AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I didn’t know a single person who didn’t love Paige. She was impossible to dislike. Though, with all these questions she was asking about Violet, I was beginning to wonder if perhaps it was easier than I thought.
I’d instinctively dismissed the idea of Violet coming to family dinner, but as I considered it, I was surprised to find I enjoyed the thought of her getting to know my family. My house was chaos, and my family, especially my siblings, were a lot to handle. Still, I had a feeling she’d fit right in. Besides, it wouldn’t be long before my mom found out about Violet and personally invited her. Especially now that Parker had publicly announced my relationship status on social media.
Perhaps I should ask Violet to come. I’d have to think of a way to link it to our agreement so she didn’t become suspicious about why I wanted her there. And there was also the chance my family would scare her off. But a stupid part of me wanted to take the risk. There was nowhere I was more myself than at home. If I did somehow find the courage to open up to Violet as Paige suggested, that was the best place to do it.
“You really like her, don’t you?” Paige’s voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I glanced across at her.
“I barely know her.” I shrugged.
She shook her head but retained her gentle smile. How could she see through me so easily?
“Whatever, Reed,” she said with a wink. “I look forward to meeting Violet on Sunday.”
16
VIOLET
When I’d ended things with Jeremy, it had caused quite a stir at school, but it paled in comparison to the backlash I faced now word had spread I was dating an infamous Darling Devil.
“I hear she’s dating Reed Darling,” one girl whispered behind me in math.
“Apparently, that’s why her and Jeremy broke up,” her friend replied. “How could she do that to him?”
“I know, right? Why would anyone choose a Ransom Devil over Jeremy Hoffman?”
“I mean, have you seen Reed Darling? I’d never date him in a million years, but he sure is pretty to look at…”
“And Jeremy’s not?”
I turned and shot the girls a scowl, but they weren’t deterred.
“What are you looking at, Devil worshipper?” one of them said.
That lovely nickname was a new development, and I really hoped it didn’t catch on.
“Not that it’s any of your business,” I replied. “But I only started dating Reed after Jeremy and I broke up. And if you want to know why we broke up, why don’t you ask Jeremy and Heather.” I quickly turned back to my desk so the girls wouldn’t see how my cheeks were heated with anger.
They weren’t the first people I’d caught talking about me, and I doubted they’d be the last. No one at school knew Jeremy had cheated on me. Apart from Mia and Nicole, I hadn’t told anyone the full details of our breakup. I knew it wouldn’t do me any good. Even if people at this school knew the truth, they would still take Jeremy’s side. He could do no wrong in their eyes. I didn’t matter.
As the week wore on, I hoped people would lose interest in the gossip. But when Wednesday came around, it still felt like the whispers followed me everywhere I went, and girls and guys alike were constantly shooting me dirty looks. I couldn’t decide what people thought was worse: the fact I’d broken up with Jeremy or that I was now supposedly dating his biggest rival. It was probably a mixture of both.
I hung back at the end of my last class for the day and waited for the corridors to clear a little before I made my way to my locker. I knew it was silly, and Mia would probably tell me I should stop letting people get to me. But I just didn’t want to deal with any more attention.
The hallways were mostly clear when I eventually left the classroom. No one stuck around for long once school was finished, and it felt like I could finally breathe a little easier after such a difficult day. That was until I arrived at my locker.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I gasped.
Glaring at me from my locker door was a cartoon devil drawn in black permanent marker. The image took up most of the surface, and a bitter taste filled my mouth as I stared at it in shock and dismay. I grabbed a tissue from my bag and attempted to clean off the graffiti. But no matter how vigorously I rubbed, the marker refused to budge.
I couldn’t win. If I had simply kissed Reed on Saturday night and walked away, I would have been called a puck bunny. But since everyone thought I was dating him, I was a traitor. I knew kids at Sunshine Prep loved their hockey, but I was beginning to realize it was more than just a sport to them. There were probably cults with less passionate followers. Not for the first time since the bonfire, I wondered how the hell I’d gotten myself into this mess.
“I don’t even like hockey,” I grumbled as I continued to scrub at the marker. I’d managed to blur the image a little, but it was still clearly there.
“They shouldn’t have done that. Are you okay?”
Jeremy’s voice did nothing to ease the tension in my chest, and I tried not to shudder as he came to stand beside me. “Go away, Jeremy.”
He ignored me as he leaned against the locker beside mine, making himself at home. "I miss you, Vivi.”
