I smile. "Seriously, it's fine. Go ahead and sit with her later."
But Quinn isn't happy with Brayden when lunch comes. "I can't believe he's sitting with that cheating bitch right now. And I can't believe you let him." She's glaring daggers at Brayden and Peyton's table across the cafeteria.
I pause from biting on my burger. "Did you want me to stop him?"
She gives me an annoyed look. "Uh, yeah."
"He's her friend, too. We can't just keep him to ourselves." I glance over to them. Peyton is laughing at something Brayden is saying. Turning back to Quinn, I say, "You know, if you want to hang out with her—"
"Hell no. I don't want to hang out with her. Not after what she did to you. Honestly, Brayden is dumb not to consider your feelings. He should've known better than to think it was okay to still be friends with her."
Staring at her, I can tell she's really pissed. Which tells me she'll be giving Brayden a piece of her mind later. "Come on, Quinn. Don't be mad at him. He had nothing to do with what happened."
"I know that," she says, sighing. "I just… She doesn't deserve his friendship." She looks over in their direction once again. "I hate her."
"Why? What did she do to you?" I ask curiously.
Did Peyton steal a guy from her, too? At this point, I won't put it past my ex-best friend.
"Nothing," she shrugs. "I just can't stand her. She's always been so fake. The only reason why I put up with her is because you and Brayden did. Well, at least, you did. He's still clearly under her clutches."
I have to say, I'm a little surprised to hear that. I didn’t know that Quinn feels this way toward Peyton. I know they have their differences, and their personalities often clash. But I never thought that there's outright dislike there. It's a little disconcerting.
“Ah, screw them. You know what will help right now?”
“What?” I dip a fry into some ketchup and shove it into my mouth.
“A party.”
“A party?” I repeat slowly, remembering the last party I went to—especially what transpired there. “Quinn, I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”
That's an understatement. It's the last thing I want right now.
“Come on, it’s tonight. And it’s at Parker’s. You know what that means?”
“Yeah, I do," I say dryly. "Liam and Peyton won’t be there.”
“Exactly. Which is why we need to go. It'll be different this time. We’re gonna have so much fun without them there. It's going to be drama-free, I promise.”
I'm still not sold on the idea. Does Parker even want me to be there? I still have a feeling that he doesn't like me. But Quinn is very persistent, it's hard to say no.
So to shorten what would be a lengthy argument about it, I finally give in. "Fine. I'll go."
She smiles widely. "You won't regret it."
I sigh. I sure hope so.
*******
Quinn and Brayden are arguing. It's been almost an hour since we arrived at the party and they're still at it. She's still pissed at Brayden for hanging out with Peyton.
Brayden is defending himself, saying that he got my permission prior to it. That he wouldn't have gone to her, if I had said no.
"Why did you listen to her? It's Sawyer, of course she'd say yes. She has a heart of gold."
Heart of gold? Hardly.
But instead of contradicting her out loud, I decide it's time to leave the two of them. Listening to their never-ending argument is just stressing me out. Instead of having fun like Quinn said, I'm thinking of leaving. I'd have better use of my time reading a book or working on my short stories.
Shooting up to my feet, I don't bother letting them know where I'm going. Considering they're too focused on their argument, I doubt they'll even notice my absence, anyway.
I push through the crowd, which is pretty huge since Parker's parties are always big. That's why he makes sure that they're contained outside the mansion. No one is allowed inside unless to use the bathroom. Not that anyone ever complains. First, it's Parker. Second, the pool area and backyard are large enough to accommodate a huge crowd. There's plenty of space for everyone to have fun.
But I don't care much for big crowds so I decide to ignore the rule and venture inside the mansion. If anyone asks, I'll simply say I got lost looking for a bathroom. But really, I just need a quiet corner to disappear to.
Venturing upstairs, I stop dead when I hear low voices. Aria, Parker's younger sister, appears around the corner, holding hands with a guy. They stop to kiss, oblivious to my presence. Then pulling away, Aria laughs and drags him inside a room.
"Okay, then," I mutter, spinning on my heels to go the other way, only to end up almost running into someone.
"Easy there."
"Oh, sorry." I look up into the eyes of Jamie Bradshaw.
A wolfish grin curves his lips. "You lost, Pretty Girl?"
Pretty Girl? "Um, not really. I just wanted to take a break from Brayden and Quinn's bickering. But I think I'll head back now."
"Don't. I have a better idea."
"Okay?"
"Come with me and you'll see."
"What do you have in mind?" I ask warily.
He chuckles. "Relax, Pretty Girl. I don't bite. Unless you want me to," he murmurs. "But on second thought, maybe not. I'm not in the habit of fucking a friend over."
Is he talking about Liam? Like I still give a crap about what my ex thinks. I can flirt or hook up with any guy if I want to.
Not that I’m interested in Jamie.
Don't get me wrong, he’s a gorgeous guy. He's about as tall as Parker with short, undercut curly black hair, dark brown eyes and thick pouty lips often curved in a smirk. His rich bronze skin is smooth and unblemished and he has a well-toned body despite not being into sports. He’s definitely a sight
