclub, and Dizzy was pretty wild.

  “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea,” I said.

  “You’re right, it’s not just a good idea, it’s a great idea,” Mia replied.

  I took in a deep breath, almost scared to ask my next question. “And why exactly have you guys suddenly decided we’re going to Dizzy?”

  The two of them were silent for a moment before Tessa turned to me. “Because I overheard some of the boys talking, and a whole group of them are going on Saturday night. Chase is going to be there.”

  I let out the breath I’d been holding. I should have known this was all part of her plan. I assumed my brother would be there too. I didn’t know whether Shane had a fake ID or not though. He was always out on the weekends, but I didn’t exactly question where he went. He was so dedicated to football that he never got up to much trouble, but I couldn’t say the same for Chase and his other friends.

  “So, we figured we’d dress you up and put you in your natural element so you could shine in front of Chase,” she continued.

  “Since when is a nightclub my natural element?” I asked.

  “It’s not, but a dance floor is.”

  Tessa had a point, and I was pretty decent at moving around a dance floor. Mom had started me in dancing lessons as a kid, and I’d loved it from the first moment I’d put a tutu on. She’d come to every recital and always snuck in to watch my rehearsals. My love of dancing was something we’d shared together, and I felt uncomfortable with the idea of showing off my skills to impress Chase.

  Add that to the thought of stalking him to Dizzy, and I was far from convinced this was a good idea. I’d never voluntarily go somewhere I knew Chase was going to be. Plus, I could only imagine how my dad would react if he caught me with a fake ID. It was all part of Tessa’s “Operation Pest Control” though. I’d agreed to try it, so I could hardly back out now. I’d barely given the plan a go so far.

  “C’mon, Ally, it’ll be fun,” Mia pleaded.

  “Okay, fine,” I said. “But, if my dad finds out, I’m blaming the two of you.”

  Mia clapped her hands excitedly. “This is going to be amazing. Now all we have to do is convince Miles.”

  I couldn’t hold in my laughter. “There’s no way in hell you will get Miles to come out with us.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well, for one, it would mean one less night of studying,” Tessa agreed.

  “And, secondly, he’s allergic to fun,” I added.

  Mia rolled her eyes. “He’s not allergic to fun.”

  “Did you see him at one party last year?” Tessa asked.

  “Well, no, I guess not,” Mia said with a frown.

  I nodded like my point was proven. “Allergic to fun.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “We’ll see. I’m sure I can convince him.”

  “You can try,” I said.

  To my surprise, Mia somehow managed to get Miles to come along on Saturday night. I figured she must have threatened to steal his textbooks, or something equally as horrifying for him, when she called and said he was coming. But, when he arrived at my place ready to go out, he actually seemed excited.

  “I really need tonight,” he said, as he entered the kitchen. He’d let himself in the front door and had shown up before Mia and Tessa. I wasn’t surprised he was comfortable enough to let himself in. Miles, Tessa, and I had been best friends since kindergarten, and he felt just as welcome in my house as I did. He’d spent less time visiting me last year when he’d started getting extra serious about schoolwork, but it didn’t make him any less of a friend.

  “I’m surprised you’re so excited to come,” I said. “I thought you’d be studying or something.”

  Miles shook his head. “Nah, I’m exhausted at this point. I need a day off.”

  “You realize we’re still in week one of senior year, right?”

  He shrugged. “Just getting a head start on things.”

  I was pretty certain he’d done more than that. I’d overheard him asking Mr. Ross a question in English yesterday about a book we weren’t supposed to start until next term. English was the one subject I was any good at and the only class I shared with Miles. He was in all the advanced classes for every other subject. He was smart, but it was really the time and effort he dedicated to schoolwork that put him at the top of our class.

  “How are you getting on with school so far this year?” he asked.

  “Err, next question?” I asked with a laugh.

  He grinned back at me. “No, I think I want to hear the answer to this one.”

  I let out a long drawn-out sigh. “Can’t we talk about the latest Avengers movie or something instead?”

  He laughed and shook his head. “Not even Marvel can get you out of it now. I’m curious.”

  I poked my tongue out at him but then smiled. “It’s okay so far. I’m sticking pretty closely to the study schedule we mapped out, which I think is helping.”

  He grinned proudly at me. “You’re still using it?”

  “I’m still using it.”

  Miles had tutored me for a bit last year. I’d fallen behind in some subjects after a month of demanding dance rehearsals had left me with no time to study. One thing Miles had done was to create a detailed homework timetable to help me catch up, and I was using the same schedule again this year. Since I wasn’t behind this year, it was actually helping me get ahead in some subjects.

  “Your dad still putting the pressure on?”

  I glanced down at my hands and nodded. “He’s on my case, but he hasn’t seen any test results yet, so he’s not too bad.” So far, this year, my dad had just been going about his usual routine of checking I was doing my homework every night and reminding me I needed to do well if I wanted to get into a good college. Once my assignments and test papers started coming in, he’d really start to stress me out. I was studying so much because I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen this year.

  “Well, let me know if you need a hand with anything. I know it seems like I’ve got a lot on my plate, but I’ve always got time to help you.”

  “Thanks, Miles.” I gave him a warm smile. I wasn’t as naturally talented at schoolwork as my brother, but I was really seeing a difference n
ow that I was putting in extra hours. If I kept it up, I was hoping I wouldn’t need any help at all.

  The front doorbell rang, signaling Mia’s and Tessa’s arrival. They were both already dressed for Dizzy, wearing short skirts and lots of makeup. Two identical looks of horror crossed their faces when they saw my jeans and T-shirt combo.

  “You’re not wearing that,” Tessa said, with a shake of her head. “And are you even wearing makeup?”

  “I’m wearing lip gloss.” Apparently, that didn’t count.

  “You’ll never pass for twenty-one if you go looking like that,” Mia said. “And this look is certainly not in line with the plan.” She whispered the last part and glanced around, seemingly concerned that Chase or my brother might be within earshot.

  “You don’t have to worry,” I said. “Chase and Shane left hours ago, and my dad’s so buried in work he wouldn’t hear a fire alarm going off.”

  “Good.” Mia nodded. “We just need to worry about getting you changed then.”

  I let out a sigh and started to lead the way up to my room. “Okay, okay, I’ll change.”

  The girls followed me up while Miles stayed downstairs. I’d seen him heading to the living room and suspected he was already turning on the PlayStation. I kind of wished I was playing it with him rather than playing dress up with the girls.

  Tessa sat me down and started on my makeup while Mia began to riffle through my wardrobe. She ended up picking out a short leather skirt I’d worn last Halloween and a cropped top that left a sliver of my stomach showing. I wasn’t totally on board with the outfit they’d chosen, but with two against one, I was sadly outnumbered.

  “You look hot,” Tessa said when they were finally finished with me.

  I glanced in the mirror and gasped as I eyed my reflection. My eye makeup was dark and sultry, and my tall heels made my legs look like they went for miles. I felt like I was staring at a different person in the mirror, and I couldn’t decide if I liked the change or not.

  “You don’t think this is a little over the top?” I asked. I’d never been to a club before, so I had no idea what most people wore.

  “Nope, you look perfect,” Mia said. “You’ll fit right in.”

  I chewed on my lower lip as I stared at my reflection. With Tessa and Mia standing on either side of me, I guess I didn’t look all that out of place. I took a deep breath and nodded. This was happening, and there wasn’t a lot I could do to stop it. “I guess we better get going then,” I announced, trying to sound confident, as I turned to the door.

  “We better get going,” the girls agreed.

  We headed downstairs, and I was almost to the front door when my dad emerged from his office. He was rubbing his face tiredly, and as he lowered his hand, his eyes went wide.

  “Ally? What is that you’re wearing?” he asked.

  “Busted,” Mia whispered under her breath.

  The concern etched on his face was clear, but it was also mixed with confusion as he waited for me to respond.

  “It’s just a skirt and top, Dad.”

  He shook his head, clearly unhappy with my choice of outfit. “I thought you were studying at Tessa’s tonight. You don’t look dressed for studying.”

  I swallowed and glanced in the direction of my friends. Mia and Tessa both wore sheepish expressions as they stared at the floor. Miles had also appeared in the corridor, and his face was grave as he looked between my father and I.

  “I finished my homework for the weekend this afternoon,” I explained. “And it’s only the first week so there aren’t any tests to study for yet or assignments due.”

  Dad pursed his lips as he considered me.

  “There’s a small gathering at Gemma Hawthorne’s house, and we thought we’d go to it,” I quickly continued. It was a cover story we’d come up with earlier, and I was really glad Tessa thought ahead about these things because otherwise I’d be screwed. There was no way I could tell my dad about Dizzy. “Please can I go?”

  He studied me for several moments before he let out a breath and nodded. “Fine you can go, but I want you home by midnight, and you will be changing your outfit.”

  I jumped into his arms and hugged him. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll go change now.”

  “And I want you studying all day tomorrow,” he added as I flew back up the stairs to change.

  “I will,” I called over my shoulder.

  I threw on my jeans from earlier and pulled a sweater over my top. I knew the girls would be disappointed, but changing my clothes was the least of my worries. I needed to get out of the house before Dad started asking more questions about tonight.

  Unfortunately, he was still waiting when I got back downstairs. His eyes were wary, and he kept giving the girls disapproving looks. He even shot a few disgruntled glances in Miles direction, which was making my poor friend quake.

  Dad had been completely fine with me hanging out with my friends all summer, but now that school was back in session, he’d gone straight into worried parent mode. I don’t think the skimpy clothes I’d been wearing had helped much either.

  “That’s much better,” Dad said, eyeing my new outfit. “Since Miles is going with you, I take it there will be boys attending your gathering tonight.”

  “Yes, Dad. There will be boys there.”

  “Is your brother going?”

  “How should I know?”

  His forehead creased with concern, and given the wild look in his eyes, I was starting to worry he might lock me up and throw away the key. Damn that short leather skirt.

  “I think I heard Shane was going,” Tessa piped in.

  “I heard the same thing,” Mia added.

  Dad started to nod, like the news gave him some semblance of relief. “Remember, home by midnight,” he told me.

  I let out a breath. “Yeah, I’ll be home by then.”

  “And no boys.”

  “And no boys,” I parroted right back to him. I walked over and stood up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later, Dad.”

  “Stay out of trouble,” he called.

  We made a quick exit out of the house, and as soon as the door closed behind us, the girls started giggling.

  “I swear your dad looked like the terminator in there,” Miles said, as we walked toward his car.

  “I thought you were a total goner,” Mia added.

  “Me too!” I agreed. “I think Dad’s brain went into meltdown when he saw that ridiculous outfit you had me wearing. I guess I’ll be wearing the jeans after all.”

  “Don’t sound so sure,” Tessa said. “I brought a backup outfit in case you didn’t have anything appropriate to wear.”

  I groaned when I saw the evil look in her eyes. “You didn’t.”

  “I did. And it’s just as slutty as what you were wearing before, if not more so.”

  I really shouldn’t have been surprised. “Do I have a choice in this?”

  “Nope.”

  “You know you’re evil, right?”

  “I try.”

  I laughed and shook my head at her. “Fine. I’ll wear your slutty outfit. Now, are you guys going to tell me what I’m supposed to do to attract Chase tonight?” I hadn’t wanted to know about what their plan was before, but now that we were leaving, I knew I needed to hear it.

  “You’re going to have a few drinks, dance your little heart out, flirt with all the boys, and totally ignore Chase,” Mia replied.

  I frowned. “And that’s supposed to attract him?”

  The two girls nodded. “He hates girls that fling themselves at him,” Tessa replied. “And if he sees you looking this hot and having an amazing time with everyone but him, it’s going to drive him wild.”

  “You really think that will work?”

  Tessa opened the car door and waved for me to get in. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  9

  Chase

  Dizzy was just as awful as ever. It was overcrowded, the music was too
loud, and everyone was wasted. I’d had a couple of drinks at the start of the night but quickly set them aside when I’d seen the direction things were heading.

  I was hiding out in a booth at the back of the room, as far away from the chaos of the dance floor as possible. Nightclubs just weren’t my thing, but all my friends were out tonight, and I didn’t have much of a choice. My only other option was hanging out at the Lockwoods’ house avoiding Ally, so it was a no-brainer to tag along.

  I knew I should be grateful that the Lockwoods had taken me in and that I was able to live with my best friend, but it was hard to feel that way when I was constantly tiptoeing on eggshells whenever I was in the house. I was also growing more and more frustrated by Ally. She hadn’t agreed to our truce, but she’d been acting strangely around me ever since we’d last discussed it in the kitchen. She seemed to be more unfriendly than ever and was pretty much refusing to speak to me. While I hadn’t heard an argumentative word from her mouth in days, I’d had more than my fair share of spiteful looks.

  I’d hoped to find a little reprieve tonight. Just one night where I could forget how shit my life had become and hang out with my friends. Dizzy was not a particularly relaxing place though, and I was seriously regretting my decision to come.

  “Are you hiding back here?” Shane asked, taking a seat in the booth next to me. I’d lost him at the bar a while back, and there was a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead, so I assumed he’d been dancing.

  “Am I that obvious?”

  Shane chuckled under his breath. “Yeah, but I don’t blame you. It’s getting messy out there. Jenna just puked on the dance floor, and the bouncers escorted her out.”

  “Gross.” I screwed up my nose and glanced toward the packed dance floor. The threat of Jenna’s vomit lurking out there on the ground somewhere was yet another reason to stay exactly where I was.

  Another body slumped into the booth next to me. “What’s happening back here?” Jordan slurred at us. He was on the football team with Shane, but unlike my best friend, Jordan didn’t take the commitment to staying sober during the season very seriously, and his eyes were glazed as he looked at us.