“I can’t.” I am breathing heavily. “Missy... I’m not a cheater.”
Before Dastian can say anything to me, I turn and run off back toward the party. I fight the part of me that wants to turn back to Dastian, but I can’t do that. I refuse to be that girl.
How can I ever face Missy again?
I’m a horrible human being.
I’m on the verge of tears when my body smacks into somebody hard. The only thing that keeps me from toppling over is their hands on my hips.
“Whoa, you okay?”
I look up into light blue eyes.
“Logan,” I breathe, feeling relieved.
The very boy I wanted to get away from is now the boy I’m taking refuge in.
It’s messed up.
“I’ve been looking for you.” His grin widens as he looks at me. Reaching a hand up, he tugs something from my hair. I look up to see that he’s pull out a leaf. “You been rolling around in the leaves?”
I shake my head, not saying anything.
I have no idea how that leaf got there, but I don’t care. I just need to get away from this stupid party—away from Dastian.
“Can we talk somewhere else?” I ask him.
He nods. “Yeah.”
Logan surprises me by grabbing onto my hand. He leads me away from the noise of the party, and away from Dastian.
Logan doesn’t stop until I find myself in a familiar place—the practice football field. He pulls me toward the bleachers and we both sit down.
“Are you okay? You seem shaken up.” Logan sweetly puts his arm around me.
I have no idea what to say to him. I can’t tell him what just happened.
“Is Dastian Graham always so intense?” I ask.
He smirks. “Ah. You had a run in with him.”
I nod.
“Explains it.” He pushes a piece of hair behind my ear, much like Dastian did earlier. It still makes my stomach flutter, but it’s not nearly as intense as it was with Dastian. “I know you like him.”
I want to deny it, but I don’t. Not with Logan.
“He has a girlfriend,” I say, reminding both him and me. “I like Missy.”
He snorts. “Missy seems nice, but trust me, she has claws just like everybody else in this school.”
I blink. “Dastian told me that you broke her heart.”
He shrugs. “I’m not going to deny that. Missy had a crush on me during freshman year. We talked for a few weeks, but I knew right away that she wasn’t for me. I ended things before she was ready to end them.”
I do believe that.
It’s easy to get your heart broken when you’re fourteen.
“The truth is, I’m not the player everybody thinks I am,” he says.
I laugh.
“What?” He cocks his head to the side.
“That’s exactly what a player would say.”
His lips turn up in one corner. “You’re right. A player would say that. So maybe I am a player, I don’t know.”
At least he’s not denying it.
“The truth is, I’ve dated a lot of girls,” he says.
Wow.
He’s telling me the truth.
I’m surprised, though I don’t know why I am.
I shouldn’t believe everybody else. I should make up my own mind about Logan and give him the benefit of the doubt.
“It’s going to sound corny, I know, but I’m looking for the one,” he says.
My breath catches in my throat. “The one?”
He nods, his light blue eyes looking at me with such emotion in them. “I’m a big believer in true love. I believe there is one girl out there that is perfect for me. I don’t think it’s right to keep dating somebody if I know they’re not right for me. It just happens that I break a lot of hearts that way.”
I swallow hard, not knowing what to say to that.
“The truth is, I might break your heart.” He grabs onto my hand, squeezing it. “But I hope that doesn’t scare you away. Hensley Lockwood, you might be the one to break my heart.”
I don’t know about all that.
But...
“I believe you.” I lick my lips. “About wanting to find the one.”
He grins. “Good.”
“But I don’t believe I’ll be the girl to break your heart.” I chew on the side of my lip to stop my grin. “I don’t think any girl could break your heart.”
He shrugs. “I guess we’ll see.”
Maybe we will.
“I know that you’re wanting to avoid me for whatever reason,” he says.
I cast my gaze down guiltily.
He nudges my chin with his fingers gently. “It doesn’t matter why. I just wanted to ask you something.”
“What?” I finally brave making eye contact.
“Go out with me tomorrow,” he says.
“Out?” My eyes widen. “Like a date?”
He nods. “Or just friends hanging out, if that makes you more comfortable.”
I suck in a sharp breath. “I don’t know, Logan.”
“I already know you have feelings for Dastian,” he says. “And I’m not asking you to commit to me. I’m just asking you to spend one day with me. Not even the whole day. Just around lunch for a couple of hours. I promise you won’t regret it.”
“Don’t make a promise you can’t keep,” I say, then sigh. “Fine. I’ll hang out with you. But you better not break my heart.”
“I already told you, I can’t promise I won’t break your heart, just as you can’t promise you won’t break mine.”
Right.
He did say that.
“I guess I won’t be able to say you didn’t warn me.” I shake my head. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to hang out with you.”
Against my better judgment, I really like Logan. Maybe not as much as I like Dastian, but Logan doesn’t have a girlfriend. I just try to ignore the part of me that screams he doesn’t have a girlfriend because he’s a player.
Logan Griffin is the literal definition of trouble, but I’m in too deep to back out now.
“If you play your cards right, I might even kiss you tomorrow,” Logan says.
Kiss…
I still can’t believe I let Dastian kiss me.
“I might let you kiss me,” I say.
Because I need to think about somebody else’s kiss so I won’t obsess over Dastian.
I’m in way over my head.
Chapter Five
Hopelessly in love.
On Sunday morning, I wake up nervous and excited.
I’m hanging out with Logan today, which might be stupid, but I like him. I think he’s genuinely a good guy. As long as I don’t fall for him, I think we could be really good friends. The problem is... Logan is attractive. Besides Dastian, he’s probably the most attractive guy I’ve ever met in my life. And even if it means him breaking my heart, I need to focus on anybody but Dastian.
I still can’t believe I let Dastian kiss me last night. Yeah, I pulled away, but it doesn’t change the fact that I cheated with him. I feel so icky.
After getting a quick shower, I have no idea what I should wear. Logan didn’t tell me what we were doing, other than the fact that we’re getting lunch off campus. I put on a short pale pink dress. It goes off my shoulder on one side. Even though it’s still too warm for boots, I wear socks that go over my knee with a pair of knee high boots I’ve been dying to wear. They’re flat, so they’re comfortable no matter what we’re doing. I look cute without trying too hard. At least, I think I do.
I’m not good at this whole dating thing. Normally, I would be getting advice from my mom on what to wear. Part of me wants to ask Lily, but I don’t want her to know that I’m going out with Logan after she warned me away from him last night.
It’s definitely stupid to go out with a guy after a friend tells you they’re not a good guy. Maybe I’m just not smart because even knowing it’s a bad idea, I don’t want to back out.
It’s not long until lunch, so I go to grab a coffee, not wanting to fill up on a big breakfast. Logan is supposed to meet me outside Graham Dorms at eleven, so I’ve got a little time to kill. I order a latte and find an unoccupied booth to sit in. I’m about to take my first sip of coffee with a tall girl with dark hair appears in my peripheral vision. Too late I realize she’s heading my way.
Great. Just who I didn’t want to say.
“Hey, Missy.” I force myself to grin at her as she approaches the table.
I wonder what Dastian sees in me when he’s dating her.
Missy is tall, probably about five nine or five ten, I’m five three. Missy has blue eyes, mine are brown. The only thing we have in common is our hair color.
She slides into the booth across from me. “Hey, Hensley. How’s it going?”
“Good.” I swallow hard, praying she didn’t hear about Dastian and me. But how could she when nobody knows?
Maybe Dastian will tell her. That would make me feel slightly better, even if it meant Missy would most likely hate me forever. I can’t handle the guilt.
“You look really pretty.” She glances down at my outfit. “You doing anything special today?”
I take a sip of my coffee. “I, uh, kind of.”
She groans. “Please tell me you’re not going out with Logan Griffin.”
I hesitate, not knowing what to say.
“Fine.” She shakes her head. “I get it, I do. You have to figure it out for yourself. Just... protect your heart, okay? You’re much too sweet for a guy like him.”
I chew on the side of my lip, thinking she wouldn’t be calling me ‘sweet’ if she knew I kissed her boyfriend last night.
I’m a terrible person.
“Do you think this is a good first date outfit?” I ask, needing a second opinion.
Her eyes widen. “Oh, my gosh. I forgot you’ve never really done the whole dating thing before.”
“Yeah...” my voice trails off.
“Logan is a good first kiss. He’s going to break your heart, but the boy is an excellent kisser.” She wiggles her eyebrows.
Not so much my ‘first kiss.’ Not anymore.
Not since last night.
Since...
Dastian.
I want to dig a hole and climb inside.
I’m the worst friend ever.
“You look like you’re going to puke.” Missy giggles. “Look, girl, don’t worry so much. Logan is smooth. He knows what he’s doing. Make him work for it. Girls usually fall for his charms way too easily.”
I nod, taking a deep breath. “Okay. Any other advice?”
“Have fun,” she says. “Logan is a fun guy, even if he’s a jerk.”
“Did you two date long?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “About two weeks. I actually broke up with Dash for him. I felt so stupid when I caught him making out with my best friend a few weeks later.”
“You broke up with Dastian for Logan?” I ask, my jaw open wide.
Why would she ever dump Dastian for anybody else? He’s literally the perfect guy.
“I was bored.” She shrugs. “Logan excited me. With Dash, things are predictable and boring. I’m attracted to him, but he doesn’t give me butterflies. I don’t think he ever has. Logan did. And, I guess, I wanted butterflies. Sometimes, I still do.”
“Huh,” I say, thinking Dastian said something similar. “Does Logan still give you butterflies?”
She snorts, rolling her eyes. “Definitely not. If anything, watching him date the entire alphabet has made me appreciate Dash even more. At least Dash is faithful.”
My stomach churns.
I can’t believe she said that to me, of all things.
“I’ve actually been thinking about breaking up with Dash.” She stares off for a moment, then looks at me. “I know everybody expects us to be together, but it just doesn’t feel right anymore, you know?”
I shrug. “Not really.”
She grins. “Dash has been a great boyfriend, but I’m not the best girlfriend. I kind of dated a few guys this summer. I know that’s going to sound bad, but I can’t help but think we both deserve better. We deserve... fireworks.”
Fireworks is exactly what I feel for Dastian.
I can’t believe Missy is admitted that she cheated on Dastian.
“He knows about the other guys,” Missy says. “Don’t worry. We tell each other everything.”
Everything?
Does that mean he knows that I kissed him last night?
I’m too scared to ask her that question. Because, despite my guilt, I do want to be friends with Missy.
“I actually have a question,” I say, wanting to change the subject away from cheating and Dastian in general.
She raises an eyebrow. “What?”
I take a sip of my latte, trying to come up with the right words. “I have been wanting to ask somebody about Ellis, but I don’t know who to ask. Blaine told me not to bring it up to Will or Dastian...”
“Definitely not,” she says. “Dash hates talking about Ellis. He took his death super hard, which is understandable. Ellis and Dash have been best friends since they were in diapers. I think he liked Ellis more than he liked me—he definitely spent more time with Ellis.”
“Huh,” I say, taking another sip of my drink. “That must’ve been hard.”
She nods. “He’s different now. Dash isn’t as happy. He used to be a lot more carefree, like Blaine. Though, maybe not as hyper as him.”
I laugh. “Nobody is as hyper as Blaine.”
“True.” Her grin widens. “You’ve already got him pegged.”
We both grow silent and I can see from the way her smile falls that she’s about to talk about Ellis.
It must be hard to lose a friend like that. I can’t imagine what Dastian is going through. It was hard on me to lose my mom like I did, but to lose a friend that is your own age is different somehow.
Missy looks down at her hands. “Um, Ellis was an incredible guy. He was cocky, but not overly so. I don’t even know if I can describe it, but everybody loved him.”
Ah, so not at all like me.
She grins. “I had the biggest crush on him. Dash and Ellis both knew it, but Ellis never would’ve tried to go there with me. He loved Dash like a brother.”
I’m beginning to wonder if Missy likes Dastian at all. It doesn’t seem like it.
“You look a lot like Ellis.” She frowns. “He had the exact hair and eye color as you. Even the way you smile is similar. He had this one dimple in his left cheek, kind of like you.”
I sit forward. “Wow. I always figured I looked more like my dad. My mom and I look nothing alike. I got her nose, but that’s it.”
“Ellis knew about you,” she says casually.
But what she is saying is the opposite of casual. It’s... life changing.
“He did?” I look at her with wide eyes, desperate to hear something else, anything else.
“He had a private investigator look into you.” She plays with the straw of her drink. “I only know because Dastian told me. But he had his PI check in on you a few times a year.”
A few times a year?
Wow.
“I wish I would’ve gotten the chance to know him.” I chew on the side of my lip, thinking a brother would’ve been incredible. “It’s weird that we were the same age.”
She nods. “Ellis always talked about how his parents don’t have a good marriage.”
“Really?” Her words surprise me. What little time I spent with Henry Lockwood, it seemed that his marriage was perfect. “His wife was really nice to me.”
“Mrs. Lockwood is nice,” she agrees. “It’s just their marriage is better apart. She spends half the year in France. Ellis was always happier that way. I don’t know a lot about it. Dash would be able to tell you more.”
I wish I could ask Dastian.
“Too bad Ellis never tried to contact me.” I frown, thinking of all the time I could
’ve had with him. I didn’t know about him, but he did know about me. It would’ve been cool to meet him. It sounds like we would’ve gotten along.
“Yeah.” Missy has a faraway look in her eyes, and I wonder if she’s thinking about Ellis.
He must’ve been a really good guy. I’m sad I never got to meet him.
She stands from the table. “Anyway, I’ve got to go. I’m late to meet Dash.”
I lift a hand and wave at her, trying to ignore how much my chest aches at the thought of Missy and Dastian hanging out today.
He’s not my boyfriend. He’s her boyfriend. I have no right to be jealous.
Missy runs off and I sit there, looking after her. I wonder about their relationship. It really doesn’t sound like a good or healthy relationship at all. They don’t seem to like one another. So why are they together? It’s weird.
Before I have time to contemplate it too long, somebody slides into the booth across from me. I’m surprised when I look up and see Lily. She has a huge grin on her face and a very large coffee cup in hand.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hey.” She bounces a little. “I saw you sitting here, so I thought I’d join. I hope you don’t mind. I waited for Missy to leave.”
“You didn’t have to wait,” I inform her. “You could have joined us.”
I think Lily and Missy would get along great. Lily is impossible not to get along with and I just like Missy. Maybe I shouldn’t like her, since we both like the same guy, but I feel like Missy and I are already great friends. It almost feels like I’ve known her my whole life.
Lily lowers her head. “I didn’t wasn’t to disrupt. You two looked like you were talking about something personal, so...”
Ah, yeah. Maybe it’s best she did wait.
“We were talking about Ellis.”
Lily’s eyes widen as she looks up. “Oh.”
“Did you know him?” I take a sip, trying to act casual.
Truthfully, I want to know everything about my half brother.
“Uh, not well.” She purses her lips. “He, uh, seemed nice. He always said hi to me in the hallway. He was... really good looking.”
Lily’s face turns bright red as she says it, which makes me think maybe she had a crush on him.
I grin, sitting up straighter. “Compared to Logan and Dastian?”
Rich Kid Prep: Book 1 Page 6