“Thanks,” I murmured. The way Luke put it kind of made me proud of what I’d done.
“So, where did you live before you came to Fairview?” I asked, ready to change the subject.
“San Francisco,” Luke replied. “My parents grew tired of living in the city, and my dad is in IT. He works remotely so he can pretty much do it from anywhere.”
“And you guys chose Fairview?”
“Try not to sound so shocked.”
“Sorry.” I laughed in response. “It’s just, it’s Fairview.”
“Yeah, but my mom has family here and the lifestyle isn’t so hectic. And so far, the kids at my new school seem pretty cool.” He gave me a knowing smile as he spoke. “Aside from the ones spreading vicious rumors about my favorite dancer, of course.”
“Of course,” I replied. I focused back on the road and pointed toward the turn off to my street. “That’s my house two doors down on the left.”
Luke followed my directions and pulled to a stop in front of the house. He was tapping his fingers on the wheel as he looked up at my house. “You’ve got a nice home,” he said.
I shrugged. “It’s not really a home when no one’s ever in it.” I quickly realized I didn’t want to elaborate and continued talking before Luke could get a word in. “Anyway, thanks so much for the ride. The walk would have sucked.”
“Anytime, Ally,” Luke replied with a smile that brought the dimples out in his cheeks.
I gave him a smile in return before I got out of the car. I stood on the sidewalk and waved as he drove off. Luke was cute and seemed like a really sweet guy. It was a shame there weren’t more boys in our school like him. Chase could certainly use a lesson in kindness from Luke.
As I turned to face my house, a sense of dread welled up inside me. I didn’t want to see Chase right now, and I couldn’t face any more confrontation after the day I’d had. I almost considered heading to Tessa’s place, but I knew I couldn’t avoid my house forever. I was going to have to see Chase again sometime; I might as well get it over with.
I tried to open the front door quietly, but Shane must have been listening for me because it was barely open a crack when he came rushing to greet me.
“How are you holding up?”
I gave him a tired shrug. “I’m fine, Shane. It was only detention.”
“I’m not talking about the detention…”
“I don’t care about the prank,” I said, trying to shake off his concern.
Shane shook his head. “It wasn’t just a prank. I spent the whole morning tearing down those posters and spent the rest of the day telling people to forget about it. Then you had to deal with detention on top of all that. I’m worried about you.”
“You took those posters down and told people to stop talking about it?” I struggled not to sound shocked. It was one thing to help me with the principal, but to be actively backing me up with other students was something else entirely. There was always such a distance between us at school, and I often felt like he wasn’t my twin brother at all when we walked the corridors of Fairview High. He’d never had to look out for me at school before, and the fact he’d protected me today filled my heart with warmth.
“Ally, no one harasses my little sister except me.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “You’re fifteen minutes older than me.”
“Maybe, but you’re forgetting I was born on the thirteenth of March while you were born on the fourteenth.”
“So I’ve heard,” I muttered with another eye roll.
“Look, just let me know if anyone else gives you any trouble.”
“I will,” I said, forcing a smile. His words comforted me, but I knew I wouldn’t take him up on his offer. Only one person truly troubled me in life, and it wouldn’t be fair for me to try to turn Shane on his best friend.
“You hungry?” Shane asked. “Dad’s picking up some Indian on his way home from work tonight. I’ve already got Chase’s order, I’m just waiting on yours.”
“Yeah, I’m starving. I was too busy to eat at lunch,” I said, causing a dark look to cross my brother’s face. “I’ll have the usual plus a garlic naan.”
“Garlic naan?” Chase’s voice sounded from behind me. “I hope you plan to brush your teeth.”
My neck prickled in agitation at his proximity, but I refused to turn and look him in the eyes. “Yes, well I wouldn’t want to upset my customers, would I?” I snapped in return.
Shane groaned and shook his head at me. “Please don’t say shit like that. We’re trying to stop that rumor, not give it wings.” He shook his head once more before heading to the kitchen to call Dad with our dinner requests.
I slowly turned to look my nemesis in the eyes. He was leaning against the doorway and staring at me intently. He didn’t even seem slightly remorseful for what he’d done today.
I huffed out an agitated breath as I stared back at him. “Are you even a little sorry for putting those posters up?”
His expression changed, and a flicker of guilt flashed across his eyes. “Ally, I’m sorry about what happened today, but I didn’t take that picture, and I didn’t put those posters up. I might have—”
“Stop lying to me.” I didn’t want to hear another false story fall from his lips.
His gaze hardened, and he shook his head. “You won’t even give me a chance to explain? Why would I bother lying to you?”
His question ruffled me for the briefest moment. Chase was right. Normally, he wouldn’t hesitate to tease me about something like this. Deep down, I knew he’d done it though. He’d been standing right where the picture was taken on Saturday night and was the only person I knew with a vendetta against me. Who else could it be?
“Yeah, I think you would,” I replied.
Chase scoffed. “I give up. It doesn’t matter what I say. You’ll just believe whatever you want to when it comes to me.”
“That’s not true.”
“Really?” he said. “Because this isn’t the first time you’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion about me. There was a dance involved back then as well.”
My face paled, and I started to frown, my anger ebbing a little as my mind clouded with confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing,” he snapped. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s ancient history.”
He turned and stalked from the room without another word and I was left standing in the corridor feeling completely baffled. Was Chase telling the truth? Had someone else been the one to put those posters up? It was a question I’d been so certain I knew the answer to, but I wasn’t so sure.
I was even more confused about the other incident he’d mentioned. I knew exactly what dance he was talking about. It was the one he’d gone out of his way to sabotage my chances with Declan. But what conclusion had I jumped to?
Chase was definitely wrong about one thing: the dance wasn’t ancient history to me. His actions at the dance had inflicted wounds on me that had taken years to heal over, and even now, I could feel the ache of those old scars.
I shook my head, trying to push the rampant thoughts from my mind. Even if there was some unknown truth about Chase from the past, it didn’t change the pain he’d put me through then, and continued to cause now.
The smell of Indian food pulled me back to reality as my dad walked through the door with our takeaway. My stomach growled in response and Dad chuckled when he heard the sound.
“I’m guessing you’re hungry,” he said.
“Starving.”
He started to laugh again. “Did you have a good day at school?”
“It was fine.” I hated lying, but I couldn’t exactly tell him the truth.
“Have you done your homework?”
“Yes.” I omitted the fact I’d had more than enough time to focus on it in detention.
“That’s my Ally.” He headed toward the kitchen with the food.
I stared after him, a frown creasing my brow. I didn’t feel like his Ally right now. I�
��d gone to a nightclub on the weekend and danced on a table in the cafeteria today. I’d never had detention before, and it wasn’t the kind of milestone I was proud of.
All I knew was none of these things would have happened if Chase weren’t living in our house, and I had to focus on getting rid of him as quickly as possible.
Following our latest confrontation, it didn’t feel like I was making much progress with Tessa’s plan. Chase wasn’t exactly making it easy for me to be nice to him, but I didn’t have a choice. Failure wasn’t an option, so I needed to start getting serious about Operation Pest Control.
14
Ally
“Did you hear about the fight in the parking lot this morning?”
Tessa’s question made me jump. I was staring into my open locker, thinking about the geography assignment I’d just received when she appeared out of nowhere. The mention of a fight quickly pushed school to the back of my mind. Fights didn’t exactly break out regularly at Fairview, but when they did, the teachers normally came down pretty hard on the students involved. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard about it yet.
“There was a fight?”
Tessa nodded enthusiastically. “Well, I didn’t see it myself, but everyone’s been talking about it.”
“Between who?”
“Declan and your boyfriend-to-be, apparently.”
“Chase?” I clarified.
“The one and only.”
I frowned and focused back on my locker as I pulled out a book. Declan and Chase had little to do with one another, but they had butted heads on Saturday night, and it seemed too coincidental not to be related. All Chase had done was stick his nose where it wasn’t wanted though, and they hadn’t seemed angry with each other at the time.
“Do you know why they were fighting?”
“No idea,” Tessa replied. “At least it’s given everyone something else to talk about.”
She had a point. I’d barely received any mocking laughs or snide comments today. I’d had a few girls congratulate me on the way I handled myself in the cafeteria, but for the most part, it felt like the poster scandal had died down.
“So, did they get in trouble?” I asked.
Tessa shook her head. “I think it was broken up before any teachers got involved.”
“So, I guess Chase is still in school then.”
“You don’t need to sound so miserable about it,” Tessa replied.
I blew out a breath. “I’m not miserable about it, I just don’t know what to do. I’m supposed to be following your plan, but everything’s a mess. I can’t seem to stop arguing with him, and I can’t imagine him ever wanting to date me. I mean, look at the posters he put up around the school. He’s really pulling out the big guns in his war with me.”
Tessa went to respond but was interrupted by the sound of someone calling my name. I turned in the direction of the voice and was surprised to find Declan walking toward us.
He looked rough after his fight with Chase. His lower lip was split, and he was shuffling slowly as he approached us, his shoulders slumped and his eyes on the floor. I shared a confused look with Tessa, who simply shrugged, equally unsure as to why he wanted to talk to me.
Aside from asking him to dance on Saturday night, Declan and I had barely spoken recently. He’d changed a lot in the last few years, and I found it hard to believe I used to have a crush on him. The way he looked at girls gave me the creeps, and the only reason I’d even bothered to wave him over on Saturday night was because I saw him watching me. Chase was right there, and I knew I needed to follow Tessa’s advice and dance with other guys, and Declan had been the only option I could see.
I closed my locker and clutched my books to my chest as I waited for him to reach us. His eyes darted up to look at me, and he glanced nervously from side to side before pausing in front of us.
“You don’t look so good,” I said to him in greeting.
He nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’ve had better days.”
“What’s up?”
His eyes flickered, and he looked around the corridor again, as if he was afraid someone might be watching. “I wanted to say sorry.” His words came out in a rush.
“You do…” My voice was filled with confusion as I responded. I had no idea what he was apologizing for.
“Yeah,” he continued. “I know I shouldn’t have done it. But honestly, I thought you’d find it funny. I mean, I had this perfect picture, and then I came up with the idea for the poster, and I couldn’t not do it, you know?”
I slowly shook my head and looked at Tessa. Her eyes were wide as she glared at Declan, and my blood ran cold as I realized what he was saying. “You put those posters up?”
Declan shrank under my stare and tucked his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he nodded.
I had the sudden urge to give him more than a split lip. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
He lifted his hands as he stepped back from me. “Look, it was just a joke, and now, I’ve said I’m sorry. We’re cool, all right?”
“We are certainly not cool, and this wasn’t a joke to me. I’ve had to change my phone number.”
“Not to mention everyone at school has been giving her a hard time,” Tessa added. Her eyes were filled with disgust, and I was never more grateful to have my best friend standing at my side.
“That’s not my problem,” he replied
Tessa jumped forward like she was going to throw a punch at him, but I grabbed her arm, yanking her to a stop. Declan might be a total ass, but I wasn’t going to let Tessa get in trouble for me.
“He’s not worth it,” I murmured to her. I was trying to remain calm, but it was really difficult to keep my cool when Declan didn’t seem to hold any genuine remorse for what he’d done. He might have apologized, but there wasn’t an ounce of sorrow in his smug gaze. I couldn’t believe I had once wanted Declan to be my first kiss; that I had even contemplated dancing with him on Saturday night.
Something struck me that was even more shocking though. I couldn’t believe Chase was telling the truth. He wasn’t the one who put the posters up. I was wrong about him, but I guess he was right about me. Maybe I did jump to conclusions when it came to him.
I dragged in a breath as I met Declan’s gaze again. “I didn’t deserve what you did to me,” I said before turning to walk away. I didn’t want to share the same air as him for a moment longer, and I didn’t want to waste another second of my time listening to his false apology.
I hadn’t gone one step when Declan uttered his reply. “I guess next time you’ll think twice about being a tease.”
My eyes snapped back to his, and my hand seemed to move of its own accord as I slapped him across his face. He stumbled sideways, and his arrogant expression turned to pure shock as he lifted a hand to touch his cheek. I could already see a red handprint forming on his skin, and my palm burned from the contact. I didn’t regret it for a second though.
“Don’t ever talk to me again,” I growled.
“And I hope that lip of yours gets infected and drops off,” Tessa added.
He scowled at the two of us but thankfully thought better than to respond. He turned and slunk away, and I was all too happy to watch him leave.
“What a jerk,” Tessa said as she spun toward me. “I mean, who does that?”
“Someone pretty heartless,” I replied. “I can’t believe how much he’s changed. He always used to be so sweet.”
“Well, he’s definitely not sweet anymore. Do you think this is why Chase punched him?”
I quickly shook my head. “It couldn’t be.”
My friend didn’t look as certain as me though. “I don’t know. It seems a pretty big coincidence that they got into a fight right after those posters went up. And now Declan suddenly comes to apologize to you.”
I continued to shake my head. “Tessa, there’s no way Chase would fight someone over me.”
“If you say so.” She shrugged. The knowing look
in her eyes told me she didn’t believe me. “But I think it’s pretty safe to say the plan is working.”
“Chase didn’t fight him over me,” I repeated.
“Perhaps not,” she replied. “But, we know now he didn’t put up those posters, and you didn’t seem to notice the way he was looking at you on Saturday night.”
“What? Like he wanted me to disappear?”
“More like he wanted to disappear with you.”
I scrunched up my nose. “Yeah, there’s no way he looked at me like that.”
“Then explain why he was watching you like you were a lone drink of water and he was a dying man in the Sahara Desert when you danced in the cafeteria?”
“Oh my gosh, you are so full of it. He did not look at me like that.”
Tessa shrugged. “I’m just telling it how I see it, and I think you’ve already nailed the attraction part of the plan. I think it’s safe to say we can start to move on to step two.”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure…” There was no way Chase was attracted to me.
“Just trust me,” Tessa said. “I already have an idea for something we can try to help kick start step two on Saturday. I’ll even throw in a little more of step one if you’re really that concerned.”
“What are you thinking?”
A mischievous grin lit her features. “It’s still a work in progress, but I’ll tell you all the details on the weekend.”
Not knowing what Tessa had planned made me anxious, and from the way she was avoiding the details, I got the feeling I had good reason to be wary.
* * *
When Saturday afternoon finally arrived, I was a jumble of concern and nerves. I hadn’t spoken to Chase since I’d found out he wasn’t behind the posters at school, and I had no idea how I was supposed to act around him. His comment about me always jumping to the wrong conclusion wouldn’t stop bouncing around my mind. He’d been right on this occasion, so how many other times had I also misjudged Chase? It made me reconsider every interaction we’d had over the last few years, and I’d started to wonder if perhaps I’d been a little hard on him. It made me question if my hatred for him was justified, and that was something I wasn’t ready to reconsider.
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