Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 137433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 550(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 550(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
But I need to be here today. At school. I have unfinished business to take care of.
When Bailey was in a coma, and Mel and I were sitting outside her room, enjoying lukewarm hospital coffee and anxiety-inducing conversation, I remembered the moment before Jaime called us up when he found Bailey unresponsive.
Mel had just said that Thalia had visited Bailey a few hours before she overdosed and pointed out that she and Jaime had conducted a thorough drug search of the house hours before.
I put two and two together. Thalia was Bailey’s only point of contact other than me for a good chunk of time. And I sure as fuck didn’t give her drugs.
Which leaves me with one candidate…
The person who actually threatened to give her drugs. Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire.
And Thalia right now is stinking of fumes.
I find her leaning against her locker, hugging her textbooks to her chest while Austin looms close, flirting with her. When she sees me heading in her direction, a teasing smile touches her lips.
She thinks it’s an incoming jealous scene. This girl is about as observant as a pair of dirty underwear.
Pushing Austin out of the way casually, making him stumble and fall down on his ass and drawing a few chuckles, I get all up in my ex-girl-something’s face. “Have a little walk with me.”
Thalia pouts, giving me her good profile. “I don’t know, Cole. You’re not making it awfully attractive to me right now with that tone of yours.”
I flash a seductive smile, lowering my face to brush my lips over her ear. “If you don’t take a walk with me right now, I’m going to report you to the police for soliciting and buying hard drugs, and then whatever options you still have to go to college will go down in flames, along with your reputation. How ’bout that, sweetheart?”
She jerks her head back and stares at me in horror. “Lead the way.”
Thalia turns around, shoves her textbooks into her locker, and slams it shut.
I’m already on the other side of the hallway. She follows me hurriedly. I’m doing everything I can to remain calm, but it’s hard when this idiot almost killed the person I love more than anything else in this life. I slip into the lab, and she does the same. I lock the door behind us, plastering a hand over her head.
Her eyes widen in fear. Honestly? She should be scared right now.
“Whatever Bailey told you,” Thalia starts, erecting her finger between us, “I wouldn’t believe her. After all, she’s a junk—”
I press a finger over her mouth, and the idiot immediately melts into my touch. “Let’s get one thing out of the way—the next time you refer to Bailey as a junkie or any other questionable epithet, I’ll send one of your nudes to the entire grade’s WhatsApp group. I wouldn’t put anything past me. Don’t let the dimples and good grades fool you—we both know I’m an asshole when I want to be.”
She swallows and licks her lips. I move my hand from her mouth. She nods, letting me know she got the message.
“Now, let’s establish a few things.” My hand curls around her neck. “I know you sold and/or led Bailey to drugs. I know you gave her drugs the day she overdosed too. And I know you did it because, despite my explaining to you in simple fucking English that you never were more than a warm hole, you thought you had a chance at us being something more. Correct me if I got anything wrong so far.”
Tears fill her eyes, but she says nothing. I hate the words that come out of my mouth, but I hate her more for what she did.
Plus, maybe if she hadn’t reintroduced Bailey to drugs, Dove wouldn’t have to go to rehab and could be right here with me.
This is an unhealthy thought. It is good for Bailey to be in rehab. But my feelings for my best friend may forever skim the line between love and obsession.
I don’t need someone like Thalia maliciously sabotaging Bailey.
“Whatever, let’s go with that.” Thalia’s voice is hoarse, like she’s been internally screaming for months now. Maybe she has.
I have no doubt I haven’t heard her cries. I was too attuned to one girl and one girl only.
“Yeah, that’s pretty accurate. So what? You’re gonna fuck up my life in retaliation?” she bites out. “Get your rocks off by ruining a poor girl’s life?”
“Your financial situation has nothing to do with it. The fact you almost killed my best friend does.” I bang my open palm just above her head and she jumps with a yelp.
The sound echoes around the room. I need to control my temper before I lose it.
“Bailey could have said no.” Thalia tries to push me away from her, desperate for an escape. “She didn’t. She cared about drugs more than she did about you. You can point fingers at everyone and everything, but the truth of the matter is, Bailey wanted to be corrupted and I’m the only one who dared show you that.”