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)
“She doesn’t want you. And she’s in a very bad place now. It’s not like you’d be able to hook up when she’s in this state.”
Gently, I pry her hands off my shirt. “Thalia.”
“It’s true.” She dumps her joint on the ground, tramping on it, glancing at me through red-rimmed eyes. “Aren’t you tired of being strung along? Of wasting your time chasing a girl who doesn’t get you? Me, I get you. I accept you as you are. I’ll never give you trouble.”
Whatever happened to exclusive fuck buddies? This veered off route and is currently not even in the same state as casual.
“She scored drugs today. I have to focus on getting her help.” I grab the beer between us and down it in frustration.
“H—how do you know? Do you know who sold them to her?” Thalia splutters, looking panicked. “Ohmygosh, that’s cray!”
I shrug helplessly, softening that Thalia cares for Bails too.
I’ve no idea how Bailey scored drugs in Todos Santos. Must be someone who doesn’t know me, as no one is stupid enough to cross me that badly.
“But this isn’t about her spiraling. I don’t understand,” Thalia screeches, looking slighted. “I’m tailor-made for you. She’s nothing! Just a nepo baby who can’t even keep her shit together.”
I stand up, ready to leave. She clutches my arm, then falls to her knees, wrapping her hands around my ankle.
Honest enough to recognize this is all my fault, I spare her the colorful words for talking shit about Bailey.
“Look, it’s not you. You’re amazing. Fuck-hot, easy to get along with, sweet. You’ll find someone else. You deserve someone else.” I shake her off my ankle like she’s a stray cat. “It’s impossible not to fall for you,” I lie.
“But you still managed not to.” She buries her face in my sweatpants, still clutching tight. “Because you’re already in love, aren’t you?”
I incline my head, wordlessly admitting as much.
“Ugh. I hate that I fell for you.” She sniffles, rubbing at her arms. “No point in asking you to try to do the same, huh?” She rolls back to sit on her backyard’s deck, regaining her composure.
“We don’t choose who we fall in love with. That’s what makes love so fucking great, T. It’s like a present. The surprise is the best part.”
She bites her lip, jerking her foot impatiently, thinking all of this over.
“What’re you thinking?” I ask.
“Now I’m just worried about my reputation. It’s gonna look sus, Lev.” She rubs at her chin, frowning. “People know Bailey’s in town. It’ll be extra humiliating for me when word comes out. Everyone s-speculated you would ditch me as soon as she set foot back in Todos Santos.” She wipes at her red nose. “Never mind. This is a me problem, not a you problem.”
She isn’t wrong. I’m trash for Bailey Followhill, and that is the worst kept secret in SoCal.
“I’ll tell them you dumped me,” I volunteer. Big egos are for people with small dicks.
She snorts, shaking her head. “As if anyone’s gonna believe that.”
An idea pops into my head. Thing is, it’s actually not a bad idea for Bailey to think I’m still attached to Thalia.
It would make her focus on her sobriety and less about manipulating my pussy-whipped ass to be her partner in crime.
I screw up my nose. “What if we don’t tell anyone we’ve broken up?”
“What do you mean?” She perks up, looking intrigued.
Shrugging, I explain, “What if we forget telling people we’ve broken up for a month or two so they assume we’re still together? You can set the ground. Tell people I’m a self-involved jerk or whatever—not a lie—for when you dump me.” And that way Bailey won’t get any ideas and I won’t be tempted to take her up on her salacious offers.
“Oh, Levy.” Thalia rises up and flings her arms over my shoulders. She buries her face in my shoulder. “Thank you, this means the world to me. You’re so thoughtful.”
I pat her back awkwardly, wondering if I just made a deal with the devil. She pulls away.
“Just tell me one thing.” Her fingers curl around the lapels of my varsity jacket that still smells like Bails. “If Bailey never existed, do you think we’d have had a chance?”
And because my life is a recollection of white lies strung together by good intentions, I tell her what she wants to hear, not anything remotely true.
“Yes.”
CHAPTER 13
Lev
I wake up with a stiffy from last night’s scene with Bailey and a headache from my bargain with Thalia. I flip my phone on my nightstand and check my text messages.
Thalia: Thanks for agreeing to do what we talked about last night. <3
Thalia: When do u wanna hang out?
Bailey: I know what I want for my birthday.
This last one from Bails makes me smile. Her birthday isn’t until December. I immediately yank my phone from the charger and text her. What do you want?