“I love you; you know I do. But being your best friend isn’t easy sometimes, Hailee, and you’re so... oblivious to that.”
“I’m not...” I pressed my lips together, swallowing the argument lodged in my throat. Because Flick was right. Until now, I had no idea she felt that way.
“I don’t want to be the next Khloe Stemson. I don’t want to join the cheer squad and throw myself at the Raiders feet, that’s not what this is. I just don’t want to graduate and have all these regrets.” She wafted the list in the air with a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”
“I’m sorry I’m such a hardened bitch who ruins your life.”
“Hails...”
“Joke.” I held up my hands. “I’m joking.” For the most part anyway. “I need to pee; I’ll be right back. Can I get you anything else? My treat?”
“Hmm, I shouldn’t.” Her gaze flicked to the counter. “But I’d accept one of those rocky road brownies as a peace offering.”
With a weak smile and a heavy heart, I stood up. “Consider it done.” Making my way inside the store, I headed toward the back where the restrooms were.
Flick’s admission had caught me completely off-guard. There was no denying Jason had made things difficult since I moved to Rixon, but it wasn’t like he’d ruined my life. I still went to class, enjoyed art, and Flick and I participated in non-football-related school events all the time. Granted, we didn’t have a huge group of friends and we didn’t get invited to any parties, but we were fine. Content in doing our own thing.
Or, at least, I’d thought we were.
After washing my hands, I went to the counter to get Flick’s brownie and a strawberry shake for myself. I didn’t want her to resent me. We were best friends. Ever since I’d walked into seventh grade math and been seated next to the girl with eyes the color of sage, it had been the two of us against the rest of the world. But she was right, this was senior year. Our final year together. Flick had plans to go off to UPenn next year, and I was hoping to go out of state to Michigan. They had a great art program at their Stamps School of Art and Design. Come this time next year, there would be miles between us, so I guess the least I could do was support her with completing her stupid list.
Not totally on board with the idea, but willing to give it a shot for my very best friend, I paid the server and grabbed my items before heading back outside. But when my eyes landed on our table, I froze. I’d left Flick alone for all of ten minutes, but she wasn’t alone now. Jason, Asher, and Cameron were sitting with her, and they were… laughing.
All of them.
Gingerly, I stepped outside and stood at the end of the table. “Did I miss something?”
Flick’s face paled at the sound of my voice and I narrowed my eyes at her, silently asking what the hell was going on. “Hmm,” she cleared her throat. “Jase and the guys were just going to the store to get supplies for the party.”
Jase and the guys? She made it sound like they were old friends.
“And I care why?”
Flick sucked in a sharp breath but didn’t get chance to answer because my step-brother rose from the table, his hard eyes fixed on me. “Asher thought you guys might want to come. I told him it was stupid idea.”
“Let me get this straight, you’re inviting us to a party?” It had set up written all over it.
Asher shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. “It’s no big deal.”
My eyes skirted to Cameron who was silent. I wanted to know what he thought about this after he’d warned me explicitly to back down. Was this a test? Some messed up way of seeing if I’d bite?
He was going to be sorely disappointed. Or depending on which way you looked at it, maybe he’d be impressed.
“Gee, thanks for the invitation but I’m busy washing my hair.” I dropped Flick’s plate in front of her and sat down. “Now unless you want something else you should—”
“What about you, Felicity?” Jase drawled, a wicked glint in his eyes. “You want to come party with us?”
My gaze widened and she lowered her head, heat flaming her cheeks.
“Shit, man, I think she wants to come.” Asher’s eyes lit up as if the idea of making Flick defect to their side was just too tempting. “Come on, Felicity, we’ll look after you.”
My head whipped up to where Jase was standing, and I glowered at him. “Mess with me, play your silly little pranks, fine, but leave her out of this, okay? She doesn’t deserve your—”
“Hails,” Flick said quietly. “It’s fine, I know they’re only joking.”
“Naw, don’t be like that, baby.” Asher grinned at her. “You’re right, Hails isn’t welcome, but we’d make an exception for you. Right, Jase?”
His eyes lingered on my best friend, dark and searching, and too fucking long. He reminded me of the Big Bad Wolf ready to pounce on Red Riding Hood. The flush to Flick’s cheeks deepened under Jason’s intense regard. And before I knew what I was doing, I leaped up and slammed my palms into his chest. “Back off,” I snapped, shoving hard.
“Jesus, woman, are you fucking mental? We were just having a little fun.”
“Well, don’t. She’s never done anything to you.”
Our eyes locked on one another, simmering with anger and hate.
“Not that I don’t enjoy watching the two of you tear into each other…” Cameron’s voice startled me, and I blinked, breaking my stalemate with Jason. His lip curved in a smug smile as if he knew he’d won this round.
Bastard.
“Yeah, yeah,” Jason said, rubbing his jaw. “Well this has been entertaining, but we have more interesting places to be, little sister.”
Little sister?
He was barely two months older than me.
“Yeah, like Jenna Jarvis’ pussy,” Asher snickered, and I shot him a disgusted look. “What?” He pouted.
“You’re a pig.”
“Naw, baby, I’m a Raider and we know how to ride real damn—”
“Let’s get out of here already, I’m fucking bored.” Cameron started walking away. Asher blew Flick a kiss before taking off after his friend, but Jason hovered. His eyes still trained right on me.
“What?” I barked.
Without another word, he shook his head and went after them.
“And you want to embrace that?” I said incredulously, dropping back down on the bench.
“I didn’t… I’m not… God, you’re right,” Flick said, her cheeks still pink. But as I watched her watching the three of them stalk off toward Asher’s car, laughing and joking, I realized she did want that. She wanted to go to their stupid party and get drunk and make out with some random guy. Maybe even make out with one of them. I suppressed a shudder.
I’d been so consumed with the rivalry between me and Jason, the endless war, and hating on the football team, that I’d failed to see what was right in front of me.
Flick humored me.
All this time I thought we were the same. I thought we shared a mutual hatred of all things school spirit and Rixon Raiders.