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I grip the wheel tightly. I won’t cave for her. I won't look at her. She means nothing to me, and I don't need her shit in my life. I’m happy without her. At the last second, my eyes dart to my rearview mirror. She watches me just as I watch her.
Fuck. I’m fucked.
“Are you sure it's her? Mila? Mila Hart is back?”
Hunter hunches closer to me in our booth at Annie’s Diner. Meanwhile, Roman arches back, resting his head on the wall behind him, his expression unchanged at the news of Mila’s return. But I know he’s turning shit over in his mind. Hunter, on the other hand, is more interested in Mila being back than I thought he would be.
“Yes, that's what I said five minutes ago. It’s not a big deal. Why do you keep repeating yourself?”
He throws a few fries in his mouth and chews while he nods. More to himself than me. I fight the urge to roll my eyes.
“Because…out of nowhere, you text us that the pact still stands. Then, you come in here and tell us she’s returned home. That's a big deal.”
“Hey, Jace.” Britney slides in beside me. I put my arm around her shoulder, and she gives a small girlish giggle.
We’ve been dating on and off for the past year. Mostly off. But I keep going back. I guess it’s easy because she knows what I like. And I don’t mean football or food. She knows how to suck my cock just right. Yeah, I’m an asshole.
“But, like, how does she look? You won't tell us anything. Throw a guy a bone here. Is she hot now? Fuck, I bet she’s all grown up and shit and that’s why you’re not telling us, so you can get to her first. The pact stands for you too, Jace.”
I roll my eyes at Hunter, not wanting to talk about Mila. Even now, I’m getting angry again thinking of all the years she ignored me. My jaw ticks at the thought of her being back and Hunter wanting to know how she looks.
She looks hot. Hell, if it wasn't Mila, I would have been over there trying to get her number. Britney perks up; she heard what Hunter said.
“Who’s hot? Who can you get first?” She sits back and glares at me.
Like I was cheating for even knowing someone who could be hot. This is why we broke up more than anything. If a girl even looked my way, she had a meltdown that I was flirting or cheating. I would break up with her permanently, but when she comes back to apologize each time, it is on her knees. How can I say no to that?
“Mila Hart.” Hunter takes a bite of his burger. The melted cheese runs down his fingers as he hides a grin, knowing what he just did.
“Fucker,” I mumble under my breath at him.
“What are you doing looking at her? Doesn't she live, like, a million miles away?” she screeches.
My grip on her neck is tight—it won’t hurt her, but it acts like a warning as I pull her in close until our foreheads are touching. “We talked about this at the start of summer. I will break it off, and permanently this time, if you do this shit. I’m not cheating. The possessive, jealous shit from you needs to stop now.”
She bats her lashes at me. I fight the urge to roll my eyes and push her away just for drama’s sake, but fuck, I wish she wasn’t here right now. I need space, time to think, but she isn’t gonna leave anytime soon.
“Sorry, Jace. I won't do that again, I promise.”
She kisses the corner of my mouth, but I pull away before she can go any further. I’m not in the right frame of mind to be kissing Britney right now. Not when I wish I was kissing someone else and hating myself for it.
I find Roman watching me. He isn’t stupid; he would have seen my reaction to Britney and read into it. Fuck, do I care? No. Yes. I don’t know.
I feel like screaming and hitting something.
He breaks eye contact with me first as he gazes out the window, looking worn down. More so than usual. I’d known her return would affect him. The question is—how badly?
“You think she will go to Ridgecrest High or Lakeview Prep?”
I want this conversation to end, but I can tell Hunter won’t drop it.
“No idea, I didn't talk to her. Not gonna, either. She didn't speak to us for four years. Why would I start talking to her now?” But even I know that’s a lie.
“I hope she comes to Ridgecrest,” Hunter continues.
“Yeah, well, her dad is working over at Lakeview Prep, so he would have some type of a teacher discount, I would think. Makes more sense for her to go there, anyway.”
“Nah, man, you remember when we were kids, and we were all gonna go to Ridgecrest High. We thought it was the coolest place ever. We were gonna run the halls.”
