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I follow King out to the parking lot as Ash chats with some of the guys. Carter is vibrating with restraint, and I’m confused about why.
“Okay, what is going on here?” Ash asks the moment the team leaves and we’re alone by his truck.
“Will you be at school tomorrow?” Carter asks Ash. He shakes his head.
“No, I’ll come back on Friday so I can play in the game that night. I have to catch up on assignments,” Ash says as he rubs his eyes and yawns.
“So, are we going to pussyfoot over the real reason we wanted to talk? Because if we are, then I’m going to walk home. I’m fucking wiped,” King grumbles, and I want to smack him upside the back of his head.
I guess we’re really doing this. Ugh, that burger is about to make a reappearance. I belch and rub my stomach. I know I shouldn’t, but I feel almost guilty about my feelings for Gracie. Ash has made it very clear that he hates her, but I know it’s a lie.
“Yeah, let’s do this,” Carter says, cracking his knuckles and rolling his neck. Is he preparing for a fight?
“What the fuck has gotten into you three?” Ash snaps, widening his stance as if preparing for a tackle.
“I want to ask Gracie out,” I blurt out, and they all look at me. Carter relaxes, King sighs, and Ash looks like he’s about to kill me.
His nostrils flare, and his hazel eyes darken.
“I’m sorry, what?” he growls, taking a step closer to me. King laughs, and Carter nods.
“Same,” they both say simultaneously.
“We like Gracie. We have for years, and since you hate her now and won’t ever want to be with her again, we figured we’d take our shot. We love you, Ash, and we chose you, but things have changed now.”
Ash punches me in the jaw before I even see it coming. King grabs him to hold him back as he lunges for me again.
“No, fuck no! You can’t have her!” he roars, and I smile. Everything I said about liking Gracie and wanting to date her was true, but seeing Ash’s reaction proves so many things.
He’s not over Gracie, and if he wants her, he’s going to have to learn to share.
Ash
Dom is grinning at me, and it’s starting to creep me out. “What the fuck are you smiling at, you backstabbing psychopath?” I grumble, and he laughs, shaking his head. I stop fighting King’s hold, and he lets me go.
“It’s funny, really,” Dom says, taunting me. My blood heats, and I’m ready to add another bruise to his pretty face.
“What’s funny? That my best friends are asking to take out the girl who ruined my life? What makes you think she’d even consider dating you?” I laugh because this is all so fucking ridiculous.
I should just climb back into my car and return to the cabin. Finish school online. Fuck joining the military or college.
“You say you’re done with her, but you look like you’re about to kill me for even thinking about touching Gracie. As for her dating us, I know she will. We had a great time last weekend,” he says with a smirk before walking away. King and Carter follow him.
“Better figure out what you want quickly because time is running out, Ash,” Carter calls over his shoulder, and I feel shattered.
I watch with blurry eyes as they pull out of the parking lot. I don’t want Gracie. They have lost their fucking minds. But I also can’t see her with them. How could they do this to me? They actually want to steal my girl.
They want me to sit by as I watch someone I have loved for so long be happy without me? Someone who betrayed me. Ripped my heart and soul to pieces. They want me to do what? Go back to us all being friends? Seeing her laugh and smile. Kiss them?
I bend and throw up my meal all over the concrete. I feel sick, and even though I didn’t think it was possible, my heart is shattering again.
I need to get out of here.
* * *
I take a deep breath.Tears blur my eyes. I can't think about this right now. I have been driving around for an hour, and I’m exhausted. I get off at my exit, then take a left and hit the bakery for a coffee before I head home. It’s close to eight at night, and I know I have a bunch of schoolwork to try and get done before I return.
Some of my teachers have emailed me my assignments, but I could only do so much on my phone. I’d left my laptop and tablet at home. I pull into a parking spot and put my car in park. I need a few minutes to compose myself.
