A ringing started in my ears, drowning out everything else around me.I’d truly thought Evan couldn’t possibly hurt me more than he had.We hadn’t spoken during the past week.
No, that was wrong.He’d tried to talk to me, and I’d ignored him.All his texts, his calls, went unanswered.Every morning, I would leave for school early, walking instead of riding with him like normal, then asking Moira or Kyla for a ride home after.I’d zoned him out whenever we were in the same room.He’d sat at the same cafeteria table that we always occupied with our friends.Hell, he’d been right beside me at the rehearsal dinner the night before, and I hadn’t said a single word to him.
Fucking Evan.
Had he really told Caprice that I was sleeping with Gaviria?I wanted to say no, but the truth was, I believed my cousin this time.How else would she know anything regarding my teacher and me?Bentley wouldn’t have said a word to his sister about what happened.He’d promised me he would never speak about it to anyone, and I trusted him with my life.
“One.Two.Three!”Abi yelled.Realizing she was throwing the bouquet, I didn’t have time to react, but Hayat had the reflexes of a cat.With a yelp, she ducked, taking me with her.
As we shifted out of the way, all I saw were legs.Grier and Love Bug dancing around, then Emerson.All I could see was the lower half of their bodies as they tripped Caprice, who whined in that annoying, high-pitched way of hers, stumbling over the younger girls.My cousin landed on her ass with a loud thump, her signature pout in place as she screeched loud enough to break glass.
With delighted giggles, Emerson skipped off with Grier and Love Bug.I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.A full belly, tear-inducing laugh that allowed me to forget about Evan and Gaviria—gag.Caprice shrieked again, causing Hayat to put more distance between us and her.
As soon as Hayat released me, all my amusement at Caprice falling on her ass evaporated, and I was moving.It wasn’t hard to find Evan in the crowd.He was the tallest person in the room, his curls pushed back from his face with a zigzag headband, dressed in a simple black suit.
Seething, I stormed toward him, unleashing the anger that had been rotting inside me since that day in the locker room.Rage was so much easier to stomach than the utter devastation of betrayal.
“Oh shit,” I heard a deep voice say as I neared my target.Damien and Mason Stevenson stood on either side of Evan.Seeing me coming, they smartly took several steps back.“That can’t be good.”
If I could have reached Evan’s handsome face, I would have punched him.Lucky for him, he was over a foot taller than me.Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, I didn’t pause as I stomped out of the ballroom, dragging Evan with me.
“Ali, what?—”
“Don’t speak,” I snarled, pushing a door open and stepping out into a vacant corridor.
Showing he had a few working brain cells, he shut his mouth while I looked for a private place.Security was everywhere, primarily to keep Vaughn’s dad from wandering off, but if the media found out about my sister’s wedding, they would try to sneak into the reception to take pictures.No way was I going to risk someone overhearing this conversation, not either of our parents or a member of the paparazzi trying to cash in on a juicy story.I was pissed off, not stupid.
Finally, I found a small conference room with a long table taking up most of the space and office chairs surrounding it.Dragging Evan inside, I waited for the click of the door, using that time to generate a small semblance of calm so I didn’t kill my ex-friend with my bare hands.
“You told Caprice.”It was a statement made between my teeth, not a question, because I knew before regret flashed over his face that he had.“You told Caprice that I had sex with a teacher.”
His throat bobbed.“In my defense?—”
“There is no defense!”I shouted.“You have none, Evan.There is no excuse.”
“I was still processing,” he continued, his voice taking on a higher-than-normal tone in his panic.“It was before I even talked to Sixx about it.I’d gotten off the phone with Bentley, and I needed to vent.”
“And you decided that the girl who hates my guts was the perfect person to do that to?Why, because you needed to have validation?”His gaze lowered to the floor, his shoulders hunching inward.“You’re a fucking prick.”
“I’m sorry.”
Over the past week, I’d felt so much better.I was eating, sleeping, not getting that pit in my stomach every time my phone sounded with an alert.I had no lingering fear of what could happen if my parents ever found out about the whole Gaviria/warehouse thing.Despite how busy I’d been getting ready for my Bio I final, along with all my other classes, I’d been more relaxed than usual with the end of school year activities.
Yet there had been a small niggle of something that had tried to creep in.And as I stood there looking up at the boy I once considered my brother, I realized it was grief.Our friendship had died.
“You’re not who I thought you were, Evan.God, when did you turn into this unrecognizable person?At what point did the sweet boy I always thought would have my back morph into such a piece of shit?”He flinched.“Answer me!”
“I don’t know,” he whispered.
“Gaviria could have raped me, and you still would have said I wanted it, right?”
“No!”he shouted, practically strangling on his emotions.Face flushing, he took a step toward me, but I lifted my hands, silently commanding him not to come closer.“No, Ali.No.If nothing else, please believe me.”
“You accused me of sneaking around with him.Of hooking up with my teacher.After hearing what Gaviria said to me, you thought I was cheating on Sixx.”Tears blinded me, the memory flooding back in.“I was on my knees, in a puddle of my own puke, crying for help, and your first thought was that I was fucking him.”
“Ali…” A few tears rolled down his face.
“And you couldn’t wait to tell Sixx.Even though I begged you not to, you were itching to condemn me to him.”
