Maddox took a step back, too, pulling us farther from each other. He ran his fingers through his hair, which he kept short since the first time I called him Poodle. He thought it’d make me stop calling him that stupid pet name if his hair was no longer long and curly like before.
Ha, he thought wrong.
Once a poodle, forever a poodle.
“Pictures!” Gran said. She waved Riley over, who came forward with Grayson.
“Closer everyone,” Pops demanded as he held a camera in his hand.
Colton and the boys–Brayden, Cole and Knox–all whom were Maddox’s teammates and close friends, surrounded us. Riley stood beside me, with Grayson on her side, while I stood next to Maddox. We formed a semi-circle and Gran was smiling from ear to ear.
“Say cheers!”
“Cheers,” we called out and the camera’s shutter clicked.
Picture perfect.
The moment our circle broke apart, we were surrounded by the other Berkshire students. I lost Maddox in the crowd, all the girls vying for his attention one last time. They were probably hoping he’d take one of them home for a graduation fuck fest. Colton and the boys had their own little harem around them, too.
I found Grayson and Riley, holding hands as they stood under a tree, watching from a distance. Grayson looked slightly relieved that Colton’s attention was no longer on his girlfriend.
Riley was convinced that Colton didn’t have any feelings for her. She was either in denial or she truly was blind to the tension between Grayson and Colton, which was extremely palpable.
Gran came to my side, pulling my focus away from the lovebirds as she hugged me, surprising me by her strength. “So proud of you, Lila. Your parents would be, too.”
I blinked back the tears at her words. “Is it weird that I felt like they were with me during the ceremony? Like they were right there, watching me?”
“No, sweetheart. It’s not weird because I know they’re watching over you.” Pops rubbed my back. “You’ve grown into such a beautiful and smart young lady.”
“I’m going to miss you two when I go to Harvard,” I confessed, choking back my tears. My heart was heavy in my chest as I realized I only had a few weeks left with my grandparents before I moved away to a whole different state.
Gran cupped my cheeks, smiling. “You have Maddox and Riley with you.”
In the end, Riley, Maddox, Colton and I were going to Harvard. Cole got accepted to Yale and that was where he was going. The other boys were leaving for Princeton or Dartmouth.
I sniffled, nodding. “Yeah, but they aren’t you.”
Even Pops looked crestfallen–I was his little girl–the one he raised and his only grandchild. Pops was rarely emotional but times like this reminded me just how much he loved me and Gran. He placed a chaste kiss on my forehead. “You’re going to be okay,” he said with strong conviction.
Hours later, I found myself in Maddox’s car. We no longer had our cap and gown on, but instead, Maddox was wearing a white buttoned up shirt, black slacks and a black tie. He was… in other words, sinfully sexy, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. He rolled up his sleeves to his elbows and flexed his forearms, his hands on the steering wheel.
“Where to, Sweet Cheeks?” he asked, flashing me a half smile. There was light in his blue eyes, and it glimmered with teasing mischief. “The world is ours. Let’s cause some trouble.”
My lips curved upward. “You’ve got a bad reputation, Coulter. Stop trying to corrupt me. I’m a good girl.”
Maddox didn’t give a damn about his bad reputation. In fact, he loved being a bad influence. Such a rebel and a troublemaker.
“Good girls do bad things sometimes,” he drawled. “It’s me and you, Garcia.”
“Me and you?” I breathed.
Maddox and I against the whole world. Partners in crime and best friends.
“Me and you,” he agreed, starting up the car. “So, where to?”
I raised an eyebrow, smiling because there was only one answer to that question. “I have a dare, but it’s dangerous.”
I loved the way his eyes lit up to the word dangerous. Such a rulebreaker.
“Do you dare?” I asked.
Maddox grinned, a devious grin, and I had my answer.
Who would have known it end this way? From that day in the coffee stop, to us being enemies… and then calling truce, being friends… and to this moment? Maddox and I had come a long way together. Fate really had a way of playing with us.
I used to despise him.
And now he was the most important person in my life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Lila
Three years later
I tapped my foot against the asphalt, waiting for Maddox to show up. I shot Riley a text, letting her know I was going to be late for dinner. She was cooking tonight, her infamous ravioli dish. We were celebrating since she finished her thesis last night. We were currently halfway through our second semester in our third year at Harvard.