“I need to get away from here, Flick.” Anger propelled me forward until I was stomping down the Bennet’s driveway, arms swinging by my sides, breaths coming in sharp bursts. “This, coming here, it was a bad idea.”
“He’s a jerk, you’re right. But Asher is—”
I whirled around, glaring at her. “Please don’t tell me you’re developing a crush on Asher Bennet, the same Asher I know for a fact has slept with the entire girls track team.” Probably all at once knowing him.
“No, I don’t like him. Jeez, can you just breathe for a second?” She smoothed her hair back, composing herself. “I just think he’s funny and he likes us.”
“He likes us now, Flick. Now. After Thatcher discovered who I am. Don’t you get how messed up that is? If we’d have never gone to that party with Toby and Jude do you really think we’d be here now?”
“Well... no.” Her shoulders sank in defeat, hurt glittering in her eyes as they darted to the ground.
I felt like a mean bitch, but she was too quick to see the good in Asher. Too blinded by the promise of parties at his house and being sweet-talked by him in the cafeteria. Flick hadn’t been the brunt of their jokes and mean pranks for the last five and a half years, but she had been right there beside me to witness it. So the fact she was ready to overlook that, made it all seem trivial somehow. As if none of it really mattered because they were Raiders. And if they extended you an invitation into their inner circle, you took it, regardless of whatever bullshit had come before.
“Look, I’m sorry, okay.” I tried to school my irritation. “I know you want to fit in. I know you have your list and you want to make senior year one to remember. But it can still be fun without them.” My eyes flitted over her shoulder and back to the house.
“What about Cameron?”
“What about him?” My chest ached remembering how he’d rejected me last night and then acted as if nothing had happened this morning.
“You like him,” she added. “I know you do.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I said quietly, feeling my chest constrict. “He’s Jason’s best friend, Flick, a Raider. Our worlds aren’t supposed to co-exist.” The quicker I got that through my stupid head, the better. Cameron was loyal to Jason, which made him my enemy. So despite any attraction between us he was a bad idea. Really bad. Because Cameron Chase wouldn’t only hurt me. Given half a chance he would completely ruin me.
And I couldn’t let that happen.
I wouldn’t.
“But—”
“Come on.” I cut her off, done talking about him. “We can walk back to your house.”
She nodded, following me down the long winding driveway. “Hey, were you crying last night?” I asked, the vague memory suddenly flooding my mind.
“What? When?”
“When you came to bed? I thought I heard you crying.”
“No.” It rolled off her lips a little too quickly, and I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. “If Asher hurt you Flick—”
“Hails, I don’t know what you think you heard, but you’re wrong. I’m fine. Everything’s fine. As for Asher, like I said, I don’t like him like that.” I’d known Flick since we were twelve. I knew her tells. The little things she did when she wasn’t being completely honest.
And right now, I knew she was lying.
But if Asher wasn’t the one who had upset her… who was?
Thursday morning, things finally felt like they were returning to normal. I’d almost survived Rivals Week. There had been no more social media posts about me from Thatcher—he’d been too busy posting smack talk for tomorrow’s big game—and Jason, Asher, and Cameron left us alone for the most part. I knew Flick was feeling dejected by Asher’s recent change of heart where their blossoming friendship was concerned. But refusing to be thrown off course, she was focused on two things: her list and what to wear to Homecoming next weekend. The same Homecoming that despite recent events, she still insisted we attend.
“Looking forward to the game Friday?” Kent asked me as I entered the kitchen. Barely awake, I grabbed a mug of coffee and then slouched down on one of the stools.
“Game, what game?”
“I know you don’t live under a rock, Hailee. It’s Rivals Week. Not even you can ignore that.”
“Oh, I’m not going.”
“Of course you are. It’s a big deal for Jason and the team, and we have tickets for the family section.”
“Who’d you have to bribe to get extra?” Players were given two tickets each for their families and spares were like gold dust.