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“Awe. He’s worried about you.”
I glanced at her. “I don’t think that’s it.” Before I could say anything else, my phone buzzed again, another message from him.
Come home.
My jaw ground. Who the hell did he think he was, demanding I come home right this second? God, I really did loathe him and his haughty, self-righteous attitude—and that said nothing about what I’d found in the pool house.
Five seconds later, my phone buzzed again:Now.
If he kept texting me like this, I’d stay over Erin’s house as late as she’d have me. Hell, if she invited me to stay and sleep over for the night, I totally would, just to stick it to him.
“What is it?” Erin asked, her voice softer this time. She’d stopped going through the ends of her hair, now staring squarely at me. I had to be careful; I couldn’t tell her exactly why I didn’t want to be at that house. I had to tell her enough, though.
“He wants me to come home,” I whispered, frowning. I typed out a short message to him and hit send before I thought better of it:No.“I don’t know why he cares where I am. It’s not like he’s nice to me or anything.” I set my phone down on the bed after turning the ringer to silent; his messages wouldn’t be buzzing it anymore.
“Oh, so being his new stepsister doesn’t matter? He still treats you like he treats everyone else?” When I nodded, Erin let out a sigh, looking glum. “That’s depressing. Here I thought he was nicer behind closed doors.”
Uh, last I checked, people didn’t work like that. If anything, they were even crueler behind closed doors. But I didn’t say that; instead, I asked, “Why do you have a crush on him, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Erin looked away, biting her cheek. “You’ll think it’s stupid. Itisstupid, really—”
“Tell me.”
Her eyes landed on me, and she leaned forward, hunching over. “In elementary school, I used to be in band. We had practice every Wednesday after school. They had to cut it from the main curriculum. Make parents pay for everything because the school couldn’t. But, anyway, I remember going in the back of the school, to the band room. You had to walk through the art hall to get there. I walked by the art room and saw Gareth there, sitting by himself, painting.”
Erin let out a chuckle, as if she was nervous about telling me this. “He looked so content, almost happy. I remembered thinking he never looked like that in class, and I always wondered why. His mom had money. He’s always been the Prince of Eastcreek. I just, I don’t know, I thought he was cute when he was all focused on painting.”
So she’d passed him by in the hall once, and ever since then she’d had a crush on him? Oh, boy.
My skeptical nature must’ve shown on my face, because she hurried to say, “It’s stupid.”
“Have you ever talked to him?” I hedged.
“Oh, no. I mean, I’ve tried, but I just become this mumbling mess that can’t say two words right, so I’ve learned to watch from afar. I guess, all this time, I hoped what he was like when he was painting all those years ago was his true self, and he’s just waiting for a girl to open him up.” She blushed at that.
I hated the fact that she liked him. She seemed like such a sweet girl. “He’s not worth it, Erin. He really is a jerk, and I’m not just saying that. If he ever decides he likes someone, God help her, seriously.”God help me.
“That’s what Kaity says, too. She says if I’m gonna have a crush on a Montgomery, why not like Alistair instead, but older men just don’t do it for me.”
I leaned back against the wall. Her bed was in the corner of the room, so the headboard and the left side of the bed were tucked against the walls. “If you could pick someone else at Eastcreek High, someone other than Gareth, who would you pick?” A stupid, pointless question, but maybe talking about other boys would get her to open her eyes to the possibility that she might be happy with someone else.
She’d definitely be happier with anyone other than Gareth. After the initial high, Gareth would only make her miserable.
“Hmm. Now that’s a good question,” she mused, a slow smile creeping along her face. “I’ve never really thought about it.” She tapped a finger against her chin, pensive as she muttered, “Who would I pick? Better yet, who wouldyoupick?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. This isn’t about me. We’re talking about you right now.”
“I know, but you’re the new girl. There has to be someone… unless we’re all country bumpkins to you—”
I laughed and shook my head. “No, you’re not.”
“Good! So, then who?”
My mind did a quick run-through of all our classes. Erin was in every single one, so all I had to do was pick a guy and start to describe him, and hopefully she’d land on someone. “The tall blond jock in math class. What’s his name?”
Her eyes widened. “Neo Banks? Yeah, he is hot. I hear he’s got an eight-pack. He works out like crazy.”
Objectively, abs were always delicious, so I had to agree with her there.
