The Man, The Myth, The Nerd: High School Billionaires #3

by Dallen, Maggie

  I cleared my throat, oddly nervous as I came to stand in front of her.

  “And after that?”

  She lifted her head to meet my gaze, and my stomach sank as I saw that hers were filled with regret. Her lips parted but she stopped herself, seeming to rethink what she’d been about to say.

  She surprised the heck out of me when she placed her hands on my chest. I stopped breathing, not wanting to scare her away as she moved closer. Fighting the urge to wrap my arms around her and hold her close.

  She went up onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips against mine.

  It was heaven.

  It was home.

  And then it was over. A quick, tender kiss and then she was back on her feet, her eyes infinitely sad.

  “What was that?”

  She gave me a small, sad smile. “That was goodbye.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Tieg

  “I don’t understand.” Jamie’s voice was filled with confusion as she hovered behind me in the makeshift dressing room…also known as Brady’s dad’s RV.

  “Where’s Alex?” I said. As far as distractions went, it wasn’t subtle and it wasn’t genius…and it didn’t work.

  “Eliza and Keith are introducing him to the track team and their coach. He’s going to sign some stuff or something. I don’t know. Don’t distract me.” She huffed. “What do you mean she said goodbye?”

  My jaw was clenched tight as I pretended to be occupied with tuning my guitar. I might have gotten used to roadies doing this sort of thing for me, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t do it in my sleep. “She said goodbye,” I said. “End of story.”

  And please don’t make me talk about it anymore.

  She didn’t get the implied message. “But when she left I thought—”

  I looked over at her, and she stopped, her eyes wide with pain on my behalf. I looked away quickly. I was trying my hardest not to dwell on this miserable pit.

  “I mean, it seemed like—” She was pacing the tiny space. “We all thought that she’d—”

  “Yeah, well, she didn’t.” I didn’t have to read Jamie’s mind to know what she was trying to say. She’d thought Daisy had run off to find our happily ever after.

  But let’s face it, not all teen billionaire love stories ended like Jamie’s…or her friend Oliver’s. Sure, maybe they found love on top of success, but maybe that was asking for too much.

  I’d already gotten more than my fair share of luck. I’d already won the lottery by my crazy quick success…maybe asking to find love was just too much. Maybe I’d gotten greedy.

  That thought didn’t exactly ease the empty feeling inside of me, but I knew now that I’d get used to it. I’d spent three years living without Daisy, and eventually I’d get back to the place where missing her was a dull ache, a hollow sensation that could be ignored and avoided as long as I stayed busy enough.

  I knew that theoretically, but knowing didn’t make it suck any less.

  “But she seemed so…in love.” Jamie was not helping.

  I held back a sigh. Jamie was a romantic. Sure, I was too, but the difference was, Jamie was also an optimist.

  “Did she tell you that?” My voice sounded as tired and weary as I felt.

  Her silence as she moved around behind me was answer enough. “That’s what I thought.”

  “She didn’t have to say it,” Jamie said. “I could just tell.”

  “Tell what?” I asked, glancing at her over my shoulder. “That she still cares about me? That she wants us to part as friends? Yeah, you’re right about that.” I strummed the strings too hard, and a discordant noise filled the small space.

  “It was more than that,” Jamie insisted. “She seemed desperate to see you.”

  Yeah, desperate to make sure we stayed friends, that we parted on good terms. See, I knew Daisy better than Jamie ever would so I understood what her optimistic, romantic brain couldn’t process.

  Daisy cared about me, sure. And because of that age-old friendship, she wouldn’t want me to suffer. She’d never be able to live with the guilt if we parted on anything less than good terms. Not if it was in her power to make me happy and absolve my guilt. Even after the hurt I’d caused her, she would still do everything in her power to protect me from pain if it was in her power to do so. She was still taking care of me in her own way. I understood all this about her because I knew her, because we had history.

  We had history…but we would never have a future.

  “I don’t think you should give up,” Jamie said, her tone decisive.

  “Of course you don’t.” I managed a small smile as I turned to face my kindhearted best friend.

  "I can't even imagine a world in which you, my optimistic, romantic best friend, would urge me to give up on love. We'd be living in Bizarro World."

  “Seriously? First you’re singing Sunday school songs by a camp fire, and now you’re dropping comic book references?” She arched one brow in amusement. “Either being home has brought out the geek in you, or you’ve been spending too much time with Oliver and Liv.”

  “A little of both.”

  She came toward me with a hopeful expression that made me even more aware of how hopeless I felt. She gripped my arms with a surprisingly firm hold. “If Oliver and Liv have taught me anything, it’s that falling in love with your childhood friend is complicated. Like, really complicated.” She leaned in closer and squeezed my arms like she was some sort of love coach. “Don’t give up on her.”

  I went to protest yet again, to tell her that she had it all wrong…but I couldn’t. Something in me wouldn’t let me say it, but whether it was because I didn’t want to admit that she didn’t love me or I didn’t truly believe she didn’t love me, I couldn’t say.

  Instead, I just nodded and that seemed to appease her.

  Jamie stepped back with a sigh. “Okay, well I’d better go save Alex. His fans can get a little…intense, and he’s kind of terrible about walking away.” Her expression turned sappy as she sighed happily. “I swear, sometimes he’s too nice for his own good.”

  I gave her a lopsided grin because I could say the same thing about her. “Go save your boyfriend,” I said, gently nudging her toward the door. “I promise I’m not going to wallow in here while you’re gone.”

  Well, not much. I’d mastered the art of distracting myself, and preparing for a concert was an excellent way to keep myself focused on something that wasn’t Daisy.

  She left with the promise that she’d be back to wish me luck before the show started, and then I was alone with my thoughts.

  Distract, distract, distract.

  When the door opened behind me I assumed Jamie had come back. “That was quick.”

  “What was?”

  I spun around to see Brady hovering in the doorway. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

  “Daisy sent me to see if you needed anything before the show.”

  Daisy sent me…ouch. “Thanks, but I’m all set.”

  He nodded and I thought he’d leave. Despite that we’d had a good catch-up talk the other night, he looked insanely uncomfortable right now. His eyes were darting around his dad’s RV like he’d never seen it before and despite the awkward silence, he made no attempt to move.

  “Uh, do you need something, man?”

  His gaze shot back to me, and he caught me laughing at him. He gave me a rueful grin. “No, I just…” He cleared his throat. “I just wanted to talk to you about…about her.”

  Of course, I knew who he was referring to. There’s only ever been one girl between us, and her name was Daisy Lou.

  I leaned back against the counter, setting the guitar down at my feet. “What about her?”

  Brady shoved his hands into his pockets with a loud exhale. “Did she tell you that we dated?”

  I stiffened, my whole body going into some primal attack mode as anger and jealousy and every nasty, green emotion in existence coursed through my veins.

  It didn’t
help that Brady laughed.

  He laughed.

  I narrowed my eyes, and he held up his hands. “Relax, Tieg. It lasted for, like, five seconds.”

  A sort of growling sound escaped.

  Brady’s eyes widened, but he was clearly trying to squelch a laugh. “Seriously, there’s no need for you to be looking at me like you’re plotting my murder.”

  I drew in a deep breath to try and calm down. Nope. Wasn’t working. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

  Brady lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “She probably forgot. Or maybe she was embarrassed.”

  I narrowed my eyes again. Explain.

  Brady sighed. “It was a mistake. We both knew it was a bad idea from the start. The relationship was over before it began.”

  I crossed my arms, hating the fact that I was tempted to gloat. See? I wanted to tell Daisy. Some things really hadn’t changed these past few years. “What happened?”

  Brady smirked. “What do you think?”

  I refused to answer that.

  He shrugged again. “She wasn’t over you.”

  I swallowed, trying not to feel that dangerous, tempting feeling…hope. “Yeah well, she is now.”

  He made a snorting noise in disbelief. “Oh please.”

  “What?”

  He rolled his eyes. “No offense, man, but humble doesn’t look good on you.”

  “I’m not being—”

  “She never got over you,” Brady said quickly, like it was choking him, and he’d needed to spit it out. “She wasn’t over you then, and she’s not over you now.”

  I stared at him for a second. He seemed so certain.

  I mean, yeah, Jamie had seemed so sure, too, but she barely knew Daisy. Brady, on the other hand…well, he knew her almost as well as I did.

  In some ways, he probably knew her better.

  “Then why does she keep pushing me away?”

  He took a deep breath and for a second I thought he might give me an answer. I found myself tensing, waiting for it.

  “I don’t know, man.”

  I bit back a groan.

  “I mean, I have a theory, but it’s something you two need to figure out. I’m through being in the middle of you two.” He softened it with a smile. “No offense.”

  “None taken.”

  He walked toward me and stuck out a hand which I shook. “One thing I learned during our super short relationship? There’s no competition here, man.”

  I arched my brows in surprise. In all these years, we’d never once acknowledged the rivalry between us…at least not openly. “It’s you, man,” Brady said. “When it comes to Daisy, it’s always been you, and it’ll always be you.”

  My stupid heart heard the words and ran with them before my brain could shut it down. Pounding away in my chest, it felt like he’d just taken one of those paddles to my heart—the kind they used in ambulances when someone was dying. It kicked into high gear like those words were what it had been waiting for, like it now wanted me to do something about it.

  My brain, at least, was still grounded in logic. “That’s not what she says.”

  He rolled his eyes again. “Yeah, well, you and I both know that Daisy is so concerned with taking care of others that she forgets to take care of herself.”

  I squinted, because it was the truth, but I had no idea what it had to do with me, with this situation. “Am I supposed to know what that means?”

  His jaw clenched in annoyance. “It means…it means, I think she’s pushing you away for all the wrong reasons.”

  “What reasons?”

  His answering look told me I was an idiot. My mind raced to rehash her words these past few days, to replay them without all the emotional baggage. “She keeps talking about how she has to stay here…”

  Brady arched his brows. Bingo.

  “But I told her, I’d help her. She has to know that I’d do anything for her.”

  Brady’s chest rose and fell with another exasperated sigh. “And when’s the last time you recall Daisy accepting help for herself?”

  I opened my mouth and shut it. He was right. Daisy had always been great at giving, and terrible at taking. She seemed to think it was her right to take care of everyone else, but heaven forbid someone tried to do right by her. I knew that…I’d always known that. It was one of the reasons I’d pushed her away so cruelly three years ago. I’d known that she wouldn’t make a selfish decision to stay away from me, so I’d had to do it for her.

  Brady started backing away toward the door. “Look, just talk to her, okay?”

  “I’ve already talked to her—”

  “Then don’t talk.” He lifted his hands in defense at my confused scowl. “Sorry, man, I don’t have all the answers. All I know is that you shouldn’t give up on her.” He paused halfway out the door. “Because we both know she’d never give up on you.”

  I stared at the door long after he’d closed it behind him. Time was ticking and I listened as Willie and his band played some opening numbers for the gathering crowd. The field would be bursting at the seams, from what Jamie told me of the ticket sales. The schools would be well funded for years to come, and the press was already out there having a field day. Not only was it a feel-good story about a charity, it contained a love story at the heart of it.

  Everyone out there, including the press, were hoping to get an answer to the big question. Who was Daisy Lou? More importantly, would she say yes to the visiting rock star?

  But all of that was background noise for me. I didn’t care about the crowds or the press. There was only one person in the audience I loved with all my heart, and this could very well be my last chance to convince her that we deserved another shot.

  Between Jamie and Brady, I didn’t stand a chance. Hope had officially taken over, and it would likely be the end of me if I got crushed all over again.

  But I’d never been a quitter, and I wasn’t about to start now.

  My mind raced as I tried to think of a new way to tell her what she meant to me, but I meant what I’d said to Brady. I’d already said everything I had to say.

  Then don’t talk.

  His words echoed in my skull, and a smile tugged at my lips as I realized there was a lot I hadn’t said. I had three years’ worth of words—words I’d put to music—and all of it had been for Daisy.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Daisy

  “Would you just relax already? You’re making me nervous,” Eliza said.

  She and Beth had saved us a spot right up front while I did all I could do to help Jamie’s team with the final preparations. But now everything I could do had been done, and it was out of our hands.

  It was all in Tieg’s hands now, though I’d say he’d already done his share of the work just by agreeing to be here. It seemed like everyone in the state was currently squished onto the field, and Jamie had informed me that the last-minute change in headliner—combined with all the press Tieg had been getting since he’d rolled into town—had made him an even bigger draw than Travis Malcolm.

  The people in these parts loved country music, but they loved their own even more, and there was nothing better than a returning hero, which was basically how everyone was talking about Tieg. The poor rural kid who’d gone to the big city and found fame and fortune.

  He was the ultimate rags to riches story.

  Also, ours was apparently the best teen soap opera to ever hit southwestern Montana.

  I’d fielded more questions than I could count from my family, friends, and schoolmates. I didn’t even pretend I was going to answer them when they were shouted at me by obnoxious reporters holding microphones.

  Who is Daisy Lou? Apparently, it hadn’t taken them long to find out. From what Keith and the twins had told me, there was no end to the gossip about me and our family on social media.

  I hadn’t looked. I figured I’d take their word for it. “Where are the boys?” I asked Eliza.

  “Keith’s watching them.” She pointed to our
right, and I spotted all three of them, along with Brady and some of Keith’s buddies from school.

  I kept scanning the crowd. Maybe Allison and her friends were nearby…

  Okay, fine, maybe I was just trying to distract myself. But the fact of the matter was, I wasn’t at all sure I could handle this. I’d never really listened to Tieg’s music—only when I couldn’t avoid it on the radio—because the sound of his voice made my throat choke up.

  And that was on a good day when I hadn’t just said goodbye to him for the rest of my life.

  I swallowed a thick lump now. It was for the best. I’d only hold him back. He’d resent me if he ended up with a girlfriend he never saw and who could never visit him. He deserved his success, and he ought to have someone by his side who could enjoy it with him.

  And like it or not, that wasn’t me.

  Right before coming to the show I’d finally done it. I’d torn up the acceptance letter and thrown it in the garbage.

  Done and done.

  I’d kind of expected to feel a little better, to be honest. After that final goodbye with Tieg and then getting rid of the out-of-state school temptation…I’d thought maybe I’d feel some resolution. Some closure.

  That was what I’d needed, right? To say farewell to my dreams? To end this thing between me and Tieg once and for all? I sighed as I turned back toward the stage.

  “Would you stop moping already?” Eliza said. Her tone held zero pity and that was what I needed.

  “I’m not moping,” I lied.

  She arched a brow in disbelief and the little traitor Beth outright laughed. “You’ve been moping ever since Tieg came to town.”

  “I have not.”

  Eliza and Beth exchanged a laughing look at my expense.

  “Okay, fine. Maybe I’ve been experiencing some—”

  “Melodrama,” Eliza finished.

  “Teen angst,” Beth said.

  Eliza and I stared at her. When had she learned that phrase? I shook it off. Didn’t matter. “I was going to say emotions.”

  “You’ve been pining,” Beth said in a kind, maternal voice that gave me pause yet again. At exactly what point had Beth become a tiny adult?