Broken Hill High (Broken Hill High 1)

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” she says with a crease between her eyebrows, letting me know she’s pissed. “Something’s going on between you two. He hasn’t made snide comments to you in two weeks, I catch you smiling at them all the time, Jesse is suddenly your new BFF, and Nate’s driving you around all the time even though you know how to drive your own car now,” she points out. “You’re my best friend, Tora. You have been for years which is how I know you’re lying to me.”

“There’s not,” I argue as I look around and find him. “Look,” I say, pointing him out. She spins around to find him to see the same gut-wrenching scene that I do. Nate Ryder with a girl pressed up against his chest and his arm wrapped around her body. “If something were going on between us, that’d be me, but it’s not.”

She narrows her eyes on me again and I see the moment she decides not to believe me. “You’re an idiot to get involved with him,” she tells me. “Or have you forgotten how he treated you over the last five years? Because I sure as hell haven’t. I was the one who had to put you back together each time.”

“Brooke. There’s nothing going on,” I tell her. “He’s just being nice because we have to live together.”

She presses her lips together as she considers me and is about to say something when we hear someone calling out. “You,” a screechy voice yells.

We turn and find Ashley storming up towards me with her finger pointed right at me. My eyes flick across to Nate who I notice is watching the show with interest.

Ashley storms right up into me and presses her finger into my chest. “You’re a slut,” she yells for everyone to hear. “What do you think you’re doing with him? He’s mine.”

I step back away from her but she follows right along. “You go and act all innocent like you’re this precious little angel, but we all know the truth. You’re a boyfriend stealing whore. You were in his bed last week and all over him tonight. Don’t act like I didn’t see you together in his car, rubbing yourself all over him. He’s going to come crawling straight back once he realizes you’re nothing.”

My eyes cut across to Brooke who looks at me with absolute betrayal and my heart breaks. She presses her lips into a hard line before turning on her heel and disappearing, leaving me to deal with Ashley.

I can’t help but push her back a step. I don’t know what it is but living with the Ryder brothers has me growing a new backbone. Last week it was Elle and now Ashley. “Don’t you dare come and get up in my face like that,” I tell her as I push her back again. “Nate doesn’t want you. He never did. You weren’t his girlfriend, remember? You were nothing but an easy screw to him. You were convenient and you ruined a good thing by running your mouth.”

Her face flames, but I’m not quite done. I’ve got the knife in, but now I need to twist it. “I wonder, Ash. Did he ever race with you? Did he ever let you in like that?” I get in nice and close and whisper just for her to hear. “Because he lets me in like that all the damn time.”

A scowl fixes across her face and she gives me a hard stare before pushing me back. I laugh as I go flying back a few steps but she doesn’t come after me, so I keep going. “So, what if I was all over him at the race?” I tell her. “I’ll probably be all over him again later, and then probably tomorrow, and the next day, and then the next. And you know what’s better?” I question. “He doesn’t have to pretend with me.”

Ashley reaches her boiling point and launches herself forward. I can either run away or I can put up a fight, and with my best friend angry at me and my life a complete mess, I meet her in the middle.

Her hands come at me like claws and she scratches my face while I end up with a big chunk of hair between my fingers. She screams but we keep coming at each other.

Someone screams out ‘catfight’ and suddenly there are people crowding around everywhere.

An arm wraps around my waist and I’m hauled back from her as Parker shoves himself between us. “Stop,” Nate says in my ear before looking up at Jesse. “Get her out of here.”

With that, Jesse moves like lightning. He grabs Ashley around the waist and throws her over his shoulder before disappearing out the door with her screaming for him to put her down.