AllFreeNovel
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I haven’t actually helped anyone. Many would argue that I’ve only made things worse.
Maybe this is exactly what I deserve.
I’m the first to look away from our prolonged staring contest. “I need to talk to you. In private.”
Olivia gestures around her. “I’m a little busy.”
“It can’t wait,” I insist, a note of steel entering my voice when she turns away. I’ll let her play queen of the castle and make me her court jester, but this conversation isn’t negotiable. “Now, Gigi.”
“Seriously?”
The look I give her should be enough to communicate that she can come with me or I’m going to drag her out by her dyed hair. Instead of that, I turn on my heel and start walking away. “I’ll be outside.”
I stand just outside the doors for a full ten minutes before Olivia finally deigns to follow me. She gives me a once-over that practically drips with disdain as she pulls the doors shut. Her gaze lingers on my slouchy pants and the sweatshirt I threw on because I didn’t feel like getting dressed before rolling out of bed this morning.
By contrast, Olivia is dressed impeccably in a bright sundress with gold detailing and matching strappy sandals. Her hair is in loose curls that cascade over her shoulders. She looks effortlessly beautiful, like it doesn’t take any time at all for her to be close up ready.
Olivia tilts her head to the side as she studies me. “You look depressed.”
“Can’t think of why,” I bite out. “It’s not like I have anything to be upset about.”
“Is this about Drake again? Jesus, you’re like a broken record.”
She says it so sharply that it feels like a punch to the gut. Any hint of softness has entirely evaporated. Her face is practically carved in stone as we study at each other.
“Why are you doing this, Olivia?”
She furtively looks over her shoulder, as if to make sure no one is listening, before her gaze swings back to me. Her expression turns icy. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
My hand itches with the urge to slap her fully across the face. “This mega bitch routine is just fine with me if it makes you happy to torture me. I just need you to do what you said you would do and get Drake out of jail.”
“I’m sure that problem will resolve itself, eventually. He is innocent, right?”
“I wouldn’t know.” I ignore the sudden twitch in my eye. “You tell me. Is he innocent?”
Olivia studies her manicure with a sigh before answering. “You should think long and hard about how much you want to be here. Whether your new boyfriend comes back or not, things won’t get any easier for you around here.”
“Because you’re not going to make it easy?”
“Not just me.” Her tone gets low and conspiratorial as she leans closer. “I’ve been asking around. Everyone has been so friendly, and you’d be amazed at what they’ll say to someone that they just met.”
“Meaning what?”
Her mouth makes a moue of faux sympathy. “Meaning…that you’re not exactly popular here. In fact, people kind of hate you. Don’t feel too badly, though. I had a hard time of it when I had to be Olivia, too. People just seem to take to Evangeline a little better. But I guess that’s always been the way things worked.”
My hands curl into fists at my sides. “Don’t you dare stand there and tell me that my life has been all sunshine and roses.”
She acts like she doesn’t even hear me. “I finally have it all figured out. When you don’t care about anyone but yourself, people fall all over themselves to get into your inner circle. I cared way too much when I was here before. Good thing that isn’t a problem anymore.”
The barb is a direct hit. We went years without speaking to each other. I should have already guessed that she doesn’t give a shit about me, but I’m still surprised at how much the realization hurts.
I don’t bother insisting that I care about her. It’s the truth, but that doesn’t mean she’ll believe it. “I care about Drake.”
“Do you really?” She sounds genuinely amused. “That just makes this even more fun. My offer still stands, by the way. Start packing and I’ll make the time for a phone call to the sheriff.”
The look on my face is answer enough.
“What do you really have holding you here?” she asks. “No one will care if you leave. In fact, plenty of people seem to think that Drake was never actually into you at all. You’re just setting yourself up for embarrassment when he inevitably gets with someone else. That one girl — Serenity something — refuses to admit it, but everyone knows she has a major crush.”
