Chapter 15
CHASE AND I GO TOGETHERto lunch a few more times, and we study together often too. It’s nice not to be alone, and maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like learning is easy for me in pairs. It’s just easier to focus on work, even if Chase distracts me sometimes.
“Okay, I’m tired.” I sprawl on Chase’s bed and let out a sigh. We’ve been studying for four hours, and my eyelids are heavy, a light headache pressing on my forehead.
I’ve been telling myself that I’m doing all this with Chase so he’d open up to me and tell me about the pills or maybe even about Kayla, but I think I’m fooling myself so I wouldn’t feel bad about having fun while I’m with him. I should never forget that he may be playing me and acting nice just so he can get what he wants and break my heart, but some naive, dump part of me refuses to believe it.
“Shit,” he says after glancing at the clock on his nightstand. “Time flies when you’re here.”
He catches my foot, his fingers rubbing gently, and it feels so good that I regret taking off my shoes because when he does things like this, I keep forgetting why I’m really doing all this.
His phone vibrates on the bed, and I catch the name that flashes on the screen.
Father.
Chase’s shoulder tense, but he snatches the phone, letting go of me.
“Father,” he says, his tone icy cold.
I can’t hear anything from the other end of the line, but Chase is silent for a while.
“Yes, I understand,” he says, and lowers his phone.
Now that was a short conversation. Very one-sided, too. But maybe Chase didn’t want to say too much in front of me.
“Do you have an elegant dress or do I need to buy you one?” He turns to me, and my eyebrows shoot up.
“Um, I don’t. Why?” Elegant dresses tend to be way out of my budget, and it’s not like I have any special events to attend.
“My father just invited us to a family dinner. More of a party, actually.” His face is serious, and I don’t think he’s too happy about it. “He already called the school so that I and the girl I want to take with me have permission to leave the campus.”
“And you want to take me?” I don’t know why, but I’m glad his father doesn’t really know about me but has just assumed his son has a girlfriend. It would be weird if Chase’s been talking about me with his family, especially when I haven’t told mine anything about him.
“Yeah. I want you with me.” He taps the screen of his phone a few times. “I’ll buy you a dress.”
“No, I don’t think I can accept—”
“Nonsense.” He gives me a look as if my objection is insane. “Do you like this one?”
He turns the phone screen to me. A long, pale green gown looks amazing, but the price tag next to it makes my head spin.
“It’s too much. Maybe something more—” If he asks me to pay him back, I’m screwed. I can’t afford it, and I have no clue if Chase knows that. Maybe he expects I’m rich, or maybe he knows everything and wants to humiliate me.
“It’s not.” He taps his fingers over the buy button. “Done. It will be delivered to your room tomorrow.”
Shit. Maybe I can keep the tag and return it. I’ll just have to be careful not to stain or rip it.
“Okay, thanks,” I say.
But even though Chase is smiling, his eyes tell a different story. He’s upset about something, but I don’t know what about.
“What kind of dinner is it?” I ask, unsure if I should even be at such an event, since I’m not exactly Chase’s girlfriend.
“Business stuff. But you won’t be bored. I promise.” He grins. “We can always sneak away too.”
“Will my mom be notified by the school about it?” I’d rather not tell her because she’d have too many questions that I can’t answer.
“Nah. Unless you want to tell her.” He shrugs.
