Tell Me Pretty Lies(11)
As if he can sense me looking at him, his eyes find mine through the fire. My breath hitches, heart stalling. I bring my thumb to my opposite hand, rubbing the faint raised scar on my wrist out of reflex. He seems shocked at first, as if he’s seeing a ghost. But then those eyes go cold and pass over me as if he didn’t see me at all. My throat gets tight as memories of forbidden love and loss and ultimately heartache hit me all at once. But I shove them down, closing my eyes to gain my composure.
He’s just a boy you used to know. You will not fall apart at the sight of him.
A hand on my shoulder breaks through my panic. “Are you okay?”
“Hmm?” I look over to see…what’s his name again? Matt. “Sorry.” I shake my head. “I spaced out.” Like a magnet, my gaze is being pulled back to Thayer, and Valen is suddenly at my side.
“I thought you said he was gone.” My voice is barely above a whisper.
“He was,” she says, sounding as confused as I feel. “I swear. I haven’t seen him for months.”
Thayer’s sitting in a folding chair with a girl draped across his lap sideways, her arm curled around his shoulders. Holden’s in the spot next to him, oblivious, getting his neck sucked on by a petite brunette in his lap.
“Maybe I should talk to them.” I nod to myself. “Rip off the Band-Aid. Right?” I ask, looking over to Valen for confirmation. It’s been almost a year. We’ve had time to move on. So why does it feel like only yesterday Thayer was rejecting me in the barn?
“Yeah,” she says, but she doesn’t sound convinced.
Before I can talk myself out of making what is sure to be a colossal mistake, I’m moving toward them.
When I come to a stop before them, neither one reacts. Thayer’s eyes lazily lift to meet mine, and there’s nothing but apathy shining back at me. His fingers glide up the girl’s thigh, and my eyes lock in on the movement, unable to look away. The hurt that slices through me catches me completely off guard, and my stomach twists with jealousy. I feel tears stinging the backs of my eyes, but there’s no way I’ll let them fall. I’m not the girl I was last year. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
“Umm…” A feminine voice snaps me out of it. “Who is she?” she asks Thayer.
“No one.” He says the words casually, but I know they’re meant to hurt me. And they do.
“Can I talk to you for a second?”
Holden’s eyes shoot open at the sound of my voice before narrowing mischievously. Christian ignores my presence altogether as he pretends to listen to something Chris Baker says.
“Talk,” Thayer says, his fingers continuing their path on her bare thigh.
I swallow hard, trying to look away.
“Alone?” I try again.
“As you can see, I’m busy.”
I almost walk away. It’s clear this won’t end well. But I stay, determined to say my piece and get it over with. I shift nervously on my feet, uncertainty pricking my spine.
“Just because our parents aren’t together, doesn’t mean we can’t be—”
“What, friends?” Thayer cuts me off with a bitter laugh. “Is that what you were about to say?”
That isn’t what I was going to say—not in those words, anyway—but everything sounds so…generic. He stands abruptly, the girl on his lap tumbling to the ground with a shocked yelp, but he doesn’t so much as spare her a glance. He gets in my space, close enough that prying eyes and ears won’t hear his next words.
“We’re not friends. We’re not anything.”
“My mistake,” I say, shaking my head. He’s right. I don’t recognize this cold version of him at all.
I don’t know why I look to Holden for his reaction; it’s not like I’d get any backup from him. But he was my friend once, too. He’s staring at me with silent amusement painted across his features as the girl in his lap continues her assault on his neck. Disgusting.
“Run along now, Shayne. This isn’t your home anymore.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “I can see that.”
Turning around, I make my way to the opposite side of the beach that leads into an open wooded area. I catch Valen’s concerned eyes across the fire, and she stands up like she’s going to come over, but I give a slight shake of my head, letting her know I’m fine.
“You’re back,” a deep voice coming from my left says. I turn around to find Aiden standing there in a black shirt and fitted jeans. I have to admit, he isn’t awful to look at with his dark, curly hair, full lips, and light brown eyes.
“Yep.” I stuff my hands into my back pockets.
“What was that about?”
“High school politics,” I say. “Apparently, I’ve been demoted.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. How’ve you been?”
I frown, trying to figure out his motive. I don’t know why he’s talking to me when I’ve been all but declared a pariah. It’s not like he hasn’t noticed. Looking around to see if anyone’s taken notice to us, I spot Taylor and Alexis scowling in our direction. “We have an audience,” I whisper conspiratorially. “You probably shouldn’t be caught talking to me.”
He scrapes his teeth across his bottom lip to bite back a smile. “I don’t give a fuck. I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”