My social media went dead, and I called Gray. It went to voicemail. I tried Ash. Same thing.Fuckers. They’d blocked me from my accounts.
Heading up to my room, I reluctantly agreed I probably did need to be cut off and should stay in the house until they came home, where I could vent my frustration on my brother, my cousin, or both. Opting to ignore good sense, I headed to the shower. Tonight’s plan was canceled. I texted them both to tell them, and then I turned the phone off. Brushing my teeth, I stared at myself in the mirror, my head running through the routes and plays they should have made today. Picking out black jeans with the knees ripped out and a black V-neck T-shirt, I got ready to leave.
I was restless, and I was pissed, and only two things calmed me down. One was football, which was currently being denied to me, and the other was sex. That wasn’t being denied to me, and I had a mind to get laid. Fucking someone else would get a certain blonde out of my head. I hoped.
As I headed out of the house, I made sure to leave my phone behind me. As pissed off as I was at mostly everyone, I knew better than anyone how ruthless I could be when I wanted something.
And right now? I wanted to punish Ava and remind her who the fuck she was playing against.
Chapter 26: Ava
The music was loud and thumping, but it was Saturday, the football team had won, and the college spirit was high. Mia had scolded me for riling up Jett on Twitter. I wasn’t sure that it had been my smartest move, but he pissed me off. So, watching the game and seeing Kowoski make schoolboy errors that the Santo quarterback wouldn’t, weirdly made me angry. And I didn’t even root for this team. Them playing like they’d never flung the ball before was good for Alabama.
But I knew if I was pissed at the way they were playing, Jett would be furious. He was already furious about not playing today and was a dick. A huge dick that needed to be reminded he was not God. No matter how much he loved himself.
His tweets and comments on Twitter had been downright insulting, and, feeling self-righteous on behalf of strangers, who I would normally believe were also assholes, I created a fake account and got involved.
Just because I knew it would wind him up. And it did.
And I felt . . . triumphant.
Especially when he immediately texted me to tell me to quit it.
Big mistake. Huge. He may as well have handed me his direct Twitter access. And I called him out, and I declared my team colors.
And now, in the corner of a large living room, at a college party, I may have been regretting my choices. Because the smart, funny shit stopped being funny when Twitter basically imploded on my phone, and I had ended up having to hide my phone as the hate got to be too much.
On the upside, Mia, after her lecture about my recklessness, had come bounding into my room to tell me that Alex had invited her to go to a party and that Shane had asked if I wouldgo too. He’d texted, but I hadn’t answered, as my phone was still buried.
However, I felt like I needed to get Jett out of my mind, and before I knew it, I said yes. I was strictly alcohol-free, though. That Friday and last night had been as much as I’d drunk the whole summer, never mind in a couple of weeks. I was happy with my soda in the corner, watching Mia talk to a group of people on the other side of the room as Alex watched her, completely mesmerized. Shane had gone to the bathroom, and he hadn’t come back. I thought he’d ditched me . . . or the line was so incredibly long, he was still stuck in it.
The party was big. Students kept pouring into the house and were now spilling over to the backyard.
I wondered if Mia would mind if I bailed and went home. She was having a good time, and I watched with a smile as she laughed at something said among the group she was talking to. I edged toward the door to the hallway, leaving the sanctuary of my corner.
“Uptight kicked your ass?”
I turned to look at the tall girl who was often seen with Jett and Gray. Black hair spilled over her shoulders. Her height made her stand out, but I think even if she had been four feet tall, you would have noticed her.
“I’m sorry?” Denial was my preferred way to do this.
A small smile crossed her lips, but it was not friendly. “You will be.”
I looked her over quickly. Skinny black jeans, a black loose top with a wide neck that slipped off her shoulder. The top had a thin red glittery thread running through it; it was pretty. Wearing black heeled boots, which only gave her more height, she was stunning. Wearing hardly any makeup except for a winged eyeliner made her almond-shaped eyes pop even more, and I felt like a grub beside her. My jeans and blouse I hadpicked out to wear tonight, which I thought were girly and pretty, now made me feel like I was dressed like a kindergarten teacher. Whereas she was sexy and classy and I could dislike her on that alone, I decided, even though it went against my entire nature, but for this girl, I would make an exception.
“Did you just threaten me?”
Dark brown eyes met mine, and there was no friendliness from this girl, not toward me. “I’d have to care to threaten you. I don’t care.” She raised her red Solo cup to her lips. She even made drinking from a Solo cup look sophisticated. “But I do find that intense stupidity can be quite intriguing. I mean, does the creature know they are so incredibly dense that they don’t recognize the danger? Or do they simply lack the brain capacity to care?” Dark eyes met mine again, and she smirked.
“Creature?” I asked, giving her my full attention. “Dense? I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you can go now.”
She huffed out a laugh as she looked over the room, and then some guy walked past her, and she handed him her cup like he was a waiter. She didn’t even make eye contact with him. And he took it! I wasn’t sure which one I was going to smack first, her and her stupid attitude, or him for being a sucker for the elitist bitch.
Looking down at me, her eyes narrowed. I hated how much taller than me she was, the heels gave her inches she didn’t need. “Is it a ploy? Do you want to get his attention, or do you just want to fuck him again?”
My mouth dropped open at her callousness. I swore all the time. I was me, Ava; swearing was part of me. This girl didn’t look like she should know swear words, never mind say them. “I don’t want to be anywhere near him again,” I spluttered. “Any of them — they’re sick, twisted shits.” I immediately felt guilty, as Ash had been nice to me. “Well, Ash is different.”
Her peal of laughter was heard by others, even with the music being so loud. Long, slender fingers pushed her hair over her shoulder as she gave me a condescending smile. “I’m no longer intrigued. You’re an idiot.”
