“Maybe…your house?” He raises his brows.
Nope. No way. “How about somewhere more public,” I suggest.
The disappointment on his face is telling. What exactly does he think he’ll gain, meeting at my house, the two of us all alone?
“Okay, sure,” he says weakly. “How about five-fifteen at The Pizza Factory?”
Another favorite place of ours when we were together. Usually it’s overrun with people our age, but it’s a holiday week and I don’t think it’ll be too busy.
Or will it…
“That might be too public,” I tell him.
The door swings open at the exact moment he’s about to say something, and I glance over to find the very person I never want to see again, enter Pete’s with her best friend. Or latest victim—whatever you want to call her.
It’s Cami. Accompanied by Baylee, who’s a senior on the cheer team with her.
Diego goes stiff. My appetite swiftly abandons me. Cami glances in our direction, doing a double take when she catches us together. I stare at her, never looking away, my heart pounding in my throat. Her eyes narrow as they rest on me for a brief second before flitting away to settle on Diego.
“Hey baby,” she calls to him, accompanied by a flirty smile.
My insides curdle. The fact that she called him baby is especially awful, considering our situation.
He practically growls, and I can see both of his hands are clutched into tight fists, his knuckles going white. “What do you want, Cami?”
“Oh I don’t know, maybe I want to place an order for food?” She giggles, glancing over at Baylee, who’s as white as a sheet. She looks uncomfortable, which makes me feel the tiniest bit better. I’ve always believed that, deep down, Baylee has a heart.
Unlike Cami.
Diego sends me a look, his dark gaze full of remorse. Regret. If he could say sorry with just his eyes, I know that’s what they’d be doing right now. “I gotta go take care of her.”
His choice of wording is also awful, and I take them the wrong way, even though I know what he means.
“Go ahead.” My tone is hostile, but I don’t care. I flick my chin toward the front counter, where Cami and Baylee are currently waiting. “Get back to work.”
He hesitates, his entire demeanor saying everything without uttering a single word, and then he leaves me, heading for the counter. I watch as he goes to the register, his expression tight, his eyes wild as he watches Cami.
Cami flirts with him shamelessly, glancing over her shoulder every other second to make sure I’m watching.
I don’t look away. I keep watch, my gaze steady, not flinching when Cami leans over and touches Diego’s forearm.
He jerks away from her as if her touch burned him.
I thought I’d feel satisfaction at his obvious rejection, but I feel nothing. Nothing at all. I’m numb.
Utterly numb.
It’s when they finish up the transaction that I realize I’m already out of my seat, heading for the front doors. My tray of food sits on the table where I left it, and I’m pushing on the door handle, about to walk outside when I hear her voice.
God, why can’t she just leave me alone?
Ignoring her, I keep walking, my back straight, my steps determined, my heart…aching. She’s calling my name repeatedly, so I finally whirl around, unable to take it anymore.
“What do you want?”
She slows her steps, sauntering toward me as if she doesn’t have a care in the world, a little smirk curling her lips. She’s gorgeous and she knows it. The only thing that ruins her good looks—besides her toxic personality and wretched soul—are those eyelash extensions that are too long and spidery. They’re obviously fake.
And obviously horrible.
“I keep hearing these rumors,” she says, coming to a stop in front of me. She’s shorter than I am. And skinnier. Especially now. “And I have such a hard time believing them.”
“Oh, the ones about me being pregnant?” I ask nonchalantly. Her eyes pop wide open at me saying it so bluntly. Why hide it? “They’re true.”
She laughs, but it sounds nervous. “Bullshit.”
I say nothing. Just stare at her.
The laughter dies, and Cami slowly shakes her head. “He told me you were lying.”
Anger fills me, making me see red, and I swallow hard, trying to hide it. So they’re still talking? Of course they are. “He’s an asshole,” I bite out.
“Yet you come to Pete’s and talk to him.” She crosses her arms in front of her, cocking a hip out.
“I had no idea he worked here.” Why am I defending myself to this bitch? “And who are you to judge? You’re doing the same thing.”
“He asked me to come see him.” She blinks at me, her eyelashes getting tangled together, I swear to God. “I couldn’t resist.”
Why is he such a liar? Why did he tell me he’s not talking to Cami anymore when clearly, he is?
“What about Wyatt?” I saw the two of them together on the football field last Friday night, all snuggled up and taking pics like they’re an actual couple.
“Oh Wyatt.” She waves a hand, dismissing him. “He’s young. Eager. Fun. Sweet.”
A pushover, is basically what she’s saying. I cross my arms as well, mimicking her pose. “And why are we talking again?”
Her expression turns stone cold in an instant. “You never did like me.”
“You’ve never really liked me either,” I remind her.
“I wanted to.” She presses her lips together, as if she wishes she could take that back. “Back in middle school. We hung out in the same friend group.”
Sort of. Not really. I never got the sense that we’d be friends. We never had anything in common. Plus, she was a mean girl, and I’m not. “We’re wasting our breath,” I tell her just as I turn and start toward my car.
I guess being pregnant is making me stand up for myself. It’s kind of nice.
Okay, it’s really nice. It’s actually empowering.
“So that’s it? You’re just going to walk away from me?” she yells.
“I owe you nothing.” I stop at my car, hitting the keyless remote, and open the door. I glance in her direction to find her scowling at me. “You don’t owe me anything either.”
Her smile returns. “Really. Even though I stole your man?”
Leave it to Cami to say something like that. She’s such a nightmare. “You can have him,” I tell her, just before I climb into my car and slam the door.
The look on Cami’s face as I drive out of the parking lot is priceless. I keep it together for approximately ninety seconds before I promptly burst into tears.
Six
Diego
Cami comes back into the restaurant, her cheeks pink, her mouth screwed up in a mini-scowl. She stops at the counter, glaring at me before she asks, “Are you back together with her?”
I glance over my shoulder really quick to make sure no one is listening before I take a step closer, leaning over the counter to whisper, “It’s none of your fucking business.”
I spring away from her quickly, grateful that I do. Bitch looks like she wants to pop me in the mouth.