I seethe, balling my fists at my sides, wanting nothing more than to clock that smug look off her face.
"Unless you end your pathetic arrangement with him. He's not what you really want, anyway. You want Brad. You're still not over him. You wouldn’t have come up with the stupid fake boyfriend thing if you were."
This girl. She thinks she can blackmail me? Ha! Where does she get off?
I let out a mocking laugh. "And how do you know all those things? Are you a mind-reader or something?"
Merritt ignores that. “Go get your ex and leave Gray alone.”
“So you can have him for yourself? He doesn’t even want you,” I scoff, making her cheeks red and her nostrils flare. Truth hurts, bitch. “And isn’t Daphne your best friend? If there’s anyone who needs help getting an ex back, it’s her.”
She waves a dismissive hand. “She’ll get over it.”
“Geez. You’re such a great friend, Merritt. What will Daphne ever do without you?”
“Shut up. Are you going to do it or not?” she glares.
I smile sweetly. “How about this: you’re not the boss of me. So you can shove your demands down your throat. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a party I need to go back to.”
“I’m serious. I will tell everyone!” she threatens at my retreating back.
“Suit yourself!” I yell back, flipping her off over my shoulder for good measure.
I was worried for a moment there. But now that I think about it, there’s a high chance that Merritt won’t even do it. Everyone knows she has a thing for Gray. If she decides to open her mouth, people will think she’s making up stories just to get his attention. She’ll look pathetic in their eyes, especially when they see us acting like a real loving couple. And that’s the last thing a girl like Merritt Wayne wants.
So I’m just gonna ignore her threat. That’s the best thing I can do.
CHAPTER 10
My steps slow to a stop when I see Brad just outside the kitchen, looking like he's been waiting for someone.
When he straightens up from the wall he’s been leaning on, I instantly know that someone is none other than me.
Concern is etched on his face as he strolls over. “Is everything okay?”
Why is he asking me that? Warily, I narrow my eyes at him. Has he been listening to my conversation with Merritt? Or, what if, he’s working with her?
How dare he...
Reading my thoughts on my face, he raises a hand in surrender. “Whatever you’re thinking, I have nothing to do with it.”
I cross my arms over my chest. I'll be the judge of that. "Why do you sound defensive then?"
He blows out a breath. "Because I know you."
"Oh, you know me?" I sneer.
"I didn't mean it like that."
"Aww, don't you two look good together?" Merritt, who just walks out of the kitchen, coos at us. Then winks at me as she passes. "Remember what I said, Indie."
Glaring at her back, I grind my teeth and ball my fists. Ugh, why does she have to be a massive bitch?
"Ignore her. She's just being a bitch," Brad says, echoing my thoughts, which only pisses me off.
I round at him with glowering eyes. "And you're an ass. First, you dumped me. And now, Daphne. Both in just a span of a week. Are you in the habit of breaking hearts now, Brad?"
His cheeks burn a bright red, embarrassment crossing his features. "I didn't mean for any of it to happen."
"Bullshit," I snap, controlling the sudden urge to wring his neck.
Two weeks ago, I was head over heels in love with this boy. I cried buckets of tears over him. Now, I simply want to, well, wring his neck. It's as if I've never really fallen in love with him. Like I thought I did.
And maybe that's really been the case. I mean, it only took me a week to get over him. Should be proof enough, right? I guess I was just too blinded by his looks and the popularity that comes with dating the hot senior lacrosse player to see the truth.
Looking at him now, with that sad, puppy-dog look in his eyes, only makes me feel sorry for him. But no matter how much he deserves to be strung along after what he did, I’m not that kind of person. I’m not as vindictive as I thought I was. I have to let him know that it's truly over.
I heave a sigh. "Listen, Brad—"
"I know it was you who egged my car."
I almost choke on my own saliva, my eyes bugging out. I open my mouth to refute his claim, but he beats me to it.
"You had help, right? I heard a few voices coming from the bushes. Must be the Turner sibs.” He gives me a comforting smile. “It's okay. I'm not angry."
My stomach knots with shame at his forgiving tone. Why is he taking the high road? I expected him to be angry—as he should. He’s supposed to be lashing out at me for what I did.
This calmness and understanding...it’s the last thing I expected from him.
“It was a bitch to clean up, and my dad practically tore me a new asshole. But I get it. I deserved it after what I did to you.”
I wince and hang my head, unable to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry. I don't know what I was thinking when I did that.”
I purposely don’t confirm his suspicion that I had help from Gray, Allie and Duane. And the fact that it was actually Allie’s idea. He may not be as forgiving toward them.
“No, Indie.” Brad takes my hands and envelops them in his, his voice gentle. "I'm the one who’s sorry. I broke your heart then got together with Daphne without a second thought.”
His last words make my eyes snap up to him in surprise. “You didn’t cheat on me?”
“No. I swear I didn’t. I’ve just been an idiot, thinking I didn't want you anymore. Thinking I could do better. So when Daphne showed interest in me, I broke things off with you and hooked up with her. I really thought I’d hit the lottery with her.” He shakes his head on a rueful chuckle. “But seeing you with Turner made me realize that I still love you. I still want to be with you. Indie, give me another chance. Please."
Why did he have to be so sweet about it? If he was being a jerk, I’d have an easier time rejecting him. But all I see right now is his sincerity and determination to win me back.
Damn it. He’s making it hard for both of us.
“There you are,” comes that cocky voice behind me that I know so well.
Oh, shit.
“Turner.” Brad’s lips curl in displeasure as he stares over my shoulder, the softness in his gaze no longer there.
I step back, pulling my hands from Brad’s grip before turning to Gray. “Hey.”
“I’ve been looking all over for you.” There’s a frown marring his gorgeous features. “I thought you got lost.” Then with a clenched jaw, he gives Brad a steely look. “McNeely.”
Brad returns it with an icy stare of his own and grunts.
They already don’t like each other. Now, add in the fact that Gray helped me trash Brad’s car, and that the latter sees the former as is his competition—crap, this is a disaster waiting to happen.
Which means I need to diffuse the situation before it gets out of hand.
I wrap my hand around Gray’s toned bicep and tug. “You know what? Let’s get out of here. I’m not feeling good, anyway.”
“No. Stay. Please,” Brad pleads, his eyes trained on me.
“She said we’re going,” Gray snarls. “Back off.”
Brad raises his eyes to him and takes a threatening step forward, his expression hardening once again. “You back off. You’re not good enough for her.”
Gray lets out a disbelieving laugh. “And you think you are? Coming from someone who’s been nothing but a fucking dick to both of his exes, that’s rich, McNeely. You should look in a mirror.”
“I completely regret what I did,” Brad grinds out, his cheeks reddening. “And I have no intention of repeating that mistake. But don’t act like you’re any better than me, Turner. I bet you’re going to do the same to her in just a matter of weeks—probably even days.”
I gape
at him. Seriously?
“No offense, Indie,” he hurries on in a sheepish voice.
I just throw my hands up. Why are boys such idiots?
A dangerous smirk forms on Gray’s lips. “Wanna bet, asshole?”
When I notice Brad balling his fists, I quickly position myself between them, pushing against their stupid rock-hard abs. “Enough with the pissing contest! God, you’re both acting like morons. Do you think it’s sexy when you do that? No, you’re just making a fool of yourselves.” They both open their mouths, but I quickly snap at them. “No more talking! I’m done listening to your stupid yammering.”
By the time I’m done lecturing them, the guys are staring at me as if I’ve just grown horns.
Ugh. Idiots.
I roll my eyes in annoyance, and before they can resume their verbal sparring, grab Gray’s hand and pull him away. “Come on, we’re leaving.”
My steps falter for a beat when I see the small crowd of curious onlookers directly on our path. How long have they been there? Did they witness the whole thing? Did they hear me going off at Brad and Gray?
“Move,” Gray barks before I can say anything, making the crowd part for us as he leads me by the hand.
When we reach the front door, I stop him. “We forgot Allie.”
Cursing under his breath, he tells me, “Wait here. I’ll go get her.”
I stare after him as he walks away, the look on his face as he squares off with Brad fresh on my mind. Was he really going to fight my ex to win me?
Merritt’s words echo in my ears, but I brush them off before they can even take root. There’s no way I’m giving Gray up to appease her. She can truly shove her threats down her throat.
He’s mine and it’s high time I let him know how I feel. I just need the courage to do it.
*******
Allie decided to stay at the party, telling her brother that she’d just get a ride with one of our classmates. So it’s just me and Gray in his Jeep. We’re blanketed in silence, neither of us willing to break it.
Judging from the muscle ticking in his jaw, he’s still pissed at Brad. Or at me for chewing them out in front of other people. Is he feeling emasculated or something?
Well, he should be thanking me. It got really intense back there. If I hadn't diffused the situation, they'd probably ended up punching each other. That would've attracted an even bigger attention. Hell, it would've probably stopped the whole party.
It was all Merritt's fault. If she hadn't cornered me in the kitchen, Brad wouldn't have waited a while. I could have easily finished talking to him before Gray could even think to look for me. The whole confrontation could have been avoided.
But no. She had to go and assert herself, trying to use my fake relationship with Gray to blackmail me. Like I’d be stupid enough to fall for it.
If all goes well between me and Gray, her blackmailing attempt will be useless. She won’t be able to threaten me anymore.
Not that I care if she does. I can always deny it.
Pushing Merritt to the back of my mind, I give the guy occupying most of my thoughts a sideways glance. There's still a hard expression on his face, his grip on the steering wheel tight.
"Can we talk?" I ask tentatively. It’s now or never.
He schools his face and nods stiffly, stopping his Jeep and parking it by the curb. I recognize the area as the same one we'd made out at earlier today.
Why does it feel like a lifetime ago?
"Let me guess, this is the part where you're going to end our arrangement."
"Um, yeah." We have to end it before we start a real one, right?
"I knew it." Gray huffs out a humorless laugh. "You're just going to go back to him like nothing happened."
Wait, what?
I whip my head to him and gape. "What the hell are you talking about?"
And why does he look angry at me?
"I'm talking about the fact that you're just going to come crawling back to that asshole like he didn't hurt you. That's dumb, Indie."
My breath catches in my throat.
First, he accused me of going back to Brad. Now, he's calling me dumb. Where's all this coming from?
I give my head a little shake. "I...I think you're getting it wrong."
"Oh, I'm definitely getting it right," he sneers. "In fact, I'm damn nailing it. The only reason why you asked me to be your fake boyfriend was to get him back.”
My heart squeezes painfully, rendering me breathless. Is that what he really thinks?
“That was the original plan, right?” Gray goes on when I still remain speechless. “Make him realize that that two of you belong together? Well, congratu-fucking-lations, Red, you did it!"
I flinch, the nickname I’ve grown to love cutting through my chest like a knife. Why is he being so cruel? My eyes start to sting, but I furiously blink the tears back. There’s no way I’m crying in front of him.
"First of all, the one who's being an asshole right now is you, not Brad. Secondly, I wouldn't have asked you if you hadn't given me the idea. And you agreed, so don't act like I forced you to do it!" I'm so mad I'm practically shouting in his face.
And I thought this night would end with us making things official. What's happening right now...it's the exact opposite of it. And I hate every second of it. I want to iron things out, set him straight. But my anger and hurt are getting the better of me, urging me to hurt him just as much as he's hurting me.
He chuckles darkly. "Trust me, I’m regretting that now."
Hearing those words feels like being punched in the gut. For a moment, my face crumples, tears filling my eyes even more. But I blink them back, refusing to let Gray see them.
But he does, and remorse momentarily flashes through his eyes before they harden again.
That’s when I know that he means everything he said.
I swallow the lump in my throat. “I see. Well, thanks for letting me know.” Then before he can say anything, I get out of his Jeep. I’d rather walk the rest of the way home than stay another minute with him.
So I do, and that’s when the tears start to fall.
CHAPTER 11
Merritt got her wish, after all. My fake relationship with Gray is officially over. I wanted it to be real between us, but it ended up going in the opposite direction.
Funny how that worked out, huh?
I thought he and I were on the same page, but it turned out to be wrong. Has it been one-sided all along? Did he not feel the same way toward me? Then why the hell did he keep kissing me? We even went on a date, for crying out loud.
"Trust me, I’m regretting that now."
I keep replaying those words in my head, wondering how everything went to shit.
Was it because of Brad? Was it because he was jealous of him?
Maybe Gray thought that I'd go running back to Brad now that he's single again. He said as much when he drove me home last night. But then, he didn't exactly get to drive me home, did he?
I was so upset with him I decided to walk the rest of the way home. Then I proceeded to bawl my eyes out in my room.
I thought I had my heart broken with Brad, but it was nothing compared to what I'm going through right now. I know it sounds completely ridiculous and stupid, knowing that I've been with Gray in just a short time, but my feelings for him run deeper.
In just a matter of days, he managed to get me hooked on him. Quicker than Brad ever did. Hell, quicker than any other guy ever did.
"Why the long face this time?" Allie loudly plops her tray across from me, pulling me from my moping state. "You've been wearing that expression on your face since I picked you up this morning."
That's because I've been sulking over your stupid, gorgeous brother.
"I'm just feeling a little under the weather, I guess," I lie.
Her face scrunches up, her eyeglasses falling to her nose. "Oh, no. Do you want to go to the nurse's office?"
"No, I'm fine," I hurry on. "I already took some ibuprofen
before I left home."
God, I hate lying to my best friend. But I don’t want to spill all the details when anyone can easily eavesdrop into our conversation. I’ve had enough of being in the center of the rumor mill, thank you very much.
I plan to do it later when school ends and it’s just the two of us. Which means I need to distract her for now.
“Anyway, how did the party go after your, um, brother and I left. You don’t look hungover.”
“That’s because I stopped drinking when you guys left.” She gives me an assessing look. “Actually, you’re the one looking hungover right now. Your eyes seem a little puffy. Did you resume drinking when you disappear at the party last night? Maybe that’s why you’re feeling off right now.”
“Yeah, um, something like that. So, who did you bum a ride home with?”
“Duane. When he found out you and Gray left, he offered to drive me.”
I raise an eyebrow, intrigued. Interesting. “Really? That’s nice of him.”
“It sure was,” Allison agreed, twirling the spaghetti on her plate with her fork, not meeting my eyes.
Really interesting.
Which makes it even more so, when she quickly changes the subject. “So, have you already finished your English paper? It’s due tomorrow.”
My eyes widen. “Oh crap, I totally forgot!”
With all the boy drama going on in my life, I’ve neglected my studies. My mom will totally kill me if she finds out I’m not prioritizing school.
“I need to pull an all-nighter tonight,” I groan. “This sucks.”
“Well, I’m done with mine. Which means I can help you finish yours. Sleep over at my house tonight. If we start early, we’ll still get good sleep.”
If Allie had any clue about what’s going on between me and Gray, she wouldn’t ask me to stay the night at their house. As much as I don’t want to, I really need to work on my English paper. Which means my boy drama needs to take a backseat. My assignment is more important.
I just need to steer clear of Gray while I’m there. I’ll stay holed up in Allie’s room, just in case.
Faking It (Fake Boyfriend Duet Book 1) Page 6