Finally catching on to something happening, people in the crowd start to part to give them space. There are gasps and murmurs as people realize a fight has broken out, but I’m not looking at any of that. All I’m looking at is Valerie, because she’s looking at me with a little smirk on her face.
I shake my head at her, my face twisted with disgust. “You’re pathetic,” I mouth, so she knows I’m not impressed by her bullshit.
Her smile slips, but I don’t give her any more of my attention. Teachers and chaperones have broken through the crowd to pull Wally and Anderson off each other. Sara is still standing there in her purple dress. She hasn’t moved an inch. It’s like her feet are rooted to the ground.
I go to her, grabbing her arm. “Come on.”
She doesn’t say anything, just numbly lets me pull her away from the fight.
Chapter Sixty Seven
Riley
My heart pounds as I shove my way through the crowded gymnasium. I find a little alcove in the back corner where there aren’t any people and stop there.
I turn around to face Sara. She’s pale and expressionless. I think she’s in shock.
“She kissed him,” she finally says.
I don’t know what to say, so I don’t say anything.
“He kissed her back.”
My stomach sinks for her, but I nod gently. “Yeah. He did.”
“Why is she so evil?” Sara asks faintly. “She acted like we were friends. She’s the one that... she’s the one that encouraged me to talk to him. She said he liked me.”
“I know,” I murmur, grabbing her and pulling her into a protective hug.
“I slept with him, Riley,” she whispers numbly.
Oh, God.
I close my eyes, my heart sinking even deeper. “I’m so sorry.”
I know how upset she must be, so I just hold her for a while. I only pull back when Hunter finally walks over to check on us.
“Is everything okay?” he asks.
I nod, but I’m surprised to see Sherlock trailing behind him.
Looking back at Hunter, I tell him, “Sara wants to go home. Can we give her a ride?”
“Right now?”
My eyes widen. “Yes, right now. You think she wants to stay after that?”
Sherlock steps forward. “I’ll take her.”
My gaze jumps to his, surprised.
“No point in you guys leaving early,” he says. “I was about to bail, anyway.”
Pulling back, I look down at Sara. “Is that okay?”
She nods, swiping at her cheek. “I don’t care who takes me, I just need to get out of here.”
I nod, but there’s still a tentative frown on my face. Turning back to Hunter, I lean in and tell him, “I’m not so sure about this.”
Sherlock is standing close enough to hear us, so he takes a step forward and invites himself into the conversation. “Do you really think I’m going to pounce on some sad girl, Riley?”
I roll my eyes. “No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just… she’s heartbroken. She shouldn’t be alone. I should really go to her house with her. She’ll need someone to talk to.”
Hunter and Sherlock exchange looks.
I frown, not much liking the conspiratorial vibe I’m picking up between them.
They don’t say anything, but as if they’ve spoken and decided without me, Sherlock looks back at me. “No. I’m taking her home, you’re staying here and enjoying the rest of the dance.”
“You’re not my boss,” I inform him.
Hunter’s hand settles around my waist. My gaze darts to him, and I’m startled by the almost gentle look on his face as he firmly reminds me, “No, but I am. And we’re going to let Sherlock take Sara home.”
My mouth drops open. I can only stare at him. “Are you seriously pulling rank on me right now? This isn’t a game, Hunter. My friend is in pain.”
“Is she your friend?” Hunter asks, frowning. “Because, see, I’m remembering it a little differently. I’m remembering her ditching you and abandoning you every chance she got this year.”
I frown, wanting to argue with him, but… he’s not saying anything that isn’t true.
“I don’t think she’s your friend, Riley. I think you have a good heart and you want to protect the people you care about even when they don’t necessarily deserve it. I can’t complain about that trait, I certainly wouldn’t have you if you didn’t have it, but…” He pulls me closer, looking into my eyes. “We look out for each other, right? It’s my job to protect you. You recognize when my so-called friends only want to use me, but you don’t always see it when it’s happening to you.”
“Can confirm,” Sherlock says with a nod.
I glare at him.
He holds his hands up in playful surrender, but his steely eyes glint with amusement. His gaze flickers to Hunter. “We’re gonna head out.”
Hunter nods, but he doesn’t look at him. He keeps his gaze locked on me.
I frown up at him, still not altogether sure about this, but I don’t argue as Sherlock collects Sara and starts to lead her through the crowd toward the exit doors.
I feel a little like I’m abandoning her, but… well, as Hunter just reminded me, she didn’t seem to mind abandoning me.
Pouting a little, I tell him, “I don’t like this.”
“I know,” he says reassuringly, locking his arms around my waist and pulling me close.
Since I guess I don’t have to worry about Sara right now, my curiosity surfaces. I glance back at the dance floor where the fight broke out, but of course they’re not still standing there.
“Do we know what the hell happened there?” I ask Hunter. “Why was Anderson involved?”
He shrugs. “No idea. If you want to find out, we can go find Melina. She generally knows what’s going on.”
I hate to engage in idle gossip, but I can’t deny I’m really curious to know why Anderson punched Wally. I haven’t paid much attention to what he was up to since we broke up, but getting into a fight with Wally for kissing Valerie? I have questions.
When we catch up to Melina, I don’t even have to ask her to share the gossip. She’s positively bursting with it.
“Oh my God, you guys, can you believe she did that? She’s crazy.”
Angelina shakes her head, examining her nails. “She’s so fucking crazy. Like Hunter would even care about her making out with his best friend. Everyone knows he only has eyes for Riley.”
Melina rolls her eyes. “She’s such an idiot.”
“She’s jealous is what she is,” Angelina says. Glancing at me, she says, “When he took you to that ball in New York, she lost her everloving shit. You might’ve noticed by the lighted display up front, but she has serious crown envy. She knows Hunter’s the closest thing to a real prince she’ll ever get her claws into. She could’ve killed you, honestly.”
“Like, of course he’s going to take his girlfriend to the ball, Valerie,” Melina says, rolling her eyes. “What did she expect?”
“It’s psychotic behavior, honestly,” Angelina says.