Of course, Godfrey couldn’t stand for me to ignore him, so I wasn’t surprised when I felt his hand land on my thigh. He teased his fingers against the edge of my dress, causing heat to flutter in my belly.
“I’m not sure if you’re stupid, or just plain needy.”
My head snapped to the left to look at him. “I’m not either of those things.”
He smirked, his fingers still moving along the hem of my dress, taunting me with challenge.
“Sure you are, Scar,” he said with a carefree tone as he turned down another road. “Stupid because you don’t know when to quit. Needy because you won’t quit, even though we’ve made it clear that you’re out.”
I crossed my arms, refusing to let him get to me. “And yet you show up at my house every week with your parents, ready to sit across the table from me and pretend to like me.”
He rolled his eyes and adjusted the expensive watch on his wrist. His outfit probably cost at least a few thousand dollars. “That’s our parents,” he answered, putting his hand back on my leg, this time, even higher. “Gotta keep up appearances, right? Those sorry shits still think I’m willing to marry you someday. They don’t realize that you’re yesterday’s garbage.”
His words, combined with the too-intimate touch trailing across my thigh made me want to reach across the seat and punch him. But then, that’s exactly why he said it.
I turned back to him, letting a mocking smile cross over my face. “Well, I for one can’t wait to go off to boarding school. I’ve seen the photos. The uniforms there are even better than the one’s at Smith’s. I’m looking forward to branching out, if you know what I mean. Guys just...don’t do it for me anymore,” I said tauntingly, looking him up and down with disdain as I shoved his hand off my leg.
His blue eyes cut across to me. “Fuck off. You’ve never been attracted to chicks.”
He said it like a statement, but I could hear the question lingering there. He didn’t know for sure, and it was killing him. As much as he liked to keep people guessing, Godfrey Taylor was obsessed about always having everyone else figured out.
I shrugged nonchalantly, and my non-answer infuriated him even more. My luck worked out for me, too, because Godfrey pulled the car to a stop, arriving at our destination. I took a deep breath, and then flung the car door open, ignoring Godfrey when he called my name. He didn’t follow after me, though. He probably didn’t want the others to know he brought me here. Coward.
But that was alright. After tonight, it wouldn’t just be the guys who were done with me. I would be done with them, too.
My stilettos sunk into the manicured lawns of Rogue Kelly’s family estate as I marched towards the front door. People were littered across the front yard, leaning against the tall fountain and stripping their clothes off to go for a dip, even though the air was chilled. The fountain was bigger than most people’s swimming pools, and I’d spent a lot of time in my childhood sitting on the edge and putting my feet in the cool water during the hot Savannah summers.
The front door to his house was propped open, and the moment I went inside, my chest started pounding in time to the loud music. The beat was energetic and hard hitting, and I immediately knew that Luis was in charge of the music. Guys and girls dressed in their sweaty best were sandwiched in, grinding against one another and clutching red cups as they moved. Rogue’s parents weren’t home, of course. They never were.
His home felt familiar, and it hadn’t changed much. An old family portrait was still hanging in the entryway. I remembered the day Rogue and his parents took that photo. It was taken in their garden outside, and we’d played hide and seek the moment they were done. There was a new ivory couch in the living room, but I recognized the Victorian rug on the floor. The guys and I had often sat there to play poker.
I made my way to the living room, trying to keep my emotions in check as memories kept punching me in the gut. I kept an eye out for any of the guys, while also trying to stay inconspicuous. I knew it would only be a matter of seconds before they found out I was here. Word traveled fast, and the people of Smith Academy liked to watch me bleed. People were already on their phones, texting frantically, shocked that I’d show my face here.
“I almost didn’t recognize you. You look like a little slut, Scar,” a voice said. Smooth lips hovered over my earlobe as warm breath traveled down my neck. I could smell his musky cologne, warm and spicy.
Luis Salvador. I’d recognize those dirty words anywhere.
Luis was the only son of Maria Salvador, real estate tycoon and owner of some of the most successful hotels and bars in the city. They were what my mama liked to call “new money,” but Maria Salvador earned every damn penny that she had. Luis once told me that she sold her soul for it.
I spun around, biting my lip when I saw him. Luis was a snob, always wearing an expensive suit. Always looking down on the world. He prided himself on looking good. You couldn’t even fault it for him, either. His confidence was infectious and addicting.
He had dark hair, cut short and styled. His tan skin and chocolate eyes always managed to pull me in. He was the fun Heir. The life of the party. The good looking boy you shouldn’t take home to Mama ‘cause she’d fall in love with him too. And when he spoke Spanish? Good Lord, he made girls swoon.
“Thought I’d switch things up,” I replied, not really sure that he could hear me over the loud music.
“You’re actually wearing something that shows you have boobs. Is this some last ditch effort to get us back? Because you should know,” he leaned in closer, as if to accentuate his point. “It won’t work.”
I swallowed. Luis knew exactly why I usually wore baggy clothes. It was a sore spot with me. Mom’s weekly weigh-ins would always leave me hating myself for days after. He used to buy me cheeseburgers and make moaning sounds as I ate, promising to fuck my perfect body if I wiped that frown off my face.
“I’m assuming the others don’t know you’re here, seeing as you’re alive still,” he said before leaning forward. I watched him take a lazy draw of his beer, hugging the neck of the bottle with his thumb and index finger as he stared at me.
“I came here with Godfrey,” I replied, not really knowing why I felt the need to explain myself. At that, Luis's eyes widened while pulling the beer bottle from his plush lips.
“Godfrey, huh? Well, he shouldn’t have done that.” Luis then took the bottle and poured it’s contents down my shirt, laughing as people stared at us. I could feel the entire school at my back, watching the boy who was once my best friend cover me in beer. “Get the fuck out of here, Scar. You’re not welcome.”
Everyone was laughing now, but I couldn’t hear their drunk cackling. I was too busy listening to that stupid voice in my head that wanted her best friends back. She was clinging to the way Luis said my nickname, the shortened version of Scarlett reserved only for them. Certainly there was still hope in that familiarity.
“Didn’t you hear him? Get the fuck out of here,” a shrill voice said before freezing, wet slush was poured down my back. It was so cold it bit at my skin, and I turned around to see Stephanie Palmisano holding an empty cup and smiling ruefully at me.