CHAPTER 54
LUKE
It’s almost been a month.
That’s how long I’ve been doing my best to ignore Jess, and it’s been pure hell. Every day, I remind myself that she’s better off without me. I’m bad news for her, and I know it. But damn, she makes it hard. Especially now that she’s dating Tom, I can see it on her face though, sometimes. It’s a flicker so fast that anyone else would miss it, but it’s there. That little bit of resistance when Tom takes her hand or hesitation when he leans in to kiss her. A small part no, a big part of me likes it. Like’s the fact that she’s not able to give herself to Tom 100%, and that makes me 100% bad for her.
–
Josh is preoccupied with Laura, lost in his own world, leaving me stuck in the shadows, just watching–watching something I can never have. My chest tightens with frustration, and I try to shake it off, but it’s no use. I need to punch something.
The more I push her away, the more she invades my thoughts, dreams, and showers. Now I’m frustrated, and rage is pumping. through me. Maybe it was practice, or maybe it was because To walked into the locker room today announcing he plans on asking Jessica to Prom.
I hate fucking Prom. I hate what it means and just the whole idea of it, and I know Jessica feels the same, or at least I think she does.
CHAPTER 54
Swallowing my pride, I walked over to Tom and told him that I knew for a fact Jessica wanted to go with him. It’s a lie, but what the hell? The reason he came in to announce it in the first place was to get my approval. He needed Josh’s approval, but Josh wasn’t here right now, so he got me. I’m supposed to be her brother as well, right? What a fucking joke. I was the furthest thing from being her brother.
I did my best to keep myself as calm as possible as I walked out of the locker room, Tom behind me.
Out in the hall, I bump into Tiffany. The overexcited cheerleader’s shrill voice giving me an instant headache. She’s been useful as a distraction from Jess, and when she’s not talking, she’s not half bad. Tiffany was going on about something, but I stopped listening when I saw Jess walking in with Sam and Laura. For a second, I was confused; I thought Josh was with Laura. Maybe I heard wrong when he told me he needed to meet her out back.
Jessica wore that green, skin–tight dress that showed off every curve and gave everyone a view of her creamy, well–defined legs. I swallowed hard, my throat dry. She’s a vision, and it took everything in me not to stare.
“Luke, are you even listening?” Tiffany snaps her fingers in my face, pulling me out of my trance
“What? Yeah. Sure,” I mumble absentmindedly.
Suddenly, Tiffany was beside herself with excitement. She planted a kiss on my lips, “Prom is going to be great! I’ll color- coordinate our outfits. Don’t worry. Leave everything to me,” she squeaked before practically dancing out into the hall, gunning straight for Jessica.
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What the hell did I just get myself into?
I watch as Tiffany bounces up to Jessica, her excitement radiating off her. Jessica looked surprised, and for a split second, her eyes met mine.
There’s a flicker of something–hurt, maybe?-but it’s gone before I can be sure. I couldn’t hear their conversation, bu guessing that Tiffany was informing them that we were goi Prom. As irritating and aloof as Tiffany was, she knew how to evoke pure evil sometimes.
I watched Tom ask Jessica to Prom along with half of the school, and there it was–that split second of hesitation, like always–the hesitation that gave me hope when it shouldn’t. I wanted to smile at it, but I kept myself as impassive as possible.
There’s a moment of silence, and then Jessica’s eyes flicker across the room, landing on me. I force my face into a mask of indifference, even though my insides are churning. She looks back at Tom, and I can see her mentally making the decision.
Good girl.
I can’t stay here and watch this, but Tom walked over before I could get out of this place. I wanted to take him by his collar, slam him into the wall, and tell him to get his hands off of her, but instead, I stepped forward and congratulated him, ignoring a shocked Jessica standing right next to him.
I turn on my heel and walk away, my heart pounding in my chest. Every step feels like I’m walking further away from the only person who’s ever made me feel something real.
CHAPTER SE
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Jessica deserves better. She deserves someone like Tom, someone who can give her everything I can’t. But it doesn’t make it any easier. It doesn’t stop the ache in my chest or the burning jealousy that eats at me every time I see them together.
This is for her own good. I repeat the mantra over and over, hoping one day I’ll actually believe it.
CHAPTER 15
