“I’ll have you know that I ended it,” I say somewhat proudly until reality sets in and my stomach sinks. “Moving on.”
As though proving my point about the two of them, Jaxon seeks out Sierra the second she walks in, and other than mixing her a drink, I stay away, giving them time to themselves.
But it doesn’t take long for me to regret it.
I’d be fine by myself if I wasn’t forced to stare at couple after couple mauling each other on the dance floor, reminding me of how easy it is to be free to kiss whoever the hell you want without stressing about the consequences.
That should be us. That should—
“Blair Stevens, is that you?” I turn to find Nathan Morgan, the only guy both my brother and Zane truly hate.
“Hi, Nathan. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I wouldn’t usually be caught dead at this party. But my cousin’s hooking up with the woman of the house, so here we are.”
“And you wonder why my brother hates you. You know this is a party with most of my school, right? Mybrother’sold school. Your rival team.”
“I do. And that’s why I don’t want to be here.”
“I get that, but…” I lean in closer to whisper in his ear. “Shouldn’t you at least pretend that you do, so the guys don’t beat the shit out of you?”
“Let them try.” He pulls back and winks, making me laugh uncontrollably. “I’m not here for long anyway,” he tells me. “There’s a party at my house. I’m just waiting for my cousin, then we’re…” he continues speaking but I don’t register anything coming out of his mouth on the account of Zane entering my line of sight. He laughs at something some girl is saying, shaking his head with a smirk.
My stomach knots, and I struggle to fight back tears, but I pinch my leg and smile, turning my attention back to Nathan.
“Sorry, I got distracted. What did you say?”
“I asked if you wanted to come with me?”
“Where?”
“To my party. You look a little sad here. Maybe a change of scenery will help.”
I’ve never had a problem with Nathan. He’s an ass to my brother and Zane, but they’re both assholes back to him. I’ve always played it off as a football rivalry and never anything more. He’s always been nice enough to me.
But…while I may be drunk, I’m sober enough to know that’s a bad idea. “Thank you, but I’m going to have to pass.”
“Because of your brother?”
“No,” I say honestly, because if I was thinking about Cade, I’d go just to annoy him. I’m saying no for Zane. And because of that, my traitorous gaze flits back to where he’s standing, and when I see him, it feels like someone knocked the wind out of me.
I clutch my chest as the girl he’s with grabs his shirt, leaning in, and I have to stop myself from screaming when she presses her lips to his.
Bile rises in my throat and I feel nauseous. I’m not sure what’s pounding harder, my head or my heart. Either way, I need out.
“What time are you leaving?” I turn back to Nathan, trying to control my composure.
“Ten minutes?” He seals the deal with the quick escape and I nod with relief.
“I’ll meet you out front. I just have to say goodbye to a friend.”
I don’t listen to his response—I’m not even sure if he gave one—my mind already set on finding Sierra and hightailing it out of here.
When I turn, my steps falter, my chest burning with betrayal. We only called it quits three days ago and Zane’s kissing someone else.
My head spins as I race to find Sierra, but before I can reach her, someone grabs my wrist, pulling me into a hard chest.
Zane.
