Chapter SixTaylor
I dried off, changed clothes, and left.
When had my life gone to hell? My brother and I were in love with the same girl, and not only had I lost my girlfriend, but I’d lost him, too, my partner, the guy who had been like a father to me.
Whatever.
It didn’t matter anymore.
I was a wreck, and worse, there was something ugly growing inside me. And there was nothing I could do to control it. How could I ever lay eyes on my brother again when all I wanted to do was punch him in the face?
We couldn’t live under the same roof now. Going on as if nothing had changed would be impossible. When I’d had a hunch that he might have a crush on her, it was different. I could still forgive him because he was my brother—but now?
I hadn’t dared to ask Kami straight up. I couldn’t bring myself to, because if I found out the two of them had done something, I’d kill him. My brother touching my girlfriend? He’d denied it, but Kami had confirmed that she loved him. She loved Thiago. I wished with all my heart it wasn’t true.
Had they hooked up?
Of course they had.
How the hell else do you fall in love with a person?
Had I really been stupid enough to think Kami loved me? She said she loved both of us. No way. Bullshit! You can’t be in love with two people at the same time!
As I walked to the parking lot, I was approached by the last person I felt like dealing with, given the circumstances. “What are you doing here?” I asked, reaching into my pocket for my keys.
“I just wanted to see how you’re doing…” Ellie responded with her usual aloof coolness.
“Fucking fantastic,” I replied coldly, walking past her to open the car door.
“I wanted to say I’m sorry,” she said. That made me stop and turn.
“Sorry about what?” I asked, taking a closer look at her. Her hair was dark and wavy, pulled into two low pigtails tied with ribbons in the school colors. She was shivering from the cold despite wearing a winter coat and gloves, which made sense if all she had on underneath was her cheerleading uniform.
“About blabbing like that.”
“At least you were honest. It seems everyone else was just lying to my face.”
Ellie shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, unsure what to say, then said, “Still, though, that was no way to find out. And it’s not like I actually had any proof. It’s just that I know Kamila, and…”
“Drop it,” I cut her off. I hated people pitying me.
“Sure. Anyway, I’m sorry,” she said. And I could tell that she meant it.
This was weird. Ellie had always been my girlfriend’s friend. Not mine. She liked to tease me and get under my skin, but I neverthought anything of it. Still, if what I’d heard on the bleachers was true, she liked me.
Really, though? Did Ellie really like me?
I tried to ask myself what I thought of her, which momentarily served as a good distraction from the hatred and sorrow I was feeling inside.
Ellie was pretty. Not too tall, slender but curvy. In the locker room, I’d hear guys talking about her ass, but I’d always ignored them. She had hazel eyes, long black lashes, and freckles all over her face.
She was the polar opposite of Kami…
And when I remembered that, I started hurting inside again.
“I need to go,” I said, finally getting into the car.
“What about the game?” Ellie asked, her eyes full of worry. Was she worried about me? Or was she worried about the teammates I was leaving high and dry?
