Alex scoffs. “Tonight, they are.”
It all becomes clear. This must be Kendrick’s excuse for disappearing after he got beaten to a pulp. He always comes up with something to ease my mom, but a fake girlfriend? Seriously?
“Wait, is that why mom wanted me to come to dinner so bad? Because you’re introducing her to your fake girlfriend?”
“Yep.” Kendrick beams.
“Let me guess, you told Mom you were staying with your girlfriend this whole time?”
“Yep,” Kendrick repeats. “My girl over here—” He points to Nicole with his chin. “—was going through a rough patch.”
“You’re crazy,” I scold.
“Tell that to Winter.” Kendrick sticks his hands up. “She’s the one who put us into this mess.”
What is that supposed to mean?
Jesus, how much have I missed?
“Speaking of Winter, where is she?” I ask. I feel like we’ve barely spoken lately. We need to catch up.
“In her room.” Kendrick shrugs.
“Anyway, we should get going. Your mom will be there soon.” Alex leaps from the couch. “Guys?”
“Coming.” Blake rises to his feet.
“Right behind you.” Will joins him.
I can’t help glaring at Blake as he passes me. To think I wasted six months of my life on this trash bag. Careful not to make eye contact with Will, I take the stairs two at a time with the intention to hide into my bedroom until dinner.
A shiver skitters down my spine the second I pad into my room. I left the window open. I receive a text from Morgan as I’m pushing it shut.
Morgan: Where were you today? Are you okay?
Relief overtakes me.
I was afraid Zoey would’ve turned her against me.
Kass: Something happened with Zoey.
Morgan: I know. She told me. Want to come over to my house tonight? My parents just left for their trip.
Kass: Be there after dinner
Morgan: Okay. Xx
I can’t wipe the smile off my face. Well, it doesn’t look like she loathes me. That’s a start.
“Had fun with golden boy?”
I let out a startled yelp.
Will.
“Okay, you have got to stop doing that!”
He half smiles, standing in my doorway with his right shoulder braced against the wooden frame and his arms folded over his chest. He’s wearing a simple, worn-out tee and jeans, and yet he looks unbelievable.
“Didn’t you just leave?” I arch an eyebrow.
“I told them I forgot something upstairs.”
I nod, not bothering to summon a reply, and he passes the threshold, kicking the door shut.
“You know the whole point of having a phone is to answer it?” he jokes, but I catch a whiff of irritation in his voice.
“Oh, is that what this thing is for?” I barely muster a weak, unconvincing smile. I don’t know how to act around him anymore. All I can think about when I look at him is where we left off.
“So… where’d you go today?”
“Nowhere.”
He snaps. “Goddamn it, Kass. How much longer are you going to be mad at me?”
“I’m not mad,” I say in the most quiet, calm voice, which catches him off guard. I can tell he expected me to fight.
To argue.
But I’m done fighting this boy.
“Like hell you’re not.” He exhales.
“I’m not. I’m just listening to you, Will. Staying away from you. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
He moves closer.
Zip it, heart.
“It should be.” He closes in on me until I have no choice but to crane my neck to look at him. “But… fuck, Kass, I… Tell me why it’s the last thing I want.”
His hand lifts to my cheek.
Shivers.
“That’s not what you were saying last week.” I steer clear of his hold, ghosting my wretched heart’s desperate pleas.
Five more seconds, it begs.
“What the hell was I supposed to do? Tell me. We were on Kendrick’s bed. I just… panicked.”
I cringe at the reminder.
I still can’t believe I did that.
Must’ve washed his sheets like five hundred times afterward.
“I know, I feel awful about it, and I’m glad you stopped it, but… You hurt me, Will. Bad. I can’t keep up with you anymore. One second you’re rejecting me, and the next you’re blowing up my phone. I’m just trying to listen to y—”
He cages me against my desk in one move, cupping my face, with both hands this time, and stealing my breath.
“Don’t.” He sounds pained. “Don’t fucking listen to me if it means you’re not going to be in my life anymore.”
Kass, be strong.
“No, you were right. We can’t be friends. And we can’t be together. So, I guess…” I choke. “I guess we can’t be anything.”
He releases me instantly, a million thoughts, questions, and possibilities racing in his eyes. I don’t think he’s hearing me.
He proves me right by saying, “Is this because of Luke?”
“What? That’s not what this is abo—”
“Is it because of Luke, yes or no?”
Maybe if I tell him what he wants to hear…
Maybe.
“So what if it is?” I lie my ass off.
His mouth falls open.
His eyes dip to the floor.
“Got it.”
Then he walks out.
Kassidy
Slogging into the kitchen, I ready my excuse and hope to hell my mom will let me skip dinner. I’m not done moping around about Will yet, and frankly, after the day I’ve had? I’d rather gouge my eyes out than watch Kendrick and his bratty ex pretend to be in love.
My “stomachache” goes up in smoke at the bright smile illuminating my mother’s face. She looks ecstatic to have us all together. I can’t ruin that for her.
It’s just one dinner, Kass.
How could this day possibly get any worse?
Winter comes trailing into the kitchen once we’re all seated. She looks just as annoyed with this fake-girlfriend dinner as I am, forcing a smile as she plops down into the seat next to me. I wonder what my brother meant when he said my cousin was responsible for the fake-girlfriend debacle. I know I insisted I didn’t want anything to do with their mess, but… I’m getting sick of feeling out of the loop.
I’m relieved to see my mom ordered pizza and we’re eating off paper plates. The quicker we get this over
