And this was just the “finder’s fee.”
My vision starts to tunnel as all of the pieces fall into place.
I want to crumple into a heap on the floor and sob. I want my outsides to match my insides, because the remnants of me that haven’t been shredded yet wither as an invisible hand reaches into my chest and crushes what’s left of my heart.
What Jase did when I showed up on his front porch, what he did by blowing me off for the rest of the summer…it’s nothing compared to this. I made myself believe he was just too much of a coward to openly be friends with a dork like me, which already hurt. But the reality? Now knowing that I mourned the loss of somebody who never gave two shits about me? Knowing I mourned the loss of somebody who saw me as nothing more than a means to a bountiful end?
‘Hurt’ doesn’t even begin to describe the sensation building inside me. The longer I hold in my sobs, the more something else rises in my throat.
Rage.
The pressure fills my lungs, and I want nothing more than to release an unending, wordless scream until my vocal cords shatter.
My legs are still weak, I’m trembling, and I have to blink away the tears in my eyes, but I don’t care. I don’t care if he sees that he hurt me.
BecauseI’mgoing to hurt him.
Snickers and whispersfollow me when I emerge from the bathroom as everyone provides a wide berth, like I’m a leper and my “ugliness” may be contagious. Good. It opens up the hallway for me, so it’s easy to spot Jase down the corresponding hallway by the gymnasium. Unsurprisingly, he’s talking to Trent as Sienna, Patrick, and Olivia come over to join their conversation. Half the basketball team is there too, but I couldn’t give any less of a shit. I’m already a public spectacle. Let’s see how Jase feels about having the spotlight forced on him for a change.
His back is to me, but the other Untouchables don’t miss my five-foot-nothing frame storming towards them. Trent’s smug expression transforms into an ear-to-ear smile as he nudges Jase in the arm, nodding in my direction.
A few of the other jocks let out howls and barks before Jase even has a chance to turn around, and the sounds have his spine locking up.
He seems to move in slow motion, and that perfect tanned complexion he sported back in the parking lot is nowhere to be found. All the blood appears to drain from his face to the point that he almost looks gray. “Ali…”
The sound of my name coming from him makes me bristle, and he doesn’t miss it.
Jase never calls me that. Always Birdie or occasionally Alley Cat. But never just my name.
Good to see he’s dropped all pretenses.
Before he can say anything else, I take the stack of money in my hands and throw it at his chest hard enough that the bills explode outward like a firework, raining down all around him.And I’m reminded of that kiss on the pier, how I thought his smile looked like he just scored a championship touchdown.
More like I’d handed him a winning lottery ticket.
Because that’s precisely what I had been.
“Keep your finder’s fee,” I growl. “Consider using it as a down payment for a conscience, since you clearly don’t have one.”
I may not be crying, but he sees the glassiness in my eyes, the evident moisture one blink away from running off my lashes.
He steps forward, his hands held up in front of him like he’s approaching a small but ravenous animal. “I can explain—”
A cold laugh peels from my lips. “By all means. Tell me how you, and onlyyou,somehow didn’t know about this little bet. Tell me you showed up at my house out of happenstance that first day. Tell me how this is all just one big misunderstanding.”
My saccharine delivery only serves to drain whatever tinge of color is left on his face.
“This isn’t what it looks like—”
Sienna quite literally bursts out laughing. “Oh, honey, playing stupid isn’t a good look on you. And, I mean, really, why even bother?” She eyes me up and down like I’m nothing more than old gum stuck to the bottom of her designer shoes.
With a swipe of her perfectly manicured finger, she pulls up something on her phone and flashes the screen at me. Jase doesn’t even bother to look to see what it is, trying to snatch the device away, but it’s too late. I see part of the text message conversation.
Jase:
Target locked and loaded.
And the date?
