Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 129986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
“Does it matter?” he asks, meeting my gaze.
It shouldn’t even be a question. I mean, he’s her boyfriend, so he should be doing it for her.
But I don’t trust him. He doesn’t strike me as a great boyfriend, and he’s not known for doing nice things without at least having ulterior motives.
“Just answer the question.”
He takes his time answering. Dare doesn’t like when people demand things of him, I know that much. I almost bite my tongue thinking maybe I should just shut up and let him do it. I can’t afford to pay the bill myself, so who cares why he’s doing it?
But I can’t help it. I care. I want to know.
“For you,” he finally says.
My spine stiffens. That’s the right answer, but the wrong one, too. “Why? We’re not even friends. Why do you keep doing things for me?”
I feel his eyes on me. “Maybe I want to be your friend.”
My lips curve up faintly. “I don’t believe you.”
“Why?”
I look over at him. “Because everyone knows you’re a liar.”
“Yeah?” There’s an edge to his tone, despite how casually he says it.
Maybe it’s because he didn’t laugh it off and his tone caught me off-guard, but it begins to feel like that was a really mean thing to say.
Sure, I’ve heard that, but it doesn’t entirely match up with what I’m seeing for myself. He was an ass the night he saved me, but since then… I don’t know. He’s being kind of nice to me.
What if he was just posturing that night? What if his reputation isn’t entirely accurate?
What if he’s truly trying to be nice to me, and I’m being the asshole?
Since I feel like one, I swallow and say, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have… that wasn’t nice.”
I feel his gaze on me. I meet it, and see curiosity reflected there. “Are you a nice girl, Aubrey?”
I smile a bit sadly. “I used to be. Now, I’m just tired.”
“What’s making you so tired?”
I don’t even want to answer that question, but it bubbles up inside me, desperate to get out. “My whole life. The weight of so much responsibility resting solely on my shoulders. The possibility that I’m doing my absolute best and it’s not even close to being good enough, that it won’t change anything.”
“What would make your life easier?”
Money.
Help.
A freaking miracle.
I don’t say any of that.
We’re at the school now, pulling into Dare’s reserved parking space right up front.
Looking over at him, I say, “I don’t need anyone to make my life easier, I just need people not to make it any harder.”
“Am I making your life harder?”
“Probably. You are the reason Anae slashed my tires in the first place.”
“Yeah?” He holds my gaze, a challenge glinting in his. “How’s that?”
“Because you invited me to your bonfire on the beach.”
“I invited a lot of people to that bonfire,” he states. “Only your tires were slashed.”
I guess I can’t really argue that. Anything I can say feels arrogant and presumptive. “Well, I need it to stop. I don’t have the resources to battle Anae or the desire to deal with her drama, and there’s honestly no good reason for her to have a problem with me.”
“What if there is?” he asks idly.
“There isn’t,” I answer, surprised by my own forcefulness.
His question reminds me of the things Anae said when she texted me last night. I was dumbfounded when those texts rolled in accusing me of basically going after her boyfriend.
He’s the one who keeps popping up in my world, not the other way around.
She’s probably running things through her own filter, though. Anae is obviously so petty she’d go to any length to get under an opponent’s skin. She would absolutely seduce a guy just to hurt his girlfriend, so she thinks I’d do the same.
She’s wrong, though.
I may not like Anae, but I’m not about to stoop to her level.
It would be too uncomfortable to say any of this to him, though. I don’t even know if he thinks he’s being inappropriate. Maybe he thinks he’s just being nice.
Probably not, though.
In my experience, guys know when they’re stepping over a line, some are just too cowardly to admit it.
I don’t want to know if he’s that kind of guy. I don’t want to know anything else about him. He’s the boyfriend of Anae Richards, so his involvement in my life can only possibly complicate it.
Add that to the list of shit I can’t afford.
Maybe I’m better off if he doesn’t help me.
I’ll go straight to the source. I can prove Anae did it, so if she refuses to pay for the damage she caused, I really will go to the police. It’s not something I have time for, but I’ll do it, anyway. I can’t let her keep getting away with shit—that will only embolden her. She needs to face the consequences of her actions.