“Says the girl who almost fucked her brother’s best friend on his bed. This is bullshit, Kass. Stop acting all high-and-mighty. You’re no better than I am,” she spits.
Maybe she’s right. I am a hypocrite, telling my friends not to hook up with my brother when I almost slept with his best friend myself. All I know is I should’ve never confided in her about what happened with Will.
“Don’t make this about me! I trusted you. We’ve been friends since kindergarten, and I always, always had your back. Even when people told me that you were selfish. Even when…” I start crying. Damn it. Pull it together. “When you ditched me again and again for some boy. When you invited me over so I could babysit your sister while you sneaked out. Even when you treated me like a fucking slave. Everybody said you were a bad friend. I never listened. Well, guess what? I’m listening now. You’re selfish, Zoey. Always have been. You’d throw the people closest to you into the fire to get what you want, and I’m done being your fucking puppet. We’re done!”
I swing the door open, but just as I’m about to storm out…
“You want to see selfish?” she hisses. “Fine. Maybe I’ll tell Kendrick about you and his best friend shagging on his bed. Or maybe since we’re done, I’ll finally go after the guy you like. How’s Will doing, by the way? Maybe you could give me his number. I’ll show him what a real woman can do. He obviously needs it. You know… since he was so disgusted by hooking up with you, he literally had to run out of your house.”
I can’t speak, flabbergasted by her cruelty. I was best friends with that monster for thirteen years.
“Oh, well. Wouldn’t be the first time I had to satisfy one of your boys.”
From there, I lose it.
I squeeze the chocolate chip Frappuccino in my hands and throw the drink in her face.
As in all of it.
I only understand what I’ve done once she screams, covered in whipped cream, coffee, and chocolate chips.
“Don’t ever talk to me again.” I rush out of the apartment, slamming her door so hard the walls shake. Nearly suffocating, I hurry back to my car, breaking into sobs the second I’m alone.
I hate myself for how much I want to call him.
He was right.
Will was right.
Sitting in my car and observing the tall building staring back at me, I weigh my options: go to school today and see my ex-best friend or… tell my mom we have to move. To tell you the truth, option number two is looking damn appealing right now.
Blinded by the tears I spent fifteen minutes trying to dry, I drag myself out of my car and shamble toward the entrance. I march down the crowded hall, hoping to hell I’ll survive this day, and unlock my phone to find the text I didn’t open earlier waiting for me.
Will.
I forgot he texted me.
Willy Wonka: I can’t fucking stop thinking about you.
I wince. Goddamn it, Will, why are you doing this to me? Shoving my phone into my back pocket, I turn the corner and…
See him.
Back pressed to my locker, his foot up against the steel.
Shit.
As long as he wasn’t going out of his way to see me, avoiding him was within the realm of possibility, but I definitely wasn’t prepared for him showing up at my locker. Time to face it—I’m stuck. I have art last period, and even if I did manage to dodge him now, I can’t skip this class forever.
His features come to life when he spots me. He flashes a pleading smile, his gaze saying “Please, hear me out.” The puppy eyes, that razor-sharp jaw, the dark circles displaying his lack of sleep.
That’s all it takes.
It hits me like a truck.
I was wrong.
Dead wrong.
I don’t just like him.
I love him.
I’m in love with him.
And I’m the dumbest girl in the whole wide world.
I fell so quickly it’s embarrassing. For the guy who doesn’t believe in relationships, not to mention my brother’s best friend, as if it weren’t bad enough. And seeing him again for the first time since the night I gave myself over to him is brutally murdering my heart right now.
I halt my strides so abruptly someone almost trips behind me. I just found out the girl I considered my sister never once cared about me, never once respected me. That she slept with my ex throughout our entire relationship, and while I know kicking her out of my life was—is—the right thing to do, it still hurts like a bitch. Thirteen years. Down the drain. Just like that.
Nope. I can’t do this.
This is too much for one day.
Will frowns at my immobility, but I don’t give him a single thought, spinning on my heels and streaking in the opposite direction.
“Kass!” He calls as I push through the crowd. I play deaf, counting down the seconds to my freedom. I don’t have it in me to listen to him tell me he wants to be friends again.
Two steps out of the building, I spot Zoey climbing out of a blue car. Callie’s car—well, it sure didn’t take her long to replace me. She’s laughing at something Callie said, looking like a million bucks. Her makeup is flawless, her outfit color coordinated. You’d never guess she became close friends with a Starbucks drink an hour ago.
“Are you okay?” someone asks.
I whip my head around.
Luke.
“No, I… I…” Tears course down my face.
“Kass, what happened?”
“It’s.” Sniffle. “It’s Zoey.”
I watch Zoey and Callie saunter toward the school in the distance, a mix of panic, pain, and rage stirring in my chest.
Luke places a hand on my arm. “Do you want to
