I Hate You More

by Moody, Alexandra

  “Jordan,” Shane said. “Don’t you think you should take it easy on the drinking?”

  “Nah, I’m ’kay.” Jordan’s answer was interrupted by a loud hiccup that seemed to surprise even him.

  Shane shook his head and sighed but didn’t push the matter.

  “Did you see your sister?” Jordan continued.

  “Ally’s here?” Shane asked, a crease forming between his brows.

  “Yep.” Jordan took his phone out and swiped across the screen before handing it over the Shane. “And, dayum, she looks hot!”

  Shane’s face grew tense as he looked down at the phone, and I quickly leaned in to take a look. There was a photo open on the screen of Ally and Jordan. The two of them were laughing as they danced, and Jordan had her lowered in a clumsy but dramatic dip.

  Ally looked nothing like her usual self. Her long hair was styled in thick curls, and she was wearing a short skirt that made her legs look unbelievably long. I could see just a hint of skin peeking out between her top and her skirt, but her face really took my breath away. She looked so sweet and innocent most of the time, but tonight, her makeup made her look sexy and far older than she was.

  My mouth grew dry as I looked at the picture, and I struggled to pull my gaze away. I liked to believe it was shock that had my eyes glued to the phone screen, but I struggled to ignore the searing heat in my chest. Ally Lockwood was the last person I wanted to feel any sort of attraction to, so I clenched my hands into fists and dug my nails into the skin of my palm in the hopes a little pain might jolt me back to my senses.

  “Shit,” Shane swore.

  “You two were dancing?” I asked, frowning as I finally managed to lift my eyes from the screen.

  “Dude, she’s dancing with everyone, and I swear she nearly drank me under the bar.” Each word that left Jordan’s mouth was more slurred than the last, which meant Ally must be drunk if she was matching his drinks. “I didn’t know your sister was actually fun, Shane.”

  Shane’s expression darkened, and he glanced toward the dance floor. “This isn’t like Ally,” he said as his gaze drifted over the sea of people dancing under the swirling lights of the club. “She doesn’t normally come to places like this, and she definitely doesn’t drink.”

  “Are you worried?” I asked.

  Shane nodded. “I think I should go check she’s all right.” He jumped up from his seat, and his eyebrows shot up as I went to follow after him. “You’re coming with me?”

  “Yeah, if you’re concerned about her, you might need back up.”

  Shane gave a swift nod. “Thanks, man,” he said before he started toward the crowded dance floor. I wasn’t sure why I was helping Shane with his sister, but I was fairly certain it wasn’t because he was worried. I think a part of me just didn’t believe Ally was drinking in a place like Dizzy, and I needed to see it for myself.

  The dance floor smelled like stale beer, and I had to press my body through hordes of people to try to get across it. The air was hot and sticky, and after a few moments surrounded by the hectic crowd, I quickly understood why Shane had come back sweating. It was a claustrophobic, thumping hell, and I couldn’t imagine why it would be appealing to anyone. The people around me were having the time of their lives though.

  I saw plenty of kids from school as I made my way through the crowd. The bouncers at Dizzy were famously lax on IDs, and I’d never been carded in the few times I’d come before. Several of the girls we knew smiled at me or tried to wave me over. I let my gaze skim right past them though. One soft look or nice word from me was enough to give the girls at our school the wrong idea. I’d learned the hard way not to do anything that might lead them on.

  Shane stopped in front of me and nudged me with his elbow before pointing across the room. His expression was disproving, and his lips had formed a tight line. “She’s over there.”

  I followed the direction of his finger, and my body flushed with heat as I caught sight of Ally. She was dancing with some guy I didn’t recognize, her body moving in seductive ways I had no idea she was capable of. I could barely pull my eyes from her, but then she teetered a little in her high heels, and I remembered how much she’d had to drink. Any sudden attraction I felt quickly dissolved and was replaced by concern.

  Several guys were watching Ally dance from nearby. They seemed to be gradually sidling closer, apparently unaware they were just one of many creeps who had their eye on her. I felt a sudden desire to protect her, but I told myself it was just because I wanted to help Shane out.

  “Aren’t you going to do something?” I growled to Shane.

  “What do you think?” he replied, already starting to force his way farther across the dance floor toward his sister.

  I was right on Shane’s tail as I strode after him. People must have sensed we were on a mission because the crowd parted as we made our way over to Ally.

  As soon as we were close enough, Shane grabbed the shoulder of the guy Ally was dancing with and jerked him around so they stood face to face.

  “What the hell, man?” the guy complained.

  “Get your hands off my sister,” Shane replied.

  The guy’s eyes widened. He looked like he wanted to tell Shane to go to hell, but as I came to stand at Shane’s side, he reconsidered. He looked me up and down and then glanced back at Shane, knowing he was outnumbered.

  “Fine, chill,” he muttered, holding up his hands as he quickly backed away from us and disappeared into the crowd without a second look at Ally.

  Ally thumped her brother in the chest. “Why did you do that?” she shouted at him.

  “I was protecting you,” he replied. “What were you thinking coming here?”

  Ally scowled at her brother. “I was thinking I might come and have a little fun with my friends. Is that such a crime?”

  “It is when you’re getting drunk, and I don’t see your friends anywhere.”

  Ally shrugged. “They went to the bathroom.”

  “That doesn’t change the fact you’re drunk or the fact that Dad will kill you and me for letting this happen if he finds out.”

  Ally rolled her eyes. “I’m not drunk.” She might not have been as wasted as Jordan, but it was clear she was tipsy. Her eyes were a little unfocused, and she was swaying slightly in her heels.

  Shane took hold of her wrist. “Ally, let me take you home.”

  She quickly shook him off, refusing to move an inch. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Come on, Ally,” Shane pleaded. “It’s late, and you shouldn’t be here. Let’s just go home.”

  “I have until midnight.”

  “Which isn’t that far away.”

  “I said no, Shane!” Her body was vibrating with anger, and she had that determined look in her eyes I’d seen far too many times before. There was no way Ally was changing her mind.

  “Ally, you don’t belong here.”

  “I don’t belong here?” Her voice was raised, and I gave a slow shake of my head as I glanced at my friend. Did he even know his sister? He’d just said completely the wrong thing if he wanted to get her to leave.

  “I belong here just as much as you do, if not more so,” she snapped. She turned and pushed through the crowd. Determination seemed to steady her limbs as she walked with confidence toward the DJ booth. She barely broke her stride as she started to climb up onto one of the raised podiums next to the DJ.

  The blood drained from my face, and my eyes darted toward another girl who was dancing on one of the other podiums. The girl was putting on a real show for the crowd of guys standing before her, and it didn’t take a genius to know that Ally planned to do the same.

  Shane’s posture became stiff as he realized what Ally was planning, and anger radiated off of him as he shook his head. Only someone as difficult as Ally could turn my normally cheerful friend into the aggravated mess at my side. He tore his eyes off her before she could start to dance and turned to me.

  “She’s so damn stubbor
n sometimes,” he complained. “I give up, I’m not sticking around to watch her try and prove a point.” He threw his arms up in the air and stormed off into the crowd. Shane didn’t butt heads with his sister very often, and I felt like he’d given in way too soon.

  I, on the other hand, was far more experienced with Ally’s unreasonableness and wouldn’t be so easily deterred. When I turned back to focus on Ally, she had started dancing. Her hands were slowly moving down the sides of her body as her hips swayed to the deep thumping beat of the music.

  She seemed in no rush as she allowed her hands to trace across her tempting curves. Her dancing was seductive, and I was completely enthralled by her every move. I tried to remind myself she was only dancing this way because she’d been drinking. I couldn’t seem to make the thought stick though, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

  My hands clenched into tight fists at my side when she grabbed onto the pole behind her and started to spin herself around it. The club normally had go-go dancers performing up on the platforms, but Ally was putting those dancers to shame. I had a bad feeling that if we didn’t stop her dancing soon, she was going to get mobbed by the crowd of guys who were starting to gather in front of her.

  Someone bumped into me, pulling my gaze from Ally for the briefest of seconds. It was enough to break the disturbing grip her dancing had held over me though, and I realized how much of a scene she was making. Grown men were lingering in front of the platform, practically drooling, as they looked up at her, and a bunch of guys from our school had their phone cameras trained on her performance.

  I wasn’t comfortable watching either of those things happen to Ally, and since Shane had already given up on his sister, I knew it was up to me to intervene. I huffed out a frustrated breath as I stormed across the dance floor toward her. My night was already a bust, and of course, it had only gotten worse since Ally had shown up.

  I shoved my way through the men crowded in front of Ally’s podium so I was standing at the base of it. Some of them were easily in their forties, which only made the whole thing more disturbing. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared up at Ally, waiting for her to notice me. She seemed to be avoiding looking in my direction though, which probably meant she was perfectly aware I was there.

  “You need to get down, Ally,” I shouted to her over the music. I really hated nightclubs.

  She glanced down as she heard her name and smiled at me. If I needed any more evidence she was tipsy, this was it—Ally never smiled at me. “Oh, hey, Chase, I didn’t see you there.”

  “Of course, you didn’t.” She was so full of shit. “So, are you coming home?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’m having fun.”

  I rolled my eyes at this. “Dancing by yourself is fun?”

  “Maybe I don’t plan to dance by myself,” she replied with a cheeky smile.

  “Well, I sure hope you’re not looking at me to be your dancing partner.” There was a slim chance in hell of that happening.

  She scoffed and shook her head. “Of course not,” she replied, making my stomach dip uncomfortably. I didn’t want to dance with her, but I didn’t like the way she’d so happily rejected me either.

  Her gaze lifted away from me and started to skim over the dance floor. They started to sparkle when they landed on someone, and she smiled widely as she waved them over.

  I turned as a body knocked into mine, and Declan pushed past me. His eyes were dark with lust as he approached Ally, and he was swaying heavily from drinking too much. Ally might have been tipsy, but Declan was wasted.

  “Declan, do you want to dance?” Ally asked him.

  Was she freaking serious? She was inviting Douchebag Declan of all people up to dance with her? He’d been in the group of guys who were videoing her dancing on their phones, so there was no way I was going to let this happen—especially when Ally wasn’t sober.

  “No, Declan doesn’t want to dance,” I replied, pushing the guy back. I’d never been a fan of Declan and was only too glad to stop him from getting his way now. He was too full of himself. He always came across as smarmy and insincere, and since dating Jenna a few years back, he seemed to think he could get any girl in school.

  “I didn’t realize you spoke for him.” Ally folded her arms across her chest. “And I’m not letting you come between me and Declan like you did last time.”

  Her eyes were hard, and for a moment, I could almost see her recalling the school dance from years ago. She might have wanted to be with Declan then, but surely, she’d come to realize what a sleaze he was now. He’d been so quick to give her up when a better offer came along. Was that really the kind of guy she wanted to be with? It wasn’t for me to decide, but right now, I didn’t really care. She’d hated me since that dance, so I wasn’t too concerned I could make it any worse now.

  “So, are we dancing, Ally, or what?” Declan shouted over my shoulder. His words were somewhat incoherent from all the alcohol and sounded slightly aggressive

  “Yes,” Ally replied.

  “No!” I barked.

  I shot her a deadly scowl before turning that same glare on the idiot behind me. “Ally’s not dancing with you tonight,” I told him.

  Declan’s drunken eyes slowly drifted to Ally as he shook his head at her. “Oh, so you were just teasing me, were you?” he slurred.

  “I wasn’t.” I could barely hear her reply over the music, but Declan was already stumbling back toward his friends. He barely got a couple of feet from us before he accidentally toppled into another girl and started flirting with her. The girl almost immediately walked away.

  “Why do you have to ruin everything?” Ally shouted at me, pulling my attention back to her once more.

  “I’m not ruining everything,” I growled. If anything, I was trying to look after her. “So, enough of this crap. We’re leaving.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you,” Ally replied. She’d barely said a word to me for days, let alone argued with me, so I was somewhat relieved to see she still had that spark in her. Like all of the fights we had, she was convinced she could win this one. What she didn’t realize was that I was done trying to play by the rules. I didn’t give her the opportunity to object again, and without any hesitation I moved forward and threw her over my shoulder.

  “What the hell, Chase!” she squealed as I began to walk away from the podium. I was getting her out of here whether she liked it or not, so I started straight toward the exit.

  “Put me down, you ass!” Ally yelled, as she thumped me across my back.

  I quite enjoyed having control over her for once and wasn’t quite ready to give in to her demands. I’d put her down when I was ready to and not a moment sooner.

  “Please, Chase, I’m pretty sure people can see up my skirt!”

  I immediately set her on the ground. “That wouldn’t be a problem if you’d worn more than a small scrap of material around your waist,” I snapped back.

  Ally shrugged my concern off. “I haven’t heard too many guys complaining about it.”

  She stood right in front of me, and it was the first time I’d seen her up close tonight. She appeared much older with her seductive dark eye shadow and sultry red lips. I found myself strangely missing the way she looked at school every day though. The makeup was like a mask, hiding her imperfections and making her look just like all the other girls staggering around the club tonight. I could normally see a tiny freckle just under her right eye, but with so much makeup on, it was like she’d erased it. This wasn’t the true Ally.

  I slowly shook my head, my disapproval shining through my eyes. “This isn’t you.”

  She frowned and bit down on her lower lip as she looked up at me. “Maybe it is. You don’t know me,” she said. The fight was gone from her voice, and briefly, I sensed her vulnerability. As I stared at her, I wondered if she was right. We always fought so much that I could see why she might think that. As I considered her silently,
I began to question myself. Had I grown so hard toward her over the years that I’d become blind to the girl standing before me? I didn’t want to know the answer, so I pushed the question to the back of my mind.

  “I don’t feel so well,” she murmured.

  I sighed and placed a hand on her lower back as I guided her toward the door once more. I was surprised to find she obliged without any objection.

  It was only once we were safely outside that I finally let go of her. The night was cold, and I had no idea how Ally wasn’t shivering in her scraps of clothing. If I had a jacket, I would have given it to her, but I hoped the alcohol flooding her system would be doing a good job of keeping her warm.

  I messaged Shane to let him know we’d left the club and told him we’d meet him at his car. As I put my phone away, I led Ally to where he’d parked. It was down a dimly lit street, and Ally seemed to subconsciously drift closer to me as we walked through a particularly dark section.

  Neither of us spoke as we walked, and I had to wonder what she was thinking. She’d been so defiant when she’d been fighting with her brother, but she’d so easily given up once I got her off the dance floor.

  I slowed as we neared the car and stopped to turn toward her. “Why didn’t you keep fighting me in there?” I asked.

  Ally paused at my side, her brows knitting together as she stared for a long moment at the car. She finally let out a breath and looked up at me. Her eyes were bright despite the darkness and far clearer than they’d been in the club. She seemed more sober now we were outside, and I could almost see the cogs of her mind working through my question.

  She let out a long sigh. “Maybe because I’m done fighting with you,” she finally replied. Her eyes quickly darted away and she started toward the car again before I could respond.

  I couldn’t tell if she meant she was done fighting in general or if she only meant for tonight. She’d seemed embarrassed by the admission, and as I watched her rush toward the car, I had to wonder: was I done fighting too?

  10

  Ally