Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 30019 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30019 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 150(@200wpm)___ 120(@250wpm)___ 100(@300wpm)
Is that really why Troian ran off? She wanted me to ask her?
You know it is, a little voice says.
"Fuck," I whisper, my heart sinking. I'm an idiot. No, I'm worse than that. I'm an asshole. I've been dragging my damn feet for months—years— afraid to make a move, and this whole damn time, she's been waiting for me to man up and finally claim her.
She's been in love with me for years.
"Exactly," Corey says, pointing at me. "If you have a problem with me taking her, that's too bad. You should have thought of that before you humiliated her in front of the whole cafeteria."
"I didn't…"
"Yeah, you did," Corey says. "You said that shit and made her cry in front of Victoria."
"Fuck," I whisper again, my heart aching with regret. With shame. Troian doesn't cry in front of anyone. No matter how vicious Victoria gets, she never cries in front of her. But she ran out of the cafeteria in tears because of me.
I'm an asshole. No, I'm the asshole.
All this time, I've been the thing making my girl sad.
"If you don't feel the same way about her, you need to back off."
"Why? So you can step in?" I growl. There's no way I'm letting that happen. I don't care if they are going to the same university next year. Troian is mine.
"No, you idiot," Corey snaps, his patience with me running out. "Because Victoria and her little posse have been making her life miserable over you for a long time, and you haven't put a stop to it. She deserves at least one good memory in this hellhole before she graduates."
"They haven't…"
He cocks a brow, daring me to finish that statement. Except, I can't. Because he's right; they have been making her life miserable over me. I thought it was just because they're jealous bitches, but it isn't. I mean, it is because they're jealous bitches. But they knew all along how Troian felt about me. And I've been the oblivious idiot who didn't see what was right in front of my face.
As far as they're concerned, she's in love with someone who doesn't feel the same way. They don't know she's my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night. They don't know that she's the only girl I've ever thought about kissing or fucking. Or how I always make her wear my jacket when it gets cold, just so I can smell her on it when she gives it back. They don't know that I'm wild about her.
I should have stood in front of the entire damn school a long time ago and told her how I feel. That would have shut them up, made them leave her alone. But I didn't do that. I just fumbled along like a blind idiot and let them go on assuming I didn't feel the same way about her.
"I'm an asshole," I whisper, feeling sick.
"Yeah, you are," Corey agrees. "But are you the asshole who's going to fix it, or are you the asshole that I have to hit? Because I've already got a full ride, so getting suspended for punching you in the face will be a vacation for me."
"I'm going to fix it."
"Smart man."
"You're not taking her to Prom."
"So you said." He rolls his eyes.
I narrow mine on him. "If you have feelings for her, you might be taking that suspension."
"Yeah? You think you can take me?" He grins at me, his expression lighting up with amusement.
"I know I can," I say, completely confident. I may not be taking a football scholarship like he is, but I've played on the same field with him since we were kids. I can take him.
"She never told you about me, did she?"
"She's never mentioned you to me." I scowl at the reminder.
"I didn't think so," he says. He seems pleased.
"Why don't you tell me yourself?"
"Nah. Watching you squirm is way more fun for me." He cocks his head to the side, eyeing me. "You better have a plan. And it better include groveling."
"I was thinking more along the lines of a public declaration."
"Hmm. Big?"
"Big," I confirm. Hopefully, big enough to prove to everyone that the only person in this whole damn school who matters is the shy little butterfly they've never seen clearly.
Chapter Four
Troian
"Hey, sweetheart." My mom pokes her head in my room, her brows furrowed. "Gage is calling my phone for you."
"Are you serious right now?" I groan, burying my face in my pillow. He's supposed to be doing some commercial, but he's been texting me all freaking night. I finally turned my phone on silent just so I didn't have to listen to it anymore. Now, he's harassing my mom. "Tell him that I'm busy."
My mom's silence is loud.
I reluctantly drag the pillow away from my face to peek over the top at her.