Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 51193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
“What did I do now?” I say, walking onto the front porch behind her.
“You lied, Jamie. You’re such a fucking liar,” she yells as she stumbles down the stairs, wiping tears from her eyes. “She’s not your friend.”
I grip her shoulder to spin her around, holding my towel in place with my other hand. “Okay, fine. Cece was my friend when we were kids, but we dated throughout high school and until my first year of college.”
“I knew it,” she snorts. “I thought maybe I was overreacting until I saw the shrine you have for her.”
Confused, I narrow my eyes at her. “What shrine?”
“The pictures and notes you have saved in your desk drawer.”
“You went through my stuff?” I shake my head, now even more irritated. “You had no right to do that. I would’ve told you the truth about Cece… eventually.”
“Eventually.” She sniffs back the tears she dabs at with her fingers. “I thought you were different, Jamie.” Her voice lowers, filled with grief. “I thought I could trust you. Turns out you’re no different from the rest of the rich assholes on this campus.”
“C’mon, Shan,” I plead. “This looks bad, but it’s not what you think. I’m done with Cece. It’s over for good. I want to be with you.”
“No, you don’t,” she snaps. “You want her. I deserve more than a lie. I saw the way you looked at her in the pictures. And you kissed her while you were with me.” She spins around out of my grasp. “Don’t call me. Don’t follow me.” Shannon stomps down the pathway. “Just leave me alone.”
“Fuck,” I growl, balling my hands into fists at my sides.
“You gonna stand out here all night in a towel?” Preston booms from behind me. “You’re giving the girls in the lacrosse house a show.”
I glance over at the house across the street where a group of girls are sitting on their porch staring at me. A few of them wave at me. One says, “Hello.” Annoyed, I raise my hand to wave, and then turn around to rush past Preston and into the house.
“What’s up with her?” Preston asks.
“She found out about Cece,” Tucker says from the couch in the living room.
“Shit, that sucks,” Preston says. “But you’re not with Cece… right? You better not be back with that bitch.”
“No, I’m done with Cece.” My tone is defensive. “She kissed me. I didn’t kiss her back. I told Shannon Cece is a friend from my past. She went through my desk and found some old pictures of me with Cece. And that’s what all the drama’s about.”
“You shouldn’t have lied,” Preston says, following me upstairs. “Women always sniff that shit out, and then it comes back to bite you in the ass.”
“Tell me about it,” I shoot back.
I enter my bedroom with Preston on my tail and go straight to my desk. Digging through the open drawer, I flip through the pictures of Cece and me that Shannon left on top. Just seeing Cece’s beautiful face makes my stomach do somersaults. My heart aches as I recall all the good times I had with her. But they never lasted long.
Every time I see Cece at an event, it reopens the old wounds. She claimed my heart so many years ago that sometimes it feels like it’ll never repair itself. We share a special connection, one I can’t deny.
Shannon’s amazing, beautiful, smart, and everything I ever wanted.
And nothing like Cece.
I need time to process my feelings for Shannon. Maybe the break will do both of us some good. On the one hand, I have a girl who really gets me even though she’s the Devil. But on the other, I have a girl who’s incredible, and I’ve slowly been falling for her one day at a time.
Until I saw Shannon running out of the house, I didn’t understand how I felt about her. I need her in my life, but I’m torn between two women. Is it possible to love them both? Cece can crush me as she has done every time we get back together. And that’s also a problem because I need to get over Cece.
Preston rips the pictures from my hands and throws them in the trashcan next to my desk. “Forget about her, J. She’s a waste of time. The only person Cece cares about is herself.”
“My dad is merging with 10X Games,” I admit. Every instinct in my body wants to fish the pictures from the trash. “They’re absorbing my dad’s company.”
It’s the first time I’ve said it aloud. The news came as a shock, one I still haven’t adjusted to. My dad said it was a good move for our family and his company, but something was off about his explanation.
Preston gasps. “Why? That makes little sense.”
I sink down on the chair and run my finger over the mouse, waking the computer monitors. “I wish I knew. I thought about snooping around to see what he’s hiding, but I don’t want to violate his trust.”