My heart bangs violently in my chest.
‘You hurt her, worse than me, and yet you got a second chance. You walked back into her life like you never even left. You always get everything you want, don’t you? Best on the team, king of the school, date the prettiest girls ...’
‘Are you on drugs?’ I bark into the phone. ‘You’ve got to be fucking delusional if you think my life is picture perfect.’
‘It sure looks like it.’
‘You don’t know shit,’ I seethe, hissing through my teeth.
‘Right. Okay.’ He says in a huff of disbelief, making me even angrier. ‘See you soon, Mason.’
The call disconnects. I pull the phone away from my ear and blink down at it. ‘We need to find Zayden.Now.’
Clutching Anya’s arm, I guide her through the crowd, eyes flitting between each cluster of people. I’m losing track of time, and we seem to be going in circles. I release a sharp breath of relief when I recognise the back of Zayden’s dirty blond hair. Nudging Anya, I point at him, recognising a few of the other footy guys lingering nearby in line for the Ferris wheel. A wave of trepidation rolls through me as we draw closer to him. He turns, his gaze landing heavily on us, and a lopsided grin takes over his face. I internally cringe, noticing his dishevelled appearance and bloodshot eyes. Holding his hands in a wide arc, he strolls unhurriedly towards us.
‘There you both are,’ he says. ‘The group is complete again.’
Dark circles underline his eyes, and a five o’clock shadow covers his jaw. Scrubbing a hand down his face, he stumbles over his feet as he approaches us.
‘Zay,’ Anya says cautiously, looking hesitant to step closer to him. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yes,’ he hisses the word at her. ‘I’mfine.’
Her lips part, and it looks as if she wants to say something to him, but she swallows her words down, nodding. This is not the time or the place to have any of the discussions we need to. He isn’t okay and he isn’t in the right headspace.
‘Okay,’ she says meekly. ‘Maybe you should head home.’
‘Home?’ he echoes, barking out a dry laugh. ‘Why would I want to go home? We’re having fun. Aren’t you having fun?’
‘No, not really. I’m worried about you.’
Leaning forward, he grips her shoulders and shakes her lightly. ‘I won’t tell you again that I’m fine. Lighten up. Enjoy yourself.’
Her lower lip trembles, and Zayden releases her abruptly, huffing with impatience.
‘Whatever. I need a drink,’ he mutters, turning away from us.
‘Hey there, Zayden.’
Hearing Dylan’s voice forces a shudder through my body, making my stomach cramp with anxiety. With everything else going on, this is the last thing anyone needs right now.
‘What the fuck are you doing here?’ Zayden growls, taking a threatening step towards him.
‘Just wanted to check in, see all my favourite people.’
‘Right. Okay. If you want your face to not be rearranged, I’d suggest you keep moving.’
‘Sure.’ Dylan smiles, shrugging. Dressed in a casual hoodie and jeans that look two sizes too small, he looks like a total douche. A smug smirk settles on his lips as he glances at Anya, to me, then back to Zayden. ‘Just wanted to congratulate the happy couple.’
Zayden’s brows rise. ‘I don’t know what you’re on about, but I honestly don’t care. Run along now.’
‘Oh, I thought you knew?’ Dylan continues, the smirk broadening. ‘Anya and Mason have been fucking for a while now. Didn’t realise it was behind your back.’
My heart drops to my stomach. All the colour seeps out of Anya’s face. Heat splashes up my neck as anger uncurls in my chest. The smirk on Dylan’s face is cold and cruel. He’s enjoying this. He’s angry at Anya for walking away. Convinced we were somehow seeing each other when they were together. Furious that I got a second chance when he didn’t. It’s unclear at this point whether his aim is to hurt me or her. Or perhaps both.
‘What the hell are you talking about?’ Zayden snaps, jaw tense.
More than happy to supply evidence, Dylan pulls out his phone and shoves it under Zayden’s nose. My best friend glances down at it, and whirls around to face me, his narrowed stare hitting me like a bullet.
