“But I don’t wanna,” I whined, dragging my feet.
“Oh look, Caprice is already waiting for her chance.”
Seeing my cousin standing there, I reluctantly moved into the growing group of unmarried girls.Caprice had gone with full-glam makeup and a dress that hugged her ridiculously perfectly proportioned body and killer heels.Her blond hair was styled in loose waves that cascaded over her shoulders and down her back.She was beautiful, just like my aunt.Too bad that beauty was mostly skin-deep.If someone were to Google “spoiled, entitled, rich white girl,” a picture of my cousin would pop up.
At least, it would after I convinced Vaughn to make it happen.He was supposedly a dark-web king, and I was going to dare him to prove it.
Guiding me where she wanted me, Sammy finally released my hand and patted my arm.“Stay and be good,” she warned.
“I’m always good,” I told her again.
Ali
I was leftin peace for a total of three seconds before Caprice moved in.Impatient for this shit to be over, I took a step back from her.Caprice liked to goad me, see how far she could push until I broke and did something she could use against me.Usually, she could go off and cry to her mom about something I said in the heat of the moment.Once, she’d told me she’d kissed Sixx, and I’d grabbed her by the hair.I’d been grounded for a month for it.
She hadn’t.In my gut, I’d known she hadn’t kissed him.I’d acknowledged that even as she was gloating and gushing in my face.Sixx could barely tolerate her “accidentally” brushing against him.No way he would be able to handle her getting close enough to put her mouth on him.That knowledge hadn’t stopped me from reacting, though, which was exactly what she’d been hoping for.Caprice crossed a line, and I made sure she understood the consequences.
Smile petty and vicious, she stepped closer.“I give it another six months, a year if you’re lucky.”
“What are you talking about now?”I asked, bored and annoyed already.With her, I could never tell if she was talking to me or having a conversation with herself.
“You and Sixx,” she said, her gaze going to where Sixx and his mom were now standing with the growing crowd gathering around to watch who caught the bouquet of white roses.“Everything might seem okay at the moment, but he’ll eventually realize what a slut you really are.”
It wasn’t the first time she’d spouted random shit like that.“You’re delusional.”
“You played the victim really well, by the way.Oscar-worthy, truly.I mean, fucking around with your teacher.Big props for that.I met Gaviria a few times at some of Evan’s after parties.He’s hot.And damn, but he is incredibly talented with his tongue.”
Bile rose into the back of my throat.
Had Caprice hooked up with that disgusting bastard?From the way her eyes glittered, her unhinged jealousy mixed with shades of smugness that turned my stomach, I realized that, yes, she most likely had.Even with how much I disliked my cousin—hated her at times—I didn’t want to think that Gaviria had put his hands on her.She was older than me, had only recently turned seventeen.Given that Gaviria had only been twenty-two, it wasn’t a gross age gap.Hell, Aunt Lucy had dated Uncle Harris when she was seventeen, and they had practically the same age gap as Caprice and Gaviria.
Ah fuck, had Evan known about them?Everything began to click into place.She’d just mentioned parties, and Evan had admitted to Bentley and me that Gaviria would attend the ones with the basketball team.A quick replay of Bentley confronting Evan about it flashed through my mind.His silence when Bentley had asked about Gaviria having sex with girls at those parties had answered him loud and clear.
Now I was wondering how much of his silence had been to protect Caprice.
A dizzying wave of rage and hurt slammed into me.So Evan could protect Caprice from her brother, but he couldn’t protect me from Gaviria.That hit harder than I thought was possible.After everything else, I’d thought I was indifferent where my ex-friend was concerned.
Really, it was just numbness so I could hide away from the festering fury and pain that still lived deep inside me.
At my silence, Caprice smirked, probably thinking she had me backed into a corner.“But if I’d been in your shoes, I never would have looked twice at Gaviria.How could you do that, Ali?You have an amazing boyfriend, and you actually cheated on him for months.And then when you finally got caught, you pretended that nothing had happened.Pathetic.”
All the air froze in my lungs, my blood turning to ice.“Who told you I cheated?”
“It may have worked for now, but I promise you, I’ll convince Sixx that you cheated,” she said instead of answering me, her smugness growing.“I’m going to prove to him what a dirty whore you really are.”
I grabbed her arm and pulled her in closer.“Evan told you I cheated with Gaviria?”
“You’re not even trying to deny it.Just wait.I’ll make Sixx see the real you.Little Miss Perfect spread her legs for her teacher?—”
“You don’t know anything!”I hissed, any concern I’d had for her only moments before evaporating.Her body, her choice, regardless of anything else.“Whatever story you’ve made up in your head never happened.”
“So Evan didn’t catch you in the girls’ locker room with your teacher?”My head snapped back as if she’d physically struck me.
“When did he tell you?”I asked between clenched teeth.
“The day he had his own blinders ripped off about you.He finally saw the version of you I’ve always been aware of,” she sneered.“One less fanboy chasing after you.Now I just need to get Sixx to understand that you’ve been manipulating him.”
Before I could say another word, Hayat joined the group.Putting herself between us, she placed one arm around me and stiff-armed Caprice.
