All the Pretty Lies

by Melissa Toppen

  “But I don’t really see her as girlfriend material, if that makes sense.”

  “Not really.” I shove my hands into the front pockets of my shorts and rock back on my heels.

  “It probably sounds bad.”

  “A little,” I admit honestly, though I leave out the part where hearing this is like music to my ears. It means there’s a chance. It means that maybe this little charade of mine and Callum’s might not be for nothing.

  And while I am excited by the idea, there’s also something else. Something keeping me from fully embracing the possibility that after two years I might be getting somewhere with Ethan Ripley.

  “We’re on the same page... I think.” He grins.

  “Well that might be something you want to verify before one or both of you gets hurt. Though I have to say I’m surprised.”

  “Surprised?”

  “You’re hanging out with one of the most sought-after girls in school, yet you’re talking about your relationship like it’s some fling. I doubt many guys in your position would be so casual and nonchalant about dating someone like Heidi.”

  “What can I say?” He smiles sheepishly. “I’m not most guys.”

  “No, you most certainly are not.” The statement leaves my lips right as the bathroom door swings open and Callum comes strolling out, his bare torso on full display.

  It’s funny. When it’s just me and Ethan, I’m all in. But as soon as Callum returns, my focus completely shifts. It’s like he’s a magnet and I’m metal. I can’t help but be pulled in by him.

  “Hey.” He smiles at me and my chest does a funny little flip.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Here I am, standing in a room with the guy I’ve been pining after for two years, and I can’t tear my eyes away from my infuriating next-door neighbor who I’m in a fake relationship with. If this isn’t confusing, I don’t know what is.

  “Hey,” I reply after what feels like way too long.

  “Wanna run to the bait and tackle shop with me to get some coffee?”

  “That depends, do they have those little packs of donuts?” I ask.

  “They have all kinds of shit. I’m sure they probably do.”

  “In that case, yes, I’d love to go with you,” I tell him before turning toward Ethan. “About how long until we hit the trails?”

  “Say thirty minutes or so? I still have to get ready and go grab Heidi.”

  “Where should we meet you?” Callum asks, sliding a light blue t-shirt over his head.

  “Let’s just meet at the picnic tables. We can decide what trails to take from there. And make sure to bring some waters. You’re gonna need them.”

  “Sounds good.” Callum nods, slipping on his slides before snagging my hand. “You ready?” He looks down at me.

  “Ready.” I smile up at him, not the least bit disappointed to be leaving with Callum and not Ethan.

  That right there should tell me something, but once again, I choose to ignore it. I can’t entertain such frivolous ideas. I can’t let my mind go there and I certainly can’t let my heart. I need to keep my eyes on the prize. Ethan.

  The sooner this is all over with, the better it will be for everyone involved.

  I just hope by then it’s not too late.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  POPPY

  “THERE YOU ARE.” CAMILA looks up at me through the dark lenses of her sunglasses as I spread my towel out next to hers. “Where the hell have you been? I woke up and you were gone.”

  “I went on a hike with Callum, Ethan, and Heidi.”

  “Wait.” April props up on her elbows next to Camila. “You went hiking with Ethan and Heidi?”

  “We did.” I peel my tank top off and then my shorts, grabbing some sunscreen out of my bag.

  “How did that come about?”

  “Ethan invited us last night.”

  “Wasn’t that weird?” Camila asks. “Going on a hike with the guy you’ve been crushing on forever and the one you’re currently hugged up with?”

  “It was a little,” I admit.

  Truth be told, it was more than a little weird. All we did was walk trails and engage in casual conversation, but with Callum hanging all over me, it felt more monumental than it normally would have. I know he was only doing it given our company, but that didn’t stop my mind from racing every single time he touched me. I don’t even know if Ethan noticed how obvious Callum was being, and truthfully at the time I didn’t really care. Though I probably should have.

  I squirt some sunscreen in my hands and rub it on my shoulders.

  “I have to admit, when I first found out about you and Callum hanging out, I thought you had lost your mind,” April chimes in. “But seeing you two together, I don’t know, it just seems right.”

  “It does?” I question, trying to keep my reaction to a minimum.

  “Yeah. You two seem really good together.”

  “Speaking of good together.” I smile at her, eager to shift the conversation from me. I’m still not comfortable lying to my best friends, so the less I have to do it the better. “You and Brock seem awfully cozy.”

  A wide smile lights up her entire face.

  “Oh lord.” Camila snorts. “Someone’s got it bad.” She hitches her thumb toward April.

  “It’s crazy. And something I certainly didn’t expect. But he’s not who I thought he was. He’s sweet and considerate and I don’t know, he makes me feel good.”

  “Oh I bet he does.” Camila laughs.

  “Shut up.” April swats at her. “You have no room to talk.”

  “I’m not attached to Tripp’s hip. We’re just hanging out.”

  “Uh huh. What I walked in on this morning looked like a lot more than just hanging out.”

  My wide gaze swings to Camila.

  “You didn’t?” I gape at her.

  “What? We woke up in an empty cabin. What did you expect?” She giggles.

  “Well, how was it?” I plop down onto my towel and proceed to slather my legs in sunscreen.

  “Incredible.” She lays back down, sighing audibly.

  “Uh oh.” I laugh. “I know that look.”

  “It’s not what you’re thinking. He’s just really, really good in bed.”

  “I’m not sure I needed to know that.”

  “What about Callum?” she asks as I settle down next to her, sliding my sunglasses down on my face as the hot sun shines down on us.

  “What about Callum?” I ask, not understanding what she’s asking.

  “How is he? Is he as good in bed as people say?”

  “I wouldn’t know. We haven’t slept together.”

  “Told you.” April shoves at Camila’s arm. “She’s been saying she thinks you two have done the deed, but I told her there’s no way you wouldn’t have told us.”

  “Definitely not. You know you two would be the first to know.”

  “You do realize you’re going to have to just bite the bullet eventually. Come on, P, you’re eighteen. You’re almost out of high school. How much longer are you going to hold onto that V card of yours?”

  “Leave her alone,” April scolds. “She has her reasons.”

  “I know.” Camila snaps. “I’m simply saying that eventually she’s going to have to get over her mommy issues.”

  “I don’t have mommy issues.”

  I feel both sets of eyes come to me but I keep my own closed and my face turned up to the sky.

  “Where is Callum?” Camila asks.

  “Not sure. I think he’s helping Tripp gather some more firewood for tonight.”

  “I’m surprised he let you out of his sight. He’s been stuck on you like flies pretty much the entire time we’ve been here.”

  “Not the expression I would have used.” April laughs.

  “You know what I mean. We haven’t seen much of you without him nearly the entire week.”

  “I know. I’m sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be. We’re all having
our fun. No reason why you shouldn’t too.”

  “I can’t believe we only have a couple of days left,” Camila whines. “This week has gone way too fast.”

  “Yeah, it really has,” I agree, the thought of going home and having to deal with my mother causing a hard knot to form in the pit of my stomach.

  We didn’t exactly leave things on good terms before I left, and she hasn’t so much as texted me once to check in the entire time I’ve been gone. Then again, it’s not like I’ve attempted to reach out to her either.

  “Just think, ladies, when we get back we’re going to have to start dress shopping. Can you believe prom is in four weeks?” I can hear the excitement in April’s voice. She’s been talking about Senior Prom since we were Freshman.

  “And then graduation,” Camila tacks on. “As excited as I am, I’m really going to miss you girls when we all leave for college.”

  “At least we’re all staying close. We can still get together on the weekends,” April reassures her.

  “Yeah, but it won’t be the same and you know it.”

  “It’ll be weird at first but I’m sure we will find a new normal pretty quickly.”

  “Just promise me something.” Camila props up, her gaze going to me and then to April. “Promise me we will always be friends. I can’t stomach the thought of us growing apart.”

  “I promise.”

  “Me too.” April follows suit. “Now enough with the heavy. I don’t want to think about any of that right now. I just want to enjoy the rest of this week with my girls.”

  “And your boy toy,” Camila tacks on.

  “Well, that too.”

  We settle into a comfortable silence and while I should be relaxed, lounging on the beach with my best friends, I feel anything but. I feel uneasy and guilty. I feel conflicted. I feel confused. None of which are conducive to a relaxing environment.

  And if that weren’t bad enough, of course the universe needs to pile on more. A soft clearing of a throat has my eyes sliding open. I look up to see none other than Annika hovering over me, arms folded in front of her, lips pursed.

  “You know he’s just using you to make me jealous.”

  “Come again?” I prop up on my elbows and stare up at her.

  “Callum,” she adds on his name for good measure. “He’s only using you.”

  “Says the girl he dumped,” Camila sasses, defending me.

  “A temporary setback. It’s only a matter of time before we get back together.”

  “I’m sorry.” Camila sits up. “But didn’t he fuck your best friend? Doesn’t sound like someone who has any interest in getting back with you.”

  “He did that to prove a point.”

  “And you still want him back?” Camila snorts. “Doesn’t say much for you, does it?”

  “You don’t know anything about our relationship. Who are you to judge?”

  “Pretty sure I’m the only person who stood up for you when all the guys were saying shit about you in the cafeteria last week. And after the kindness I paid you, you still came over here to bully my best friend, so I can judge all I want.”

  “I’m not bullying her. I’m simply giving her a friendly warning not to get too comfortable.”

  “Or what? Do you really think Callum would ever leave someone like me for someone like you? A two-bit, washed-up whore who will spread her legs for anyone.”

  It’s an awful thing to say, and something that would normally never come out of my mouth to another female, but I find myself overly irritated by her audacity.

  “There’s no comparison between you and me.” She lowers her sunglasses down onto the bridge of her nose. “Let’s get that straight right now.”

  “You’re right. There isn’t. Which is probably why Callum is with her and not you. The proof is in the pudding, honey.” Camila just can’t help herself. “So why don’t you do us all a favor and get the hell over it because he’s not yours anymore and he’s probably grateful of this fact.”

  “Fuck you, Cam. This isn’t your business.”

  “You made it my business when you walked over here. Now I suggest you take your trampy ass back to whatever hole you crawled out of and leave my girl alone before I beat your ass in front of half of the senior class.”

  “Oh Camila.” Annika clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “And you wonder why you only have two friends.”

  “That’s it.” Cam starts to climb to her feet, but I grab her arm, stopping her assent.

  “Don’t,” I hiss. “She’s not worth it.” Once I’m comfortable that Camila is going to stay put, I stand, squaring my shoulders as I step toe to toe with Callum’s less than friendly ex-girlfriend. “Listen, if Callum wants you back, I’m sure he’ll let you know. Until then, you need to leave me and him the hell alone.”

  “You’re cute. You actually think he cares about you, don’t you? Poor thing.” She gives me an overly dramatic look of pity.

  “I don’t think. I know. And if you don’t believe me, maybe you should ask him yourself.” I nod my head in the direction Callum is coming from along the beach, his gaze locked on Annika.

  Her head swings in his direction as he steps up next to us.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Callum bites, his attention not faltering from Annika.

  “Just having a friendly chat with your little girlfriend here.” She smiles innocently.

  “Yeah, I know what a friendly conversation is to you.” He steps toward her, his body radiating anger even though his voice is completely calm. “I’m going to say this once and only once, leave Poppy the fuck alone.”

  “Calm down, Cal. I wasn’t doing anything.”

  “It’s Callum, not Cal. And we both know exactly what you were doing. Now leave before I make you leave.”

  Annika’s gaze swings toward me, and I plaster the biggest smile on my face I can muster just to piss her off. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, honey, it really looks like he wants you back.”

  I swear I have to resist the urge to reach around and pat myself on the back. I’m not usually an overly confrontational person, but given the way Annika came at me, there’s no way I’d miss the opportunity to give her a what for.

  “We’ll see,” she mutters under her breath loudly enough that I can hear her.

  With a toss of her hair, she spins around and stomps back to where her group of minions are all laying out several feet down the beach.

  Callum waits until she’s out of ear shot before turning his attention to me. His expression is the exact opposite of what it was ten seconds ago. It’s soft, apologetic even.

  “Fuck, P, I’m so sorry. I never dreamed she’d come at you like that.”

  “It’s okay.” I smile, surprisingly a lot less affected by the whole thing than I should be. Honestly, it kind of felt good to say those things to Annika. I’ve never cared for her. She’s as self-absorbed as they come and will step on anyone to ensure she stays at the top of the food chain.

  Unfortunately for her, I don’t play by her rules and I certainly don’t give two shits what she thinks about me, so her efforts to rile me have fallen short.

  “What did she say to you?”

  “Nothing I didn’t expect.” I shrug. “Though I don’t think she was prepared to deal with this one.” I hitch my thumb in Camila’s direction, laughter rolling through my words.

  “Bitch should know better.” She smiles up at us as she relaxes back on her towel. “Though Poppy held her own. I think she would have been fine without me.”

  “You sure you’re okay?” Callum asks again, the look of concern on his face a little over the top if I’m being honest.

  Seriously, does he think I’m incapable of standing up for myself? If so, he doesn’t know me very well. Then again, he really doesn’t. He knows who I used to be, and let’s be honest, I haven’t really changed that much in the last four years.

  “I’m fine. I figured she’d try to get under my skin eventually.
It’s who she is.”

  “I’m really sorry. I’ll talk to her.”

  “Don’t. I think we said all that we need to say. Talking to her is only going to make her think you care.”

  He smiles, reading between the lines.

  “You’re right. Who gives a shit about her anyway?” He snakes an arm around my waist and tugs me into his chest, burying his face into my neck moments later. He takes a deep inhale and groans audibly. “You smell so good,” he murmurs against my skin.

  “I smell like sunscreen,” I tell him, trying to seem as natural as possible with my two best friends looking on.

  “I love the smell of sunscreen.” He pulls back and hits me with that heart stopping smirk of his.

  God, he really is too good at this game. I can’t imagine there’s a girl on this planet that would be immune to his charms.

  “I thought you were helping Tripp.”

  “I was.”

  “Are you done?”

  “No. I was just walking by when I saw Annika over here.”

  “Well, it’s all good now. You should go back up there and finish helping him. I think we got it covered down here.” I reach up to lock my hands behind his neck.

  “You sure? Because I’d much rather be here with you.” He leans forward, sliding his nose against mine.

  “Ugh. Get a room,” Camila interjects.

  “Not a bad idea.” He grins, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

  “Shut up.” I giggle, pressing up on my toes. “I need some girl time and you need to go help Tripp.” I press a soft kiss to his lips, not missing the fact that this is the first time I’ve initiated this kind of contact. By the expression on his face when I pull back, it’s pretty apparent he doesn’t miss this either. “Now go.” I drop my hold on him.

  “Fine.” He takes a step back. “But the second I’m done, I’m coming down here to be with you. Want me to bring you anything when I come back?”

  “I’ll take a drink,” April chimes in.

  “What kind of drink?”

  “Something with alcohol. Surprise me.”

  “I can do that.” Callum chuckles. “Cam, anything for you?”

  “Same.”

  “And you?” His gaze slides back to me.