Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 100612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Looks stunned. “Dude. What just happened?”
Macy looks disgusted, nostrils flaring.
Deshaun lets out a low whistle. “Damn, Easton. Maddie Miller railroaded you.”
“I have secondhand embarrassment for you, bruh,” Marcus interjects, grabbing a french fry from my tray. “And I live for this shit.”
I shrug, trying to act nonplussed. “It’s whatever.”
But it’s not whatever.
It’s the opposite of whatever.
Harper hasn’t said a word. The tension between us is thicker than I’ve ever felt it before, including this morning at her locker when I told her about driving Maddie to school.
She rises slowly, pushing her chair back with deliberate force.
The sound of metal scraping the floor reminds me of that scene in Pitch Perfect where Becca is kicked out of the glee club and drags her chair out of the practice room.
I can feel everyone’s eyes on us as she rounds the table to my side—Deshaun, Marcus, Gabe—all frozen, waiting for whatever’s about to go down.
I want to puke.
She comes to a stop in front of me, crossing her arms. Doesn’t say a word—not at first—but she doesn’t have to. Her pained expression says it all.
“I’m not going to cry,” she whispers, words hitting me like a gut punch.
“I didn’t say yes.”
“But you didn’t say no, either!” she snaps, voice rising. “You didn’t say no, and now I look stupid.”
“You don’t look stupid,” I protest, shaking my head. “You—”
“Don’t,” Harper demands, holding up a hand like she can physically block my words and push me away. “Just stop talking, Easton—you’re making this worse.”
I don’t know how I managed to make this worse.
I’m caught in the middle of something I never wanted to be part of in the first place—and as I watch her chest rise and fall, her eyes glisten with unshed tears.
Oh shit.
She looks away for a moment, biting her lip like she’s trying to hold herself together. The pain I see in her gaze is like a knife to my chest. I’m gutted.
She steps closer to me, voice shaking. “Just go to the dance with her—that’s what you wanted in the first place, right?”
I’m not dumb enough to respond.
Two weeks ago I would have given my left testicle to go to the prom with Maddie Miller. All I saw was her pretty face, blond hair, and popularity. I assumed she was sweet and kind and as charming as she was on the internet—that we would be a perfect match.
But now…
“You don’t have to worry,” Harper murmurs just loud enough that only I can hear. “I won’t tell anyone it was you who stole the rhino head. Your secret is safe with me.”
As she goes to turn, I reach out, grabbing her wrist to stop her from walking away, but she shakes her head.
“Don’t.” Her voice breaks a little. “Let me go. This is just as much my fault as it is yours—so go to prom with Maddie. I’m sure you’ll have a great time.”
I falter. “I’ll text her and tell her no.”
My cajoling tone seems to piss her off even more, and her eyes flash.
“Spoiler alert, Einstein: She probably doesn’t even like you, and I do not care how mean I sound. I’m mad.” She huffs. “Maddie is competitive; that’s what this is about, and if you’re too stupid to see it, that’s your problem.”
Whoa.
I take a step back.
Her word vomit is so uncalled for.
Sure, I hear the hurt and embarrassment—but she’s taking her frustration out on me.
“Wow,” Deshaun mutters, as stunned as I am.
I forgot for a second that this confrontation is happening in front of our friends.
Her words are harsh, and it’s on the tip of my tongue to call her dramatic and theatrical and tell her she’s blowing this out of proportion.
But because I’m a dipshit, I don’t have the mental bandwidth to salvage this conversation.
Harper gives me one last look before spinning on her heels and stalking straight for the cafeteria doors without glancing back.
I let her go.
Frozen in place, we all wordlessly watch her go. Every part of me wants to chase her, but I can’t make myself move. Fortunately, after a momentary lapse from group shock, Macy rises from her seat to follow her best friend.
“Shit,” Marcus says under his breath. “That was hella awkward.”
“Dang,” Deshaun agrees. “Guess we’re not going to the gym after school.”
Chapter 31
Harper
“So you’re really going to send him a message?” Macy asks calmly, though I can hear the curiosity beneath her words. After school we drove straight to my house and holed up in my bedroom, surrounded by papers, snacks—and the weight of everything I haven’t confessed to my best friend.
She knows nothing about what I’ve actually been up to the past two weeks.
My gaze drifts to the ceiling as I lie flat on my back, tracing the familiar cracks and patterns with my eyes, suddenly finding them way more interesting than anything else in the room. Tightness lingers in my chest, a pressure that’s been building since Macy and I walked through the door.