“So, are you still going to the dance with Romeo tomorrow night?” he asked, starting the engine.
I chuckled. “You really don’t like him do you?”
“I just don’t want him putting his hands on you.”
“Wait, are you getting possessive already?” I teased.
“Already? I was about ready to kick Jason’s ass when he had his arm around your waist earlier.”
Flattered, I smiled. “He knows I like you.”
Chase looked surprised. “How?”
“I admitted it at the party.”
“Seriously? And you couldn’t tell me?” he said jokingly.
“I think you figured it out all on your own.”
Chase gave me a devilish grin. “I don’t know. I might have to do some more investigating. What are you doing Sunday?”
“Working.”
“What about next weekend?”
“I’ll check my schedule.”
He laughed. “Okay. Pencil me in there somewhere.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
43
Chase
After dropping Mackenzie off at home, I pulled my cell phone out and saw there was a message from Gus. He’d called me when we’d been in the boathouse, which was why I hadn’t answered.
“We need to talk,” Gus said, his tone tight on the voicemail. “Call me as soon as you get this.”
It was obvious that he was pissed. I wondered if he’d heard about the party. News and gossip traveled fast. I called him and sure enough, he confirmed my suspicions.
“You fucking owe my money,” he said. “You were supposed to stay the fuck away from her and I heard you actually gave her a ride home.”
“Yeah. I know. I’ll pay up.”
There was a long pause. “You’re giving in that easily?”
“Yeah.”
He laughed harshly. “I bet you even fucked her didn’t you?”
“No.”
“Right.”
“I didn’t. Not that it’s any of your business, but we did fool around a little,” I admitted.
“Just fooled around,” he repeated dryly.
“You should actually be thanking me. She only likes you as a friend. You had zero chance of scoring with her.”
“She agreed to go to dance with me. Even bought a dress, from what I hear. That doesn’t sound like someone who just wants to be friends.”
“Tell yourself whatever you want. She’s not into you. She likes me.”
“You’re pretty sure of yourself. I bet I can make her do a one-eighty.”
“Dude, you’re not going to have sex with her. We almost did tonight,” I said, angry that he wanted to continue the bet. “And, eventually, it’s going to happen.”
“Unless I get there first.”
Jealousy burned deep in my stomach. “Good luck.”
“Look, Adams… the bet is still on. Only this time… there are no rules.”
“No. It’s over. I’ll pay you the fucking cash tomorrow if you want.”
“I don’t want your money. This wager us now strictly for fun. I’m taking her to the dance tomorrow night. Since you already bent the rules, I don’t have to stand her up.”
I clenched my jaw.
He continued. “And, if you try to interfere, I’ll make sure she finds out about our little bet.”
I couldn’t believe he was being this much of an asshole. “I’ll just deny it.”
“Deny it?” He chuckled. “When placing bets like ours, one should always be thinking ahead. I know I did.”
“Okay?” Whatever the fuck that was supposed to mean.
“I recorded our conversation at the diner.”
I growled in the back of my throat. “Sonny is right about you. You really are a prick.”
“Never claimed I wasn’t. I’d get off your high horse, though. You went into this bet, swearing you’d abide by the rules, and you didn’t even last a week.”
“Touch her and you’re dead,” I snapped.
He snorted. “Wow, she must be hiding something special under those clothes for you to be this jealous.”
“I’m serious. It’s over. Leave her alone. Or else.”
“Watch yourself Adams. I will let her hear the tape. She’ll never forgive you.”
“Or you.”
“I guess it all depends on how I present everything to her. I’m sure she’ll be more forgiving to the person who ‘fessed up because they felt guilty.”
“Why are you doing this? I said I’d pay you.”
“Some things are worth more than money. Like beating a Diamond Lake dick.” He hung up on me.
Swearing, I tossed my phone onto the passenger seat. I wanted to call Mackenzie and confess everything. But, I’d fuck myself in the process. I didn’t know if I was willing to risk losing her for good.
44
Mackenzie
I fell asleep with a smile on my face and woke up yearning to be with Chase. Every time I thought about him, my stomach filled with butterflies and my heart danced.
“You’re in a good mood this morning,” Grandma Rae said when I walked into the kitchen humming. “And, it’s not even eight a.m. What happened to my granddaughter? Are you some alien who’s taken over her body?”
I laughed. I normally slept until almost ten on the weekends. Sometimes later. But, I couldn’t stop thinking about last night and couldn’t wait to see Chase again.
“So, tell me about the party,” she said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. “Was it fun?”
I shrugged. “It was okay.”
“I noticed you got a ride home from Chase last night. What happened to Kara?”
I told her how she’d wanted to stay longer to be with Sonny.
“And he volunteered to take you home?” She looked impressed. “He’s a good boy. I like him.”
I smiled. “I do too.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “He is a good boy, right? He didn’t try taking you back to the studio so he could have his way with you?”
I laughed. “Grandma, chill out. No, he didn’t take me back there. But, you should probably know that we might start hanging out a lot more.”
At least I hoped so.
“As in as friends or dating?”
“Dating.”
“What about Gus?”
“I told you before, Gus and I are friends. That’s it.”
“Just don’t break the poor guy’s heart.”
I laughed. “Right.”
“He doesn’t seem to have a lot of luck with girls. His mother and I still talk quite a bit. He’s had his heart broken more than once.”
I bit my lower lip. Had I made a mistake accepting the date?
“I’ll just have to be honest with him up front,” I said, walking over to the refrigerator. I opened up the door and took out a cup of blueberry yogurt.
“Good.”
Grandma looked at the time. “I have to get going. I’m going to close the shop early so that I can see you all dollied up before you leave.”
I sat down at the table and peeled the top off of the yogurt. “Okay.”
She grabbed her keys from the counter. “Call me if you need anything.”
“Will do. Love you.”
“Love you too, Kiddo.”
After eating breakfast, I ran upstairs and took a shower. When I was finished, I slipped on a pair of cargo pants and a T-shirt and then headed back downstairs where I’d left my phone charging. When I unhooked it from the charger, I noticed that Chase had left me a text to call him. I quickly dialed his number. When he answered, I smiled automatically. Just hearing his voice made me giddy.
“Are you busy?” he asked, his voice guarded.
“Yeah. Is something wrong?”
“We need to talk. Have you spoken to Gus today?”
“No. Why?”
He was silent for a few seconds and then asked me to do something that caught me off guard.
“You want me to avoid h
im?” I repeated. “Why?”
“I’ll tell you when I get there. Just… don’t answer his calls, okay?”
What the hell was going on? And, why couldn’t he just tell me over the phone?
My stomach felt like it was in knots. I was almost afraid of what he was going to tell me.
Had someone died?
“Okay.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“See you soon.”
He arrived a short time later, his expression unreadable.
I asked him if he wanted something to drink.
“Yeah, maybe a stiff drink?”
Where was the guy from last night? The easygoing one with the twinkle in his eyes? There was so much tension between us right now, I didn’t know what to think.
“Sorry, my grandma doesn’t keep any booze in the house.”
Chase ran a hand briskly through his hair. “I was just kidding anyway. I’ll take some water though. I have cottonmouth from drinking last night.”
“No problem.”
I led him into the kitchen and took out a bottle of water from the refrigerator. I handed it to him and he twisted off the cap.
The silence between us seemed deafening.
“So, who died?”
“You’re going to wish it was me,” he said before taking a drink from the bottle.
Now he was scaring me. “Why?”
He leaned against the counter but didn’t say anything.
“Come on. The suspense is killing me,” I said. “Tell me what’s going on.”
He let out a ragged breath. “Gus and I placed a bet,” he said, unable to meet my eyes. “A stupid one.”
“To race again?”
“In a way, I guess you could call it a race.”
“Okay? So, why am I supposed to avoid his calls? What does it have to do with me?”
“It was about you.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Me?”
“We placed a bet on who…” He paused for a few seconds. “On who could score with you first.”
I felt like he’d just slammed a baseball bat into my stomach.
Had I heard him right?
“What?”
“It was a stupid bet. I felt like shit right after we agreed to it.”
“And when was that?” I asked, trying not to cry. I felt so betrayed and used. So mortified that what had happened between us last night had been part of a bet.
“The night of the race. At the diner.”
I thought back to that evening. The very next day, Gus had called and asked me to the dance. I couldn’t believe it.
“You two actually sat there and placed a bet on who’d have sex with me first?”
“I only agreed to it because I needed the money.”
It sounded like a crock of shit. His father was obviously wealthy. He had a job. “How much was the wager?”
“One thousand dollars.”
I laughed coldly. “Well, I guess it could have been worse. I almost expected you to say a dollar.”
“You’re worth more than the wager. You’re worth more than-”
“Stop.” I raised my hand in front of my face and closed my eyes. Tears were trying to escape and I didn’t want him to see. I was humiliated enough. “Please.”
Chase tried pulling me into his arms but I shoved him away.
“Don’t you dare fucking touch me!” I backed away.
“Mackenzie, listen to me. I told him I’d give him the money. I wanted out.”
“You want out? I’ll give you out. Get the hell out of my house!”
“I never intended to hurt you. I swear to God, I just wanted to come clean. I know what a shitty thing it was.”
“You really are a rotten, selfish, asshole,” I walked out of the kitchen and he followed me to the front door. I opened it up and turned around to face him. “Get out of here. Now.”
“I know you’re angry. You have every right to be. I just want you to know that what happened last night had nothing to do with the bet. In fact, I was supposed to stay away from you until after tonight.”
“Leave,” I repeated, not caring about the formalities.
Our eyes held and then finally, he hung his head and walked out the door.
45
Chase
Seeing Mackenzie’s teary eyes had been the hardest. I knew I’d hurt her deeply. Had humiliated her. I felt like the biggest loser on the planet.
Fucking Gus.
Why couldn’t he have just taken the money?
But, no. The crazy fucker was doing this for fun. I thought I was a selfish asshole. He made me look like a choir boy.
I picked up my phone, determined to call and let him know that I’d confessed everything. But, I decided against it.
He’d made his bed. He may as well lie in it.
I was pretty sure that he’d try explaining himself, to Mackenzie, with lies. There wasn’t anything I could do but warn her one last time of what a dirty, conniving prick he was. So, I sent her a text, telling her that Gus had no idea I’d come clean. I also told her that he’d refused to end the bet. Even as I typed the message, both of our actions made me sick to my stomach. Especially seeing it from her perspective.
Mackenzie didn’t answer me back, which I half-expected. I just hoped that in time, she’d learn to forgive me, even though it was probably more than what I deserved.
46
Mackenzie
I read Chase’s text. The idea that Gus was still planning on trying to get down my pants made me livid. I was about to call, and rip him a new asshole, when the idea of revenge sounded much better.
He liked games?
I had one for him.
But first, I needed help to pull it off.
I grabbed my phone and called Kara. I told her about the bet between Chase and Gus.
“You have got to be kidding me?” she replied angrily.
I grunted. “I wish I was.”
She told me how sorry she was that I’d been used like that and asked if I wanted her to come over.
“Yeah. I was hoping you’d do that.”
“Okay. Did you call Gus and tell him to fuck off?”
“Actually, I have something else in mind. I just need your help.”
“Gladly.”
I told her what I was thinking and she chuckled.
“Do it,” she said.
“I’ll need your help.”
“Of course. I’m totally in.”
Kara came over an hour later, and we plotted out a plan for the evening. One that would be challenging but doable.
“I wish we could make Chase pay too,” she said, laying back on my grandmother’s sofa. “He’s getting off too easily.”
Just hearing his name made my heart ache. It was hard to believe I’d fallen for him so hard and so quickly.
“I know. It makes me sick,” I murmured, trying not to think about last night. My only consolation was that we hadn’t gone all the way. If I’d have given him my “V” card, I’d have really been devastated.
“Chase had better hope he doesn’t run into me anytime soon. I feel like ripping him a new asshole.”
I chuckled and then asked what happened between her and Sonny.
Kara shrugged. “We kissed a little. I doubt anything else will happen between us though.”
“Oh, really? Why not.”
“He’s just too full of himself. Not to mention, he’s best friends with Chase. How am I supposed to trust him after what he did to you?”
I wanted to tell her that she shouldn’t hold what Chase did to me against Sonny, but for all we knew, Sonny was a jerk, too. “Good point.”
“So, do you think Gus will show, or have a guilty conscious?” she asked, changing the subject.
“I hope he shows. He definitely deserves what I have in store for him.”
She smiled. “Agree. Are you sure that you won’t chicken out?”
I hoped not. “I’ll just keep reminding myse
lf of what he wanted from me and why.”
“Good idea. Just stay focused on the ‘why’ and it will get you through it.”
“Don’t forget to keep your phone around, in case I need you.”
“I will. Don’t worry. You don’t think that Chase talked to him yet, did you? Maybe he mentioned telling you about the bet?”
“I should probably check.” I pulled out my phone and texted Chase, asking him.
Chase: No.
Me: Okay. I’d like to confront him myself.
Chase: Understandable.
I saw him typing again.
Chase: I know you hate me right now and I deserve it. But, I want you to know that I’m here for you if you need me.
I was still too angry to accept anything from him. Including an apology.
Grandma Rae returned home about five-thirty and Kara was already gone. I had just slipped my dress on after finishing my hair and makeup, when she saw me. J
“You look so beautiful,” she said, getting teary-eyed. “You remind me so much of your mother when she was your age.”
I smiled sadly. “Thanks.”
Her eyes moved to my bare wrists.
“You took off your bracelets.”
I looked down at the white scar and nodded.
She grabbed my hand and examined it. “It’s healed nicely. The scar is barely noticeable.”
“This might sound crazy, but I hope it never fades completely.”
She gave me a surprised look. “Why?”
“It’s a reminder of what I’ve lost and what I’ve gained,” I explained. “My parents for one. Knowledge that I’m much stronger than I thought I was, for two.”
Grandma Rae smiled sadly. “I’m so proud of you Mackenzie. And for the record, I knew it all along. I’m just glad you’ve come to realize it yourself.”
I nodded. “Me, too.”
Realizing that I could pull through a horrible situation gave me the courage to do what I needed to with Gus. That, and I knew he needed to be taught a lesson before he tried the same bullshit on someone else.
After Burn (High School Bully Romance) (Diamond Lake High School Book 1) Page 21