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)
"Yeah, I think you are." He grins at me and then jogs down the bleachers.
I watch him until he's just a speck in the distance and then reclaim my seat, my thoughts loud. But, perhaps, they're clearer than they have been in a long time.
Chapter Nine
Gage
As soon as the last bell rings, I head straight for the gym, my thoughts churning in frustrated circles. I want to run straight to the parking lot to find Troian and ensure she doesn't try to walk home or catch a ride with someone else, but I need to take care of this first.
I find Victoria and her little posse of cheerleaders heading toward the locker room to change for practice.
"Victoria!" I shout, my voice echoing around the empty gym.
Her whole group falls silent, turning to face me.
I don't give her a chance to come to me. I stomp toward her, wanting witnesses for what I have to say to her. She won't be able to misconstrue it or lie her way out of it that way.
"I heard what you told Troian today," I say as soon as I close the distance between us.
"I don't know what you're talking about." She rolls her eyes at me. "I haven't even talked to your weird little stalker today, Gage. She's not worth my time."
"Right." I lean against the wall, smirking at her. "Kind of like how studying for the SATs wasn't worth your time either, right?"
"What" Her brows furrow, unease shifting through her gaze as she tries to figure out what I know. "You sound more delusional every day."
I don't tell her what I know right away, letting her stew in it as I take another step toward her, my hands shoved into my pockets. "I've warned you a thousand times to leave Troian the fuck alone, but you refuse to listen, so I'm not warning you anymore, Victoria. The next time you or a single one of your friends says a goddamn word to or about her, your parents, school administration, and the police will know exactly how you scored so high on the SATs that you bombed the first time."
"As usual, I don't know what you're talking about, Gage," she says. I can tell by the way her voice shakes that she knows exactly what I'm talking about, though. She didn't retake the test. Her older sister took it for her, and they weren't smart enough to pick a testing facility far enough away to ensure no one from our school would be there on the same day.
I was, since I missed the first test date for movie shit last year.
"Right," I smirk at her, leaning forward like I have a secret to tell her. Her friends lean in around us, trying to hear. I pitch my voice low, ensuring it doesn't carry beyond our little group. "I tested on the same day and at the same facility. You weren't there. Cassidy was, though. You two may look enough alike to fool someone who didn't grow up with you, but you can't fool me." I pause. "You won't be able to fool the cops when I have photo proof, either."
Victoria jerks like I slapped her, her entire body going rigid. She's pale, her face drained of color as she tries to come up with a lie or some excuse that'll save her ass. There isn't one, though. Not this time.
I'm done playing nice with her. If I have to take her and her sister down to shut her up, that's precisely what I'll do.
"Gage, I…"
I smirk viciously when she trails off, unable to come up with a damn thing to save herself. "Stay the fuck away from Troian, Victoria. I'll never choose you over her. That girl is my whole goddamn heart. You're just a bitch I can't wait to never see again. And I will ruin your life with a smile on my face if you even look at her again."
For once, Victoria and her friends are dead silent. Victoria doesn't say a word. She just nods, actual fear in her eyes, as if she knows that I'm not just threatening her. I'm fully prepared to follow through to ensure she never says another goddamn word to or even looks at Troian again.
Maybe I could have let her get away with cheating her way to college before. It's what Troian would have wanted me to do, because she isn't vindictive or cruel. Even when Victoria is a world-class bitch, Troian never tries to hurt her. But I'm not Troian.
She called my girl a thing today, like she isn't even human. My girl ran out of the library, so broken down by this chick that there was no light in her eyes, no fight or fire. For the first time, she was just…defeated.
I'll destroy Victoria's life if that's what I have to do to protect Troian. It's what I should have done a long time ago, even if Troian would have hated me for it.