“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Your strategy game is perfect. Upgrading from me to Noah to get that much more influence. Great work, truly.”
I slammed my phone on the counter so hard I was surprised it didn’t shatter. I didn’t bother asking how he knew Noah—everyone in this business in Chicago knew Noah in one way or another.
“That’s not what happened. You cheated on me, Kyle. And I have never used you or Noah for followers. You know I don’t care about that stuff.”
I wanted to punch him in the face. I wanted to throw a tomato at him. I wanted to write a public exposé about him. Five thousand words, single spaced, Times New Roman because he hated that font.
He laughed. “Then why did you jump so quickly to look at your follower count?”
“That’s not…it isn’t…”
Was Kyle right? Had I become just like him, caring what others thought and always looking for the next level?No. You know yourself, Macey. If I was only concerned with follower count, fake dating the man about to drop off the face of the earth would be a terrible idea.
But I couldn’t say that to Kyle.
“It doesn’t matter.” I dismissed it. “You can say whatever youwant, but the truth is you’re an egotistical loser overly concerned with your public appearance. You hurt me once, and you’re incapable of hurting me again. So I strongly suggest you leave me alone.”
I grabbed my coffee and stood up. “And you know what? Dating Noah is an upgrade from you. Because at least he would never lie to me.”
“But would he keep secrets?” Kyle stood as well, our eyes catching like two boxers about to battle.
I was about to answer with a confident no, but something made me stifle it down.
“Get the fuck out of here.” Britney rushed through the gate to our side of the counter, pushing on Kyle’s shoulders. “I’ll poison any coffee you order here or in a mile radius. I’ve got connections.”
I stood frozen in my spot as Britney, who was at least half a foot shorter than Kyle, pushed him out. Heaving in a deep sigh, I fled the café, heading toward the elevator.
Only to forget I was in heels and running was a really bad idea.
I tripped next to the elevator. Though I caught myself before I landed on the ground, the contents of my purse tumbled in a few directions. Squatting down, I hastily reached for them all and shoved them back in an order that would make my headache worse later.
Why would Kyle go out of his way to come here and tell me this? Was it an attempt at a brag? A subtle insult?
Maybe he’s jealous.
No, that would be ridiculous. He was the one who ruined everything in the first place.
The last item back in my purse was a set of notecards. Weird. I hadn’t used notecards since my seventh-grade science fair,where I focused on the question:Does music impact the growth of plants?Scientists may say no, but my daisies that listened to classic rock grew five times more than the others.
The handwriting on the notecards wasn’t even mine.
I flipped through them as I entered the elevator.
To Macey,
I can’t be there every time you read a bad comment, so I hope this helps. Grab a card every time you need to be reminded how amazing you are.
Noah
Curious, I pulled out a card from the middle of the pack.
The people who leave mean comments are the ones without any self-confidence. I love how bold and confident you are.
I tucked the rest of the notecards into my purse but folded this one into my pocket.
Noah
