Unhooking my iPod, I head to where Skylar is standing by our bags, chugging a water. Before I can get to her though, Mia stops me. “Can you show me that stretch again? I want to try it again.”
“Sure,” I say, laying my iPod down and then doing it for her. She tries to mimic me, but her bottom leg isn’t strong enough. “It takes practice.”
“Yeah, you’re really flexible too.”
“Yeah, I am, years of practice and stretching.”
“I bet Jude loves that,” Maddy says in a snotty little way.
I ignore her and send Mia a smile before heading to my bag.
“Obviously not, since he was single last night,” I hear Rachael say.
Looking up, Skylar says, “Ignore her. She’s looking to get a rise out of you.”
I ignore Skylar though and say, “What does that mean?”
“Claire, ignore her,” Skylar says again, but I wave her off.
Setting me with a bitchy look, her hands on her hips, Rachael says, “Exactly what it sounded like. Jude was single last night at the party.”
“Oh no,” Skylar says faintly.
Taking a step toward Rachael, I ask, “Oh really?”
“Oh yeah, but don’t worry,” she says, giving me a very condescending look. “No one expected y’all to work.”
My face heats with anger as my heart pounds in my chest. It can’t be true. It can’t be. “How do you know this?”
With her eyes locked on mine, her chin up in the air in a defiant way, she says, “’Cause I slept with him.”
I can hear the gasps but mostly all I hear is my own heartbeat in my ears. “Is that right?”
“Sure did, right, Mia?”
Mia looks away and shrugs as my eyes bore a hole in her head. “I don’t know.”
I don’t necessarily trust Mia, but she’s an all right person, unlike this cuntbag.
“You followed me downstairs. Don’t act like you don’t know what happened,” Rachael says, and when Mia’s eyes meet mine, I actually want to cry.
“She did go into his room. I don’t know what happen though ’cause I went back upstairs,” Mia says quickly.
“Yup, he got superdrunk and begged me for it. I was a little tipsy, but I couldn’t say no. Though this morning when I woke up, I sorta felt bad since we’re so close and all,” she says, her eyes in slits. I want to reach up and claw them out of her face, but I know that won’t do anything but get me kicked off campus since there is a no-fighting clause. She’s lucky that I care about my education, or I’d beat the living crap out of her. I don’t want to believe the words that are coming out of her mouth, but it just seems like too much of a coincidence. I mean, he was at the party, he was drunk, and now he’s hung over. He told me it was a wild night. He was honest about everything, but did he leave some things out?
Turning before I do exactly what I want, which is beat this bitch’s ass, I head out of the building, ignoring Skylar and forgetting my bag and the fact that I’m wearing only a bra and booty shorts. I don’t even feel the cold air, though; I’m too mad. Thankfully the Bullies’ house isn’t too far though, because once I reach the door, my toes are frozen. Tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. He didn’t do this. I know he didn’t, but just to be sure I’m going to ask him, and if he lies to me, I swear I will choke him.
The only problem is that somewhere deep inside me, I wonder if he did, and I honestly hate that.
Walking into the house instead of knocking, I head downstairs to his room and knock on the door. Jayden answers and gives me a weird look before I say, “I need to speak with Jude.”
“Where are your clothes?”
“Don’t worry about that. I need to see Jude,” I say, my voice stern.
He shakes his head, concern on his face as he points upstairs. “He’s upstairs eating.”
“Thanks,” I say and I rush back upstairs with Jayden on my heels.