Ruined Hopes: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (Rixon High) Page 6
“Dude, what happened to the bro code? I know you and Lily are practically joined at the hip now, but you don’t have to tell her everything we talk about.”
“I’m sure we can find you a nice girl to hook up with.” Lily smirked.
“I can get my own pussy, thanks.”
“Seriously?” Kaiden’s brow lifted.
“What?”
“You’re an asshole sometimes.”
“The girls aren’t offended by the word ‘pussy,’ am I right?”
“I…” Lily’s cheeks burned, but I just shrugged.
“Doesn’t offend me.”
“See, Leigh isn’t offended. She’s—”
A woman tripped into our table, spilling her soda everywhere. “Oh my God,” she shrieked. “I’m such a klutz.”
“Here, let us help.” Lily grabbed a wad of napkins, and we began mopping up the mess.
“Thank you. I didn’t see the table until it was too late. I’m practically sleepwalking.”
We finished cleaning up and the woman hovered. “I’m Penelope by the way.”
We all shared a strange look, but Lily smiled at her. “I’m Lily. This is my boyfriend, Kaiden, and my friends Ashleigh and Gav.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I appreciate the help.” A blush worked its way up her neck and into her cheeks. “Well, I guess I should get going. I’m meeting a friend.”
“Have fun,” Lily replied.
“Bye.” Penelope lifted her hand in a small wave and walked off, one soda lighter.
“Well, that wasn’t weird at all.” Gav snickered.
“Don’t be mean,” Lily said. “She seemed nice.”
“Nicer than Candice,” I mumbled.
“At least you won’t have to put up with her next semester.” Gav stuffed half a taco in his mouth.
“He has a point,” Kaiden said. “Candice Willis is a bitch.”
“She is,” Lily agreed. “But I heard her sister Zara is ten times worse. Poppy and Sofia hate her.”
“Great,” I grumbled. “Something to look forward to.”
Chapter Eight
Ashleigh
The party was loud and crowded. More crowded than Lily and Kaiden had said it would be.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, lacing her arm through mine. “It was supposed to be low key.”
“I guess someone let the cat out of the bag.”
“Yeah.” Bryan strolled up to us. “And when I find out who, heads will roll. Hey, Ashleigh.” He smiled. “It’s good to see you.”
“Hey. Nice party.”
“It would have been if half our class hadn’t showed up.” A loud crash pierced the air and Bryan tensed. “That’s my cue. Ladies.” He strolled away, bellowing, “I swear to God, I will fuck you up if you’ve broken anything.”
“Oh dear.” Carrie-Anne appeared. “This is… not what I expected.”
“You’re dating Bryan Hughes,” Lily said with a smile, as if the two of them were old friends. I guess they were now. “It kind of comes with the territory.”
I rubbed my chest, trying to force my racing heart to calm down.
There had been a time I’d lived for a good party. But this: the noise and the people and the constant stares, it was too much. Still, I didn’t want to give them anything else to whisper about, so I plastered on a fake smile, clutched my drink like a life raft and kept my mouth shut.
“He isn’t like that, not really.”
“Yeah, I know.” Lily smiled again. “How are you? Are you excited about college?”
“Yes, I can’t wait. What about you, Ashleigh?” Carrie-Anne gave me a sympathetic glance. “How are you feeling?”
“Honestly? A little out of my comfort zone.”
“Well, I’m glad you came. And Bryan gave me the key to his movie room, so we could go hang out in there… if you want to.”
“Actually, that sounds pretty perfect.”
“You two go,” Lily said. “I’ll tell Kaiden and the guys where we’re going.”
“Come on.” Carrie-Anne held out her hand, an offer of friendship, and I took it.
People stopped and stared as we passed them. But I realized they weren’t only staring at me. They were staring at Carrie-Anne too.
“Here we go.” She pulled out a thin rope necklace from inside her blouse and unhooked the key. “No one will bother us in here.”
It was an impressive room. A gray sectional and smaller couch faced a huge movie screen. The lights emitted a blue glow, giving the illusion of an actual movie theater, and there was even a bar area complete with popcorn maker and snack bowl. It was completely over-the-top but I loved it.
“Have I… been here before?”
“You don’t remember?”
“I… Lily didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” She frowned.
“The accident… something happened.” We got situated on one of the couches, the party raging on beyond the door.
“You don’t have to tell me,” she said.
“I know. I want to. It’s just… you’re the first person I’ve actually explained it to.” I inhaled a shuddering breath, trying to find the courage to explain it to her. “I have something called retrograde amnesia.”
“You lost your memory.”
I nodded. “Ten months.”
She gasped. “Senior year?”
Another nod. “I woke up and thought it was still September.”
“Oh my God, Ashleigh. I had no idea.”
“It’s not something I’m advertising but I guess people will find out eventually.” My shoulders lifted in a small shrug.
“So you can’t remember anything?”
“Nothing.”
Not a damn thing, and it was becoming increasingly frustrating as the days went on.
“Lily and Peyton filled me in on some stuff, and my parents tried to piece things together. But the memories are gone. Finals… prom… graduation…”
“That must be so hard, I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.” A strained smile tugged at my mouth. “So, you and Bryan, huh? I gotta admit, I never saw that coming. I mean, obviously, I did, but…”
Carrie-Anne laughed. “He’s… my best friend. That sounds so corny, doesn’t it? But being with Bryan is… it’s everything I never knew I needed.”
“You deserve to be happy.”
Lily appeared at the door. “Hey, mind if we join you?” She pulled Poppy and Sofia inside, and the three of them joined us on the sectional.
“God, Bryan has the best house.”
“He really, really does.” Carrie-Anne grinned. “But it makes me so mad that he’s here so much alone.”
“He won’t have that problem soon when you’re both away at college.”
Gav had grumbled something about Bryan’s parents always being away, but I didn’t want to ask about the specifics. People would grow tired quickly of having to keep getting me up to speed about things. So I sat quietly and listened.
“Yeah. God, I can hardly wait. Five more days.”
My chest constricted.
They were leaving. Then it would be Lily and Kaiden. And Gav.
And I’d be stuck here.
“Senior year will be fun though,” Poppy said as if she heard my thoughts. “I know it isn’t what you wanted.” She gave me a sympathetic smile. “But at least you’ll have me and Sofia.”
“Yeah.” I wondered if my expression looked as forced as I sounded.
Carrie-Anne jumped up and went over to the bar. “I thought we could celebrate.” She pulled out two bottles of champagne. “Since this is the last time we’ll all probably be together.”
Lily glanced at me and frowned. “Carrie-Anne, it’s not—”
“Lil, it’s okay,” I said. “She’s right. Who knows when this might happen again?”
Besides, a glass or two of alcohol might settle the tumultuous storm raging inside me.
Carrie-Anne let out a shriek of approval, handing around pink plastic champagne flutes. “I’ve been waiting for a reason to use these. Bryan’s parents bought the champagne for my mom, but she didn’t want it. It was all very awkward, so I stashed it here.”
“Fill me up.” Poppy grinned, holding her flute up.
“Two glasses,” Lily said with a pointed look.
“Relax, Mom. I promise not to get wasted and do anything too questionable.”
“Oh my God, Poppy, you’re so bad.”
“I know.” She grinned. “It’s fun, isn’t it?”
“Maybe it’ll give you enough courage to put the moves on Aaron.” Sofia threw her a knowing look.
“He’s not… I mean… we’re friends.”
“But you could be friends with benefits.”
“Seriously, Sofe, that’s your brother you’re talking about.”
“So? I know he’s not a saint! Besides, if he’s hooking up with you, at least I won’t have to deal with any psycho-girlfriends.” She scrunched her nose as if the idea repulsed her.
Carrie-Anne finally reached me and filled my glass. I brought it to my lips and slowly sipped at the bubbles. It was nicer than I expected. Fizzy with a fruity aftertaste. Without overthinking it, I knocked the glass back and downed it in one.
“Another won’t hurt,” I said, noticing the four of them watching me.
Carrie-Anne shrugged, giving me a refill.
“Thanks.”
“Senior year could be interesting, you know,” she said. “Poppy is hung up on Aaron, you’re hung up on Ezra, and Sofia likes—”
“No one. Sofia likes no one.”
“So, I didn’t see you and Cole Kandon making moon eyes at each other the other day when we were all over at your house?”
“He’s my brother’s best friend.”
“And?” Lily said.
“And there’s a rule for that kind of thing. Even if there was something between us, and there’s not, he would never act on it.”
“You know my mom and dad got together despite dad being Uncle Jase’s best friend,” I said to no one in particular, staring at the bubbles in my drink. The way they drifted toward the top and then popped into oblivion.
“Guys like to think they have a bro code, but when it comes down to it, they only think with their dicks.”
“Poppy!” Lily gasped.
“What? It’s true.” She slurped her drink and I realized she was probably already a little drunk. “Guys have a one-track mind.”
“You mean, most guys.”
She shrugged. “I guess Kaiden is different.”
“Kaiden and Bryan.” Carrie-Anne cleared her throat.
But I was barely paying them any attention, too stuck on the part where Poppy had said guys had a one-track mind.
It wasn’t all guys, I knew that, but she had a point. Most teenage guys thought about sex—a lot. Heck, most of them were doing it a lot. They usually wanted no-string hookups.
Ezra had never once tried anything with me.
Not once.
All the times I’d been there, forced myself into his space and refused to budge, he’d never once taken what I would have gladly offered.
My stomach sank. Ezra was gorgeous. Mysterious and brooding. Girls noticed him, got all dreamy-eyed and breathless whenever he was around. And yet, I’d never seen him with a single girl.
How was that possible?
Surely, he had needs. Urges and fantasies.
Even if he didn’t want a relationship, he would have zero issues finding someone willing to fool around. Maybe he already had.
Someone except me.
Irritation flashed inside me. I hadn’t been this self-conscious before the accident. Sure, I’d been knocked back by him a couple of times, but I never let it dent my persistence. Because there were moments, small glimpses where Ezra did let me in. They were rare and precious, but real, nonetheless. And I treasured them. Clung onto them and held them tight, letting them grow into something bigger.
But never once did I feel so… so uncertain about who I was and what I wanted.
Oh God, what if I’d been fooling myself all this time.
“I need some fresh air,” I said, downing my second drink.
“Do you want me to come—”
“No, stay.” I locked eyes with Lily, silently telling her everything I couldn’t say. “I’ll be back.”
Before she could argue, I turned and walked out of the movie room. I hadn’t expected to walk straight into the guys, but that’s exactly what happened.
“Trying to escape already?” Gav asked.
“I need some fresh air.” I went to move around them, but he grabbed my arm, his eyes narrowed with concern.
“I’ll come with you.”
“Gav, you don’t have to do that,” I said.
“I know I don’t, but I want to. Let me help.”
“Fine, okay. But only if you promise to find me another drink.”
I didn’t want to witness the night in black and white, I wanted to see it in Technicolor. I wanted to be so overstimulated that it was impossible to dwell on what had happened.
“I’m not sure that’s—”
“I swear to God, Gav, if you say that’s not a good idea, I will lose my… Ever. Loving. Shit.”
“Understood.” He smirked, motioning for me to follow him out of the house and into the yard.
“How’s it going then?”
“How’s what going?” he asked.
“You know, the pussy hunt.”
“Pussy hunt.” He spluttered. “Wow, Leigh, how many of those have you had tonight?” His gaze dropped to the empty glass still in my hand.
I hadn’t realized I’d brought it with me. But now I had, part of me never wanted to let it go.
“I’m fine. But I do need another drink.”
“Lily will hang me by the balls if she finds out I plied you with alcohol and let you drown your sorrows with the likes of me.”
“What’s wrong with the likes of you?”
“Nothing. I’m… Forget it.”
“You’re not that bad, Gav.”
“Nice, Leigh Leigh, real nice.” He slung his arm around my shoulder and led me toward the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of something as we passed. I didn’t really care what it was, I just needed to get out of here.
I needed air.
I needed to get out of my goddamn head.
A few people gawked at us but the alcohol coursing through my veins made everything fade into the background.
Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I was drinking. But I liked it. I liked being out of my own head, not overthinking, overanalyzing, obsessing over everything I’d lost.
Because that was exhausting.
“Here we go,” Gav guided me to a chair and nudged me down. I fell with an oomph, giggling as my ass hit the seat.
“You’re drunk,” he said.
“So I am.” I flashed him a toothy grin.
“Well, I might as well join you.” He unscrewed the bottle of liquor and drank a generous amount, hissing through his teeth when he was done. “That’s strong.”
“Wimp.” I chuckled, leaning back in the chair and kicking my legs out in front of me. A blanket of stars twinkled down on us. Inky black sky for miles. It was so beautiful. Vast and endless.
For that split second in time, it made me feel better, like things would all work out and be okay.
Until Gav opened his mouth and ruined it.
“Repeating senior year, that’s gotta be rough.”
“Yeah,” I murmured, really not wanting to get into it.
“If it’s any consolation, I’ll still be around.”
“What?” I glanced over at him. “I thought you were heading to Maryland.”
“That was the plan. But I can’t leave my mom and sister.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal. I sensed it was though. “Can’t do it.”
“What will you do instead?”
“I spoke to Rixon Community College. I can take some classes there, look into getting a part-time job.”
“Giving up college for your family.” I let out a thin breath. “That’s a big deal.”
“Yeah, well, sometimes you gotta do what you can do. And they need me… more than I need freshman pussy.”
“Oh my God, you’re such a dork.”
“A hot dork though, right?” Gav smirked but it didn’t reach his eyes. He looked… lost.
Without thinking, I reached for his hand and grabbed it. His eyes widened a little. “You’re a good guy, Gav,” I said. “Don’t ever forget that.”
“You know what they say about good guys, Leigh Leigh?”
“What?”
“Good guys always finish last.”
Chapter Nine
Ezra
“Ezra.” Pen smiled, weaving her way toward me through the empty diner. “I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.”
“Needed one of Manny’s burgers.”
It wasn’t a total lie.
There wasn’t much that one of his homemade patties couldn’t fix, but I wasn’t only here for the food. There was a party at Bryan Hughes’s house. I’d heard Sofia and Aaron talking about it. It was a low-key thing. Football team players and their girls only.
And Ashleigh.
I’d wanted to rage at them—to tell them she wasn’t ready to be at some party, getting drunk, and making all kinds of teenage mistakes. But it wasn’t my right, so I’d done the next best thing. Gone for a run, showered, and then headed straight here.
Although from the way Penny was looking at me, I was thinking it was a mistake coming here.
“Usual table?” she said, breaking the thick tension. I nodded, following her toward the back of the diner. “You need a menu, or do you want your usual?”
“Usual, please.”
“Every time.” She smiled again, her eyes glittering with something I didn’t want to acknowledge.
Aaron was right, she was cute. Those dark, long lashes framing big brown eyes. Legs for days peeking out from under The Junction standard issue red and white striped outfit.
“What?”
Her voice snapped me from my thoughts.
“I… uh, shit, sorry.”
“It’s okay.” That soft laughter of hers made the knot in my stomach unravel. “I’ll ring your order through and get your drink.”