All my friends back home have yachts and luxury homes and month-long vacations thanks to their trust funds, but when I came here, I vowed to leave that lifestyle behind. I can’t access my trust fund until I’m twenty-five, so that’s not an option anyway. “I’m already used to having a baby around with Poppy, and I can babysit whenever you need.”
He nods slowly, swallowing.
God, I made this poor guy anxious. I rush to get out the words. “That’s a completely platonic suggestion, of course. We both have enough baggage to deal with right now.”
“Thanks, Sienna.” He glances back at the football house before his deep brown eyes connect with mine. “That’s a great offer. I might have to take you up on it. Let me consider the logistics for a bit.”
Logistics. Which probably means how Cal will have him on his shit list for the rest of the season.
Ben tilts his head toward my house. “My boys and I can handle this if you want to wait at our place.”
Everyone says Ben is a little heartless and cold, but he’s only been kind to me. I hope he lets me pay him back somehow. “No, this is my battle to fight.”
Resolved to be tough, I take a deep breath. I finally get the courage to look at the driveway. Destiny’s Lexus is parked behind my old Honda, but that doesn’t mean she’s home.
Fortunately, my house is blissfully empty.
I let out a sigh of relief and usher in the guys. “This way.”
Opening the door to her room, Gabby’s old one in the front of the house, I’m hit with the scent of Destiny’s perfume.
An old memory of Cal has me pausing. He’d been running late to pick me up. Three hours late. And when he arrived, I could’ve sworn he smelled like Destiny. I asked him about it, and he said his roommate’s girlfriend had hugged him.
Lies, lies, and more lies.
It makes me wonder what else I’ve been wrong about.
The thought fortifies my resolve. I’m not a hardass by nature. That’s my dad. I’m all hugs and aligned chakras like my mom, but I need to be tougher.
I take stock of Destiny’s room with its fluffy pink comforter and her color-coordinated outfits hung in the closet. She told me she wanted to move in so we could hang out more, but I’ve barely seen her this summer.
Probably because she’s been busy fucking my boyfriend.
Ex-boyfriend.
I can hear my father as if he were in the room—You can add this failure to your list of others.
“Just pile her crap on the yard.” I feel like I’m floating, like I’m watching all of this happen and I’m a spectator.
The guys don’t let me do any work because of my head injury, but in no time, they’ve cleared her stuff. The living room furniture and the flatscreen are mine, new purchases I made when Gabby moved to Dallas.
Rider offered to buy me new furniture in thanks for all the babysitting I did last semester, but I don’t need the money, or at least I didn’t at the time. I love his daughter Poppy and was happy to help. It felt good to be needed. I’m a big believer in sending out good vibes, and helping my friends felt like the right thing to do.
Dating Cal felt like the right thing too, and look where that got you. I frown, hating this cynical voice in my head.
Johnny marches in wiping his hands. “We made sure to make the biggest mess possible. Who needs all those little bottles of makeup?”
Destiny is fanatical about her makeup. “She can sweep it off the driveway if she wants it.”
Just then, Derek’s baby blue Mustang pulls up to the curb. Olly, Johnny, and Ben line up next to me. This cannot be good for their team, but it’s not like I planned to get between these guys.
Destiny hops out, her eyes bulging when she sees her belongings strewn across the yard. “Are you fucking serious? You little bitch! Can you believe I was actually going to apologize for what happened last night?” She laughs maniacally, the expression on her face one I’ve never seen before. “It’s not my fault your boyfriend chose me! We fucked so many times behind your back and you were too stupid to see the writing on the wall. After all his big wins, Cal was with me! Guess whose idea it was for me to move in with you? His!”
I don’t realize I’m lunging for her until I’m lifted off the ground.
“Calm down, Cruz Control,” Ben whispers in my ear. “Trust me, she’s not worth it.” I look down to see his muscular arms wrapped around me. Derek is holding back Destiny, but she’s still screaming obscenities.
My head pounds so hard, I have to blink several times to clear my vision. What was I thinking? It’s not like I’d actually hit her.
When I can see again, I take stock of the vitriol in her eyes. It makes me wonder how I ever thought we were friends.
Since she’s playing dirty, why am I holding back the truth?
“It’s sad you were willing to throw away our friendship for a guy who said you were all tits and ass and no brains.” Cal was drunk at the time, so I excused his crass description of my best friend, but I told him we would not be getting naked if he ever said that about her again. Guess the joke’s on me.
“At least I have tits!” she screams loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.
A little part of my soul crumbles, especially when I think about how all three of the girls in Cal’s bed were big-chested. I’m a modest B-cup. I was a late bloomer, practically concave until my senior year of high school, and Destiny knew exactly where to place the target.
Derek and I make eye contact, and I see the apology in his eyes as he drags her to his car. “I’ll be back in an hour to pick this up.” I can’t hear the angry words he murmurs to her, but Destiny eventually gets in his Mustang with a growl after she waves an obscene gesture in my direction.
Derek’s always been exceptionally nice to me, but he obviously knew Cal was banging half the town and kept his secrets. And based on his squirrelly behavior last night, he knew Cal was having a damn orgy behind my back. I’ve spent a lot of time with him and Cal, and next to Destiny and Cal’s treachery, Derek’s betrayal cuts deeply.
Derek Fowler can go fuck himself too.
At some point, Ben must’ve put me down because he steadies me from behind.
Johnny finally pipes up. “Sienna, don’t listen to that bitch. You have great tits. I’d totally motorboat ya.”
A sad laugh bubbles out of me, along with several tears, which I angrily swipe away. “I have no plans for motorboating anytime soon.”
Because there’s no one I trust anymore.
7
BEN
It’s officially the first week off from training since I don’t know when, I didn’t sleep last night, and I’m on the longest run of my life. But it’s the only way to work off the anxiety coursing through me. I left Dr. Patricia a message, although it’s Saturday evening, so I won’t hear from her until Monday.
Sweat drips into my eyes and mouth, and I swipe my hand across my face, which doesn’t help because that’s sweaty too. By the time I make it back to my house, I’m drenched, overheated, and still anxious as hell.
The question I’ve been asking myself all day goes off like a gong in my head. Do I really want to flip my whole life around because I have a kid, one I didn’t know existed until last night?