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I grab a towel and wipe my hands off, then open the door, freezing.
“Can I come in?” Hope, one of the BITCHES asks me. I hesitate, and she sighs. “I’m not here to hurt you, Gracie. I don't know what they were up to, I swear. I know I’ve been staying away from you, but we used to be friends,” she rushes to say, and I close my eyes before stepping aside for her to enter.
I close the door, then leave her in the hall as I return to the kitchen. “You can sit,” I mumble and point to the table. She takes a few steps, retreats, then moves again and sits down.
“I shouldn’t be here, but I just couldn’t keep letting you think the whole team hates you,” she says with a sniffle, wiping her nose, and I scoff.
“If this is another one of Bianca’s pranks, please just leave. I have had a hellish day, fuck that, a hellish few months. This is my home, and I’d like just to be able to stand here and finish my cupcakes, then maybe take a hot bath and read.” She pushes from the table and walks over to where I have some cupcakes on a plate.
“Ya know, I have always hated Bianca and Tinsley. Cheyenne isn’t too bad, but she wants to be besties with the others and follow their lead. When you and Mia were co-captains, it was at least a cheerocracy and not the Bianca show.” She huffs and pushes her messy red hair away from her face.
She’s still wearing her cheer uniform and looks like she left straight after the game.
“Why are you here, Hope?” I ask, then give in and offer her a treat. She snatches one super quick and hums as she eats it.
“So gooood,” she moans, and I find myself smiling despite myself.
“I hated Mia. I wasn’t sad to see her die,” she blurts out, and my eyes widen. “Wow, yeah, that was a bitchy thing to say. Sorry. I know she was your ride-or-die, but she was a real bitch.” I’m left speechless. She moves over to the cupboard, grabs a cup, opens my fridge, and pours herself some milk.
“Just make yourself at home,” I mumble, and she gives me a smile.
What the fuck is happening right now? I watch as she eats three more cupcakes, then hands me her cup for a refill. “Seriously, Gracie, you need to sell those. I’ve never had icing like that before.”
I get her some more milk, and she calms down. “Thanks for not kicking me out. I was expecting you to slam the door in my face.”
“I should have,” I reply, and she nods.
“Dom came to me a few weeks ago. He asked me to be your friend. I told him I couldn’t, but I really wanted to. It’s just, Bianca is insane. Like murder puppies and drink their blood insane. I’m a coward,” she whispers, and I don’t know what to say.
Dom asked her to be my friend? Why? “I guess I can see why you wouldn’t want to, but why would he ask you to do something like that?” She shrugs, and her phone rings. I watch her hands shake as she fumbles to pull it out of the pocket of her hoodie.
Her shoulder drops, and she breathes out, then smiles. “Damn, I thought she knew I was here somehow,” she says with a laugh. “But I better get going. I don’t know if you even want me as a friend, Gracie, but I’m here. Maybe not at school. Then again, after Ash ripped Bianca a new one in front of everyone, I have a feeling things are going to change.”
“I honestly don’t know, Hope. I’ll think about it,” I mumble, and she takes that as her cue to leave.
I’m thinking over my talk with Hope and cleaning up the counters when three rowdy boys barge into my house. “So we’re not even knocking anymore, I see,” I quip, and Carter gives me a big smile. His blond hair is damp, and his caramel eyes are sparkling.
“Baby girl, you should have been there! That was one of our best games yet, and Ash…” He looks behind him and groans. “Dude, just get the fuck in here,” he yells, and a few seconds later, Ash peeks his head around the corner.
“I didn’t know if it would be okay that I tagged along?” he mumbles, and I nod.
“So it was a good game then?” I ask, trying to get the conversation back on track. King laughs and pushes Dom out of the way so he can pick me up and spin me.
“We decimated their team. They are still crying to their mothers about the ass-whooping they took,” King says before kissing me hard and fast. When he pulls away, I know my cheeks are on fire, and I’m smiling like a lunatic.
“Bambi, I thought you were baking tonight?” Dom asks, and I laugh.
“They are in the fridge, you animals. I swear you only want me for my body and baking skills,” I grumble good heartedly, and Carter coughs.
“Can't forget your killer blow job skills, baby girl,” he says, and yep, I’m dead. I cover my face with the dish towel and groan. I’m just going to stay here until they leave. Someone pulls it away from my mouth, and I’m surprised to see it’s Ash.
“They aren’t wrong, Doll,” he says with a smirk, and I swallow. He stares at my lips for so long that I end up nibbling my bottom one raw.
“Thanks, I think,” I mutter, then gently push him aside so I can breathe. “And thanks again for earlier today. I know it probably went against everything you feel about me, but… Yeah, I was on the verge of an anxiety attack, so yeah…”
I realize I’m rambling, and the kitchen is silent. Carter has icing all over his face like a two-year-old was eating, and Dom is grinning. King seems to be lost in his thoughts.
“Did you want one?” I ask Ash, pointing to the tray, and he shakes his head.
