by Wendi Wilson
I lifted a finger and tapped play. I kept my eyes on Seth’s face, watching it grow paler as the recording played on. Once it finished, I tucked my phone away and waited for Seth to meet my eyes.
“You and Stella both told me there was more going on than I knew. This video confirms it—other than Charlotte, you and the others had nothing to do with the set-up, did you?”
Seth swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down his throat. He neither confirmed nor denied my accusation, and that was proof enough for me.
“And you let me punish you for it? You all did. Why? Why, Seth? Why did you all let me believe that you’d used and betrayed me like that?”
I fought the tears stinging my eyes. Pain, guilt, regret, anger…they all combined to drag me down a dark tunnel as I frantically dug my nails in to save myself.
“I can’t tell you, Chaz. I’m sorry, but it’s not my place.”
“Whose place is it?” I asked, flinching at the harshness in my voice.
I came here to apologize and ended up hurling more accusations.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “It’s just…a lot.”
“I know. Go get your shoes. I’ll call the others and have them all meet us at Mason’s.”
I nodded and spun around, dashing to my room. For once, I wasn’t going to argue or ask a million questions. I knew I wouldn’t get anything out of Seth, anyway.
Plus, I needed to wash my face and change clothes before I saw Mason. Getting him to forgive me was going to be hard enough without me showing up looking like a street rat.
My heart thumped out a double-tap every time I pictured his expression at seeing me walk through the door. I imagined him angry, mocking, or full of despair, but not once did I dare to believe he’d be happy to see me.
No, that wasn’t happening. I’d gone too far, and now, I was going to have to grovel.
When Seth and I pulled into Mason’s driveway, Cooper and Theo’s cars were already there. I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of them. It meant Theo was okay—at least physically—and Cooper wasn’t so far gone that he wouldn’t hear me out.
“I didn’t tell them you were coming.”
“What?”
Seth shrugged, pulled the car to a stop, and shut off the engine. He turned in his seat and locked eyes with me, his lips pressed tightly together. Then he scrubbed a hand down his face and sighed.
“Stella knows, but not the others. I don’t know how this is going to go, Chaz. They may forgive you, they may not. And even if they do, it might not make a difference.”
“Because there’s more going on than I know,” I added, my voice low, “and they might refuse to tell me what it is.”
He nodded once before climbing from the Mustang. I opened my own door and stepped out, my movements small and sluggish. I felt like I was on death row and heading for the gas chamber, forcing my legs to put one foot in front of the other as we walked toward the pool house.
My heart thumped quickly in my chest, and I could practically feel the blood racing through my veins. Faster and faster it beat, my breath coming in harsh gasps that left me feeling a bit lightheaded. A warm hand grasped mine, squeezing gently as it pulled me to a stop just outside the door.
“Calm down, Chaz,” Seth whispered, squeezing my hand again. “No matter what happens, you’re going to be okay. You always come out on top.”
He smiled with that last bit, and I actually managed to smile back as my heart’s thrumming slowed down to a more tolerable level.
He was right. I did usually manage to come out on top. I needed to view this situation as a challenge and use my bulldog tenacity to reach the other side with the outcome I wanted.
I tightened my grip on Seth’s hand for a moment before releasing it. Squaring my shoulders, I took a deep breath, swung open the door, and walked inside as if I owned the place.
29
“What is she doing here?”
Ouch. Cooper had always been the happy-go-lucky one, always welcoming and fun. To hear the anger in his voice and see the disgust in his gaze was a bit shocking. Well-deserved, but shocking, nonetheless.
“Hey, Chaz,” a feminine voice called out.
I found Stella on one of the couches and returned her smile. At least she didn’t hate me. Theo sat beside her, his eyes glazed over as he stared at the floor, lost in thought.
“Seth, what’s going on?”
My eyes darted toward the sound of that voice. Mason stood in the doorway to his bedroom, his eyes locked on my stepbrother without sparing me even a cursory glance. Like he couldn’t stand the sight of me. Or I was invisible.
Nope. Not happening. I came here to make things right, and I would not be ignored.
I opened my mouth to say so, but Seth’s voice cut me off.
“She knows, man.”
“She knows what, exactly?” Mason growled, stepping further into the room as he finally looked at me.
“I know something is going on here. Something more than what you’re all telling me. I know you weren’t behind the doctored video, yet for some strange reason, you took the blame and the brunt of my anger. What I don’t know is why.”
“Chaz—” Mason started, but I cut him off.
“We’ll get to that, but I have my own amends to make first. When I’m done, you can decide how much you want to tell me. Please. Come sit down, and hear me out.”
He watched me for moment, his body language guarded like I was some wild animal he was trying not to spook into attacking. When I didn’t flinch or back down, he sighed and took a seat on the couch next to Cooper. Seth slid into the empty seat next to Stella, and I stayed on my feet in front of them all.
They all watched me, even Theo, as I gathered my thoughts and decided how to proceed. One blanket apology wasn’t going to be good enough. I needed to address them all, individually.
“I felt betrayed by Seth because I’d come to think of him as a real brother. I thought he had my back and when you all…did what I thought you did, I was devastated by that betrayal. So, in an effort to humiliate him, I put colon cleanse powder in his food. Then I waited until it kicked in and snuck into his room to take the video. I’ve already apologized to him and told him how terrible I felt about it—even at the time—but my pride forced me to go through with it. He forgave me,” I said, smiling at him in gratitude, “and he agreed to bring me here so I could apologize to the rest of you.”
“Chaz, you don’t have to do this,” Mason said, his voice kinder than before.
“Yes, I do, Mason.” I turned to Stella. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. You were being a good friend, and I let my anger and pain guide my actions instead of following your advice. If you’ll forgive me, I promise I won’t make that mistake again.”
“Done,” she said, her white teeth shining through her smile.
I laughed as my eyes burned with emotion. I shook my head and sniffed, determined to keep myself from crying.
“Theo,” I said, my joy at Stella’s readiness to forgive me draining away, “I never meant for things to go as far as they did. I encouraged Josh to pretend to date someone else to make you jealous.”
His head snapped up, his eyes wide with incredulity. “You did what?”
“I talked him into hanging out with Henderson. I knew if you saw him with someone else,” I said, my eyes darting to Mason and back just as quickly, “it would drive you crazy with jealousy and regret. That was your punishment for what I thought you’d done, which was provide the security footage for that video.
“What I didn’t bank on was Josh being just as miserable. Henderson turned out to be overbearing and a little too handsy. He kept trying to push Josh further than he wanted to go. When I found out what was going on, I ordered Josh to end it. No revenge was sweet enough to warrant that kind of treatment. That was the day you…you know.”
“I couldn’t stand it,” Theo croaked, his throat clogged with pain. “I saw that bastard touch him, and the look on Joshua’
s face…it was not pleasure. I lost control.” His eyes filled with unshed tears. “I never lose control.”
“None of it was real, Theo. Josh cares about you.” I almost said love, but caught myself at the last second. It was not my place to tell him that. “He’s been a wreck since that day, so upset that you outed yourself against your will.”
“What?” he barked. “He thinks, what? I accidentally kissed him in front of the whole school?”
“Pretty much,” I said, shrugging.
“I knew exactly what I was doing,” he mumbled. “I was staking my claim. That’s part of the reason I’ve been avoiding him. I’m embarrassed to have acted like such a fucking caveman.”
“And the other part?” I asked. When his eyes darted nervously to Mason, I added, “Never mind. So, Josh has been inconsolable, thinking you were going to hurt yourself for being so brutally and publicly outed against your will. And his misery is my misery, because I love him. I’m so sorry Theo. I’m sorry for using him to hurt you. I hope someday you’ll be able to forgive us both.”
I turned to Cooper next. He looked guarded, but not actually angry anymore. That was a good sign, so I trudged on.
“When it came to you, I had a hard a time coming up with a suitable punishment. Honestly, you hurt my feelings. I thought we were friends and after that video, I felt really let down by you. But it wasn’t the same as Seth and Mason. Their betrayal was much worse in my mind.
“Then Simone came into my life.” I paused as his features tightened, then pushed forward to get it all out in the open. “She is a breath of fresh air. Kind and funny. Gorgeous, but doesn’t know it. Rich, but not an asshole. Loyal to a fault.”
“Not that loyal,” Cooper mumbled.
“Yes, Cooper,” I said, a tendril of anger swirling in me at his derogatory remark, “she cozied up to you at my request. I’d noticed you staring at her, and I knew you’d jump on any interest she showed in a hot second. You two started dating, but that was as far as we’d gotten with the plan. Then Simone met your parents.”
“What do they have to do with this?” he asked, his eyes widening with something that looked like fear.
“Did you know your mom asked her if she would consider getting a boob job? She’d known Simone for like what? Two minutes? Apparently her bloodlines are good enough, but her physical attributes aren’t.” Cooper opened his mouth to respond, but I held up a hand. “Just let me finish, please. We decided that if your parents were that shallow and cared so much about image, we’d take you up on your offer to sit with us. That was it. You’d sit with us and lose some of your social standing. Your parents would find out and you’d be in trouble. That was my big revenge against you. Nothing more.”
“But, Simone…” he said trailing off, looking like a lost puppy.
“Simone called it off,” I sighed. “Turns out, she really liked you and wanted your relationship to be real. Then after my performance in Lit class, you broke up with her. Just like Josh, she’s miserable and heartbroken, and it’s all my fault.”
Cooper’s chest rose with a small gasp before one side of his mouth ticked up slightly. That’s when I knew he’d make things right with Simone. Task, completed. I could live without his forgiveness as long as Simone was happy.
“I forgive you,” he said, shocking me, then patted his pockets. “I should probably call her.”
“No need,” I replied. “I called her on our way here. She’ll be here in ten minutes.” My eyes drifted to Theo. “Josh, too.”
Theo nodded, looking relieved. My heart swelled at his expression. He finally looked ready to open up to Josh. Maybe they could find a solution to make things work between them, but I’d stay out of it. I wasn’t going to interfere again.
Finally, I glanced at Mason. He shook his head and my heart dropped into my stomach. He wasn’t going to hear me out. He wasn’t going to forgive me like the others. It was too late.
“Not here,” he said, his voice cutting through my panicked thoughts.
He motioned me forward, then led the way to his bedroom. Seth shot me an encouraging look as his pinky finger toyed with Stella’s on the couch between them. I nodded, took a deep breath, and followed Mason into the lion’s den.
He held the door until I passed through, then closed it behind me and turned the lock. My body started at that ominous clicking sound, but Mason only brushed past me to go sit on the bed. He watched me expectantly, so I started to talk.
“You hurt me the worst of all,” I said, unable to stop the tears from dribbling down my cheeks. “You made me want you, then you made me believe you cared about me. I started to have feelings for you, and everything went to shit with that video. I hated you for destroying the first real feelings I ever had for a guy. So, I decided the only suitable punishment for you was to break your heart, just like you broke mine.”
Mason didn’t say a word. He didn’t try to make excuses or fling accusations, so I carried on.
“I pretty much blackmailed Jasper into making you my partner. I chose that scene because it was full of love lost, pain, and regret. It would make you feel things. And…you’d have to kiss me. I orchestrated the whole thing to make you want me. To make you have feelings for me so I could crush them.
“But then it kind of backfired. I started to feel things, too, and considered calling the whole thing off. I couldn’t do it. Breaking you heart would break mine, too.”
“But you did finish it,” he said in a monotone voice.
“Yeah, I did,” I said, grabbing a tissue from the box on his night stand and dabbing at my eyes and nose. “Just when I decided to end it all, you asked me to be your side chick while you still publicly dated Charlotte fucking Rutherford.”
His face looked stricken as his head reared back. I may as well have slapped him, his expression looked so shocked.
“That’s not what I…”
He trailed off, obviously thinking about it from my perspective. He snapped his mouth shut and swallowed thickly. Nodding for me to continue.
“I was hurt and angry all over again. My need for revenge was even stronger. I put you in that ridiculous costume, teased you to make your hard-on visible to the class for an extra layer of embarrassment, and moved forward with the big finale of my entire revenge scheme.”
“I told you I love you and you said you hated me,” he said, jumping to his feet.
“I know,” I said. “I know exactly what I said. But I was lying to you, and to myself. I hated what you did. I hated how you hurt me, and that it all seemed like a game to you. I hated how I would never be good enough to be your real girlfriend, while Charlotte got to put her filthy slut hands all over you whenever she felt like it. But I never hated you. Not really.”
“You didn’t?” he asked, taking a step forward.
“How could I, when my heart refuses to stop loving you?”
“You…love me?” he stuttered.
I nodded, watching his eyes glass over with wonder and unshed tears. He stared at me in awe for several beats like I was some mystical creature he couldn’t believe his eyes were seeing. When the silence stretching between us became unbearable, I filled it with words.
“I forgive you Mason, and I hope you can do the same for me. I want to start over.”
He shot forward in a blink, his hands twisting in my hair as his lips ravaged mine. I opened my mouth as his tongue demanded entrance, a groan vibrating deep in my throat at the delicious sensations it caused. My fingers fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer until our bodies melded together and I could feel his arousal against my stomach.
His hands slipped out of my hair and down my back, grabbing my ass and squeezing before lifting me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist. The room spun around me and suddenly my back was against the soft bed. Mason’s weight settled on top of me perfectly, his mouth never even pausing its onslaught. He rotated his hips, grinding his erection against my most sensitive spot, and I moaned again, this time loudly.
C
ool air whipped over my body and I opened my eyes to see Mason standing several feet away, his chest heaving with deep, harsh breaths.
“What are you doing?” I gasped out between my own heavy inhales and exhales.
“You led me on for weeks. You teased me, made me hard for you, and then danced away every time, leaving me aching and frustrated with need. Now you know how it feels.”
His wide smile took some of the bite out of his words, and I threw my head back against the mattress with a groan.
“It wasn’t as easy as you think,” I growled, making him laugh.
Then he was back, and my legs spread of their own accord to allow him to settle between them. He nibbled my lips, keeping things light and sweet despite my attempts to urge him on.
His lips travelled down my neck and back up again, his tongue flicking out to tease my ear. My legs curved around him as my hips bucked, increasing the pressure of his erection against me.
“I love you, Chaz Miller,” he whispered, pulling back to gaze into my eyes.
“I love you, too. I think I always have.”
30
After a few more kisses, we pulled ourselves from the bed. While I really wanted to make Mason mine again in every way, there were way too many people in the next room. A knock sounded on the front door just as we exited the bedroom.
Seth got up to answer it, revealing Josh and Simone as the door swung open. They walked inside, their steps slow and timid, then everything seemed to happen at once.
Theo jumped from his seat and strode forward. Without preamble, he grabbed Josh’s shoulders and jerked him forward, grasping him in a tight hug. I could see Josh’s face relax as Theo whispered furiously in his ear.
Theo pulled back to look into his face, and Josh nodded. Then they were kissing, right there in the middle of the room. I barely managed to hold in my whoop of joy as they ended the kiss and smiled into each other’s eyes. Theo interlaced his fingers with Josh’s and led him over to the couch, where they sat pressed up against each other with their heads together.