Kinsley snickers next to me as Savannah makes her way to the seat across the room. However, she shuts up as soon as Sav turns around and glowers at her. I make a mental note to pay attention to the relationship between the two of them, but first I want to see what’s up with her and Delaney.
Throughout class, I subtly glance their way, only to find them completely refusing to look at each other. It’s strange to see them like this. Hell, there were times I was sure Savannah liked Delaney more than me—something she always denied, but it still made me wonder. Now, it’s like they were never friends at all.
THE BELL RINGS AND the entire class gets up. Savannah is out the door like she’s in some kind of hurry, but it’s probably just to get away from me. Good, I make her nervous. I mouth for Delaney to wait for me, and thankfully she listens. After telling Carter and Jace that I’ll meet them at the lockers, I head out the door.
“Okay, so what was that?” Laney asks as soon as I’m close enough.
I tilt my head to the side. “What was what?”
“That.” She points toward the classroom. “In there. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you and Savannah act that way toward each other.”
“Yeah, well.” I shrug. “We’re not the same kids we used to be. Speaking of which, what’s up with you and Savannah? You two hardly acknowledged each other.”
Delaney looks down at her sweatshirt sleeve and plays with it, almost like a distraction or a nervous habit. “I wish I knew. After you moved away, things were different. Her dad sold their house a year after you left, and I didn’t see or talk to Savannah for a while. Tessa either. It was like she fell off the face of the earth.”
My brows furrow. “But you two go to school together.”
“We didn’t.” She shakes her head. “No one had seen or heard from her until freshman year, when she showed up here, looking like that. I tried to talk to her a few times, but it’s never gone well. She’s not the same girl she used to be.”
“Apparently not.” I shrug. “Well, you’ve always got me.”
She smiles. “Thanks, Grayson. I’ve got to meet Tess before class, but I’ll talk to you later.”
I give her a hug and the two of us go our separate ways. Just before I get to my locker, I can see everyone watching intently as Savannah says something to Kinsley, her body unnecessarily close. Her eyes catch sight of me, and while it looks like she wants to soften, she doesn’t. She shoves herself past her so-called friend then pushes her shoulder into me as well. Only difference between me and Kinsley is that I won’t lie down and take it.
Grabbing her wrist, I ignore the feel of her soft skin under my fingertips as she spins around. She looks at my hand and then up to my face. It’s then that I see it—the white gold plate with her name engraved on the front hanging from her neck. Unless she got a new one, which I doubt, it’s the same necklace that has “Love, Grayson” etched into the back of it. The sight of her wearing it has me ready to explode all on its own.
This bitch is the reason my father is fucking dead, and now here she is—wearing something bought with his money like a fucking trophy. I release her arm with force and wipe my hand on my jeans.
“Don’t ever fucking shove me again.”
She swallows harshly before composing herself and continuing her escape. I watch as she disappears, not looking away until she’s out of sight. Once she’s gone, I walk up to Kinsley and place my hand on her cheek, rubbing my thumb across it.
“Are you all right?” I ask her.
“Y-yeah.”
It may be cruel to use her as a pawn in my sick and twisted game, but I’ve never been more determined than I am right now. Savannah is going to wish that lie never left her pretty little mouth.
5
Savannah
“And five, six, seven, eight!”
I count in the team as they practice their scorpions at extension. Emma nails it as usual, while Becca’s could really use some work. Kinsley stands back, watching, with a scowl on her face. She really needs to get her damn attitude in check before I kick her ass off the team. The only reason I haven’t is because she’s the only person, besides myself, who can do a back aerial—a trick I find useful to impress the judges during competition season.
“Bec, you need to work on getting that leg straighter,” I tell her.
She cradles out of the stunt and goes over to Liam, knowing no one can help her stretch better than him. The sight of the football team in the distance has my stomach churning. I watch as Grayson throws the ball across the field, looking like a fucking god when his muscles contract with the movement.
After the little spat in the hallway, I threw myself into brainstorming ideas for cheer and the winter dance recital. It was the best way I could think to avoid him. Between the feeling I get seeing him again, and the way he looks at me, like I repulse him, I can’t seem to get a grip on how I feel about him being back here. My heart wants me to run as fast as possible into his arms, while the logical part of me is screaming to stay away. There was a point in time where he knew me better than I knew myself. If anyone can figure out my whole reputation is a lie, it’s him.
“Okay, now onto basket tosses. Em, let’s see what you’ve got.”
After counting her in, she’s tossed in the air and does the stunt flawlessly. Without hesitation, if someone asked me who my favorite girl on the team is, it would be her. She’s always willing to try something new, and if I tell her to fix something, she does it. The other girls are good, but she’s exactly what we need on this team.
“Heads!” Carter yells as the ball comes flying toward us.
I manage to catch it and throw it back. “Tell your QB to watch where he throws that thing. We’re practicing stunts and if one of my girls gets hurt because he can’t aim a ball, we’ll have some problems.”
“Tell him yourself.” Grayson says, standing closer than I had thought.
My heart starts to race as I swallow down the lump in my throat. Turning around, he’s no more than ten feet away from me, staring me down like he’s daring me to go against him. The T-shirt clings to his body in all the right places, showing off his toned muscles. His shorts rest low on his hips. It’s everything that could render me completely defenseless, but if I show weakness now, I’ll never recover.
Placing one hand on my hip, I channel all the confidence I have into my words. “I would, but that’d mean giving you a second thought—and I don’t waste my time on the insignificant.”
His head falls back as laughter bellows from his mouth. “That’s rich coming from a spineless little bitch like you. Don’t fuck with me, Montgomery. You’ll only end up burned.”
“I love it when people insult me. It means I don’t have to play nice anymore.”
“All right,” Carter intervenes. “Let’s not kill each other on the damn field. It’ll take weeks for the blood to wash out of the turf.” He comes over and places his hands on my shoulders. “You okay, Sav?”
I watch as Grayson goes over to Kinsley and whispers something in her ear. She giggles happily, and within seconds, she’s practically salivating at the mouth. The sight alone is enough to send me into a jealousy fueled rage.