“Oh, you mean your ex?” I cross my arms over my chest. “The girlfriend you conveniently forgot to mention when you had me bent over your buddy’s desk?”
A hint of a smirk tugs at his lips, like he’s suddenly envisioning the moment, and I scoff at the way he looks at me.
“She’s my new roommate, not that it’s any of your business.”
“Your roommate?” Something unreadable passes over his expression.
“Worried we might swap war stories?” I sneer.
“Lana Crawford was not, nor has she ever been, my girlfriend,” he finally says, looking at something over my head before his eyes meet mine once more. “She only wishes she were.”
“Convenient. Though given your track record, I tend to believe her word over yours.” I spin, prepared to abandon my place in line just to get away from this lying asshole.
When he grabs my arm, his fingers biting into the soft skin of my bicep, I hiss like a wild animal warning off her prey. My reaction to his touch does not deter him as he leans in closer.
I hold my breath.
“Lana Crawford is a psychopath. And she’s obsessed with me. Trust me when I say, you want to steer clear of that one.”
“You’re so self-absorbed. I know this is hard for you to believe, but the only person obsessed with you isyou.” I rip my arm out of his grip.
“I seem to remember you being ratherobsessedwith me at one point.”
I bark out a laugh. “I think you’re giving yourself too much credit.”
“You sure about that?” Amusement lights his expression and it’s everything I can do not to stomp my very pointed and sharp heel into his foot.
“You’re even more vile than I remember.” I practically spit in his face before shoving past him.
I wait until I’ve reached the main room where my friends are still gathered before looking back to make sure he hasn’t followed me. Not daring to breathe until I’m sure it’s clear.
How dare he?
First, he treats me like an object.
Then he acts like he doesn’t know me for an entire school year.
And now he has the audacity to try to get between me and my roommate. For what? His own amusement.
I try to shake off the anger the encounter has left me with.
Try to forget how handsome he looked. How incredible he smelled. How easy it would be to close my eyes and lose myself to him all over again.
Macallan Stewart has always had this hold on me. I can’t explain it, this irrational pull I’ve always felt.
He’s the only man who’s ever made me feel like maybe I could want more...
And then he practically laughed in my face after our brief time together.
The thought is like being submerged in freezing water and the fog his nearness caused clears in an instant, replaced only by pure and unadulterated loathing.
“Asshole,” I grumble, forgetting my need for a bathroom as I rejoin my friends.
A few more shots and all is right with the world again. I dance with my friends. Drink anything and everything River brings to me. And do everything in my power not to think about how badly I want to stab Macallan’s eyes out.
I forgot how much I love this. Being with my two bestfriends... and the tagalong who I need to figure out how to make like me so that this year doesn’t continue to be as miserable as it started. I give no stock to what Mac said about her. I learned long ago not to trust a word that comes out of that man’s mouth.
I don’t know how much time has passed when Kai shows up. Only that he and Lyric leave shortly after. Char and River are not far behind them, leaving me alone with Lana.
