Page 45 of Under the Influence

“As far as I’m concerned, you can do whatever you want.”

I giggle, running my hand back through his sandy blond hair, “What are we going to do about Nash? He’s not going to let this happen, you know that, right?”

Drayton smiles, “You know what else I learned during shark week?”

I sit back against his thighs, “What?”

“Sometimes whales kill sharks.”

I laugh, pulling him back against my lips.

Nash Langdon doesn’t stand a chance in ruining this for me.

CHAPTER

SIXTEEN

CARSON

“We filming the jump today?” Nash asks, walking next to me to baseball practice.

“I don’t know. Avery isn’t here, and she isn’t answering my texts. She must be sick or something, so I’m gonna go check on her after practice. It’s not like her to miss, especially on her birthday week. You and I both know she usually eats up the attention.”

“I’ll get my dad’s boat keys today, so just let me know.”

I nod, acknowledging him before pulling out my phone to text Avie again. I planned to throw her a surprise party this weekend, but things have been a little rocky lately. Especially since I had to come and drag Nash out of her house last weekend.

After my talk with Mom, I realized things with Avery aren’t what they used to be. It’s almost like we’ve outgrown each other. Truthfully, I’m tired. Tired of pretending that we are more than friends, tired of posing as a couple to keep up the image for her followers.

It’s exhausting.

Not to mention the fact that I kissed Cori. Technically I cheated on her, and I didn’t even mean for it to happen—it just did.

Then Nash went all possessive at lunch, and honestly, now I’m worried about him, Cori, and Avery.

Practice is uneventful, and at the end, Nash and I take off for our usual mile runaround campus.

“What were you and Cori arguing about after school?”

He laughs, our feet hitting the rubberized track pretty much in unison, “I was just sealing the deal on our arrangement.”

My mind shoots back to watching him kiss her, the way she jerked away. “Is she aware of the arrangement?”

Nash stops, putting both hands on his knees to rest, peering up at me through his sweaty blond hair. “Dude, don’t get all soft on me. That girl is trouble, and you know it.”

Trouble? If anyone would know all about that, it’s Nash. He’s the damn definition of trouble. I don’t understand why he thinks he has the right to an opinion about her. He barely even knows her, aside from a stupid kiss when they were fourteen.

“You don’t even know her!” I argue, wiping the sweat off my forehead with my t-shirt.

“Neither do you! Or did you learn a little bit more in your room last night?”

Wait? He saw us?

“It’s not what you think,” I start, my mouth suddenly feeling dry, but he interrupts my excuse.

“Do you know what Jovie told me, Carson?”

I just look at him, suddenly feeling like I betrayed him somehow.