Barbie Bitch (Rejects Paradise 3)

Casey cringes and glances around the small ground. “I mean, a while,” she says with a guilty laugh. “It was with that friend of yours, Jude, before we left. Where is he anyway? All you guys used to be glued to the hip.”

“Tell me you’re lying,” Colton begs as we all stare at her in shock. “You were hardly fourteen when you left.”

“Yeah,” she says with an embarrassed smirk. “What can I say? I wanted to get it over and done with and he was always creeping around. Besides, you were a jerk back then so I figured two birds, one stone.”

“I …. I … fuck, Casey. I don’t even know what to say to you right now.”

She places a hand to her heart. “I always thought you’d be proud. I grew up just like my big brother,” she teases. “It’s not a big deal. I know I’m not supposed to throw my twin under the bus like this but it’s nothing compared to her. Don’t get me wrong, I love her and all but that girl is a bit of a whore if you ask me. I think she’s screwed half of the East coast by now. She’s made way too many bad decisions.”

Colton shakes his head in disbelief. “You, me, and Cora are going to have a little chat this weekend. I don’t care if I have to get chains to keep both of your legs closed. You’re not fucking up your lives by getting pregnant this young.”

She gives him a blank stare. “Who are you and what have you done with my brother?”

“I’m serious, Casey. Your days of whoring around are over, especially with guys like Jude. Hold out until you find a guy you love.”

Casey leans back in her sunbed and crosses her arms over her chest, dropping her curious gaze to me. “Is that what you did? Waited until you found someone you were in love with?”

My whole world stops.

She didn’t just say that.

I freeze just as Colton goes still behind me. “I, umm … uhh, I …”

“What’s wrong?” She laughs as Spencer and Charlie watch on with shit-eating grins. “Oh, I see. You haven’t told her that yet. My bad.”

“Okaaaaay,” I say awkwardly, getting up and grabbing another cocktail while looking anywhere but at Colton. We’re not ready for that. Not even in the slightest. We might feel it, but there’s no way those words are ready to be spoken out loud. Just … no. “I think it’s time for another drink.”

“Good idea,” Colton grumbles, walking over and snatching a beer off the table before striding back and dropping down onto my sunbed. I keep my distance, the unspoken emotions between us too strong to deal with.

Colton zones me out and focuses very intently on Charlie while ignoring his sister as though she’s not even there. I butt into Spencer and Hendrix’s conversation, but truth be told, I haven’t heard a single word that’s been said.

I lean on the back of Drix’s sunbed—just as Colton had done to mine earlier—and I find myself staring at him, watching his movements, and the way his eyes light up when he laughs with his friends. I take note of the small things, like how he unknowingly scratches his nail over the label on his beer bottle, and how every few minutes, he looks back to make sure I’m still here and doing alright.

He really does love me. At least, I think he does. It feels too real for him not to.

“Hey,” Drix says, snapping in my face. “Earth to Ocean. Where the hell are you? I’ve been having a full conversation with you and you haven’t heard a word I’ve been saying.”

My gaze sweeps down to her and I laugh. “Sorry, I’m a little distracted.”

“Yeah, no shit,” she grumbles. “You could be watching that guy take a shit and you’d still be mesmerized.”

My face scrunches in disgust. “Please don’t put that image in my head. We’re too new. We couldn’t withstand that.”

“Bullshit,” Spencer says. “You two could withstand anything.”

I meet his eyes and I see his deep honesty and while a statement like that generally wouldn’t mean too much, for me and Colton, it means the world, especially considering the kind of shit we’ve already fought our way through. I mean, if he’s willing to still remain by my side after watching me nearly murder a man, then I’d dare say that we’re in it for the long haul.

“Anyway,” Drix cuts in. “What I was saying was that I think we should set our parents up on a blind date. You know, maybe not even a date, just a ‘chance’ encounter.”

I look out at the pool and really think about it. “You know, I don’t think that’s such a bad idea. She’s still really hurting over Dad, but that might just be the little spark she needs to get back out there. They’d totally be cute together.”