Page 56 of Forever Home

Fuck no.

“She deserves better,” I reply, trying to hold in my anger. The last thing I want is for her to be with some guy that looks like he’s in for a quick fuck. Granted, I didn’t really talk to the man, but it doesn’t matter. She deserves better than that piece of shit.

Knox nods his head, and reaches into his pocket before handing a few twenties to Callum, who begins laughing as he shakes his head. My eyes narrow in confusion as Callum seems to notice, pocketing the money. “Sorry, I bet Knox that you were into Madi. He lost.”

The fuck?

“I’m not into Madi…”

“Yes, you are,” they both say in unison.

I want to continue denying it, but I can’t. Because as much as I want to, it would be a lie. Ever since I came back to this place, I’ve found myself more and more drawn to her. Every part of me wishes to be closer to her, but my mind is unwilling to move on from the burn left by Caitlin. No matter how much every other part of me wants to.

“You want to know something funny?” Knox asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

“What’s that?”

He lifts his drink to his lips with a smile. “She had a crush on you all through high school and you never noticed it. My how the tables have turned.”

Is he being serious? There’s no way… she didn’t like me. I would have seen it… wouldn’t I?

If what Knox is saying is true, then I was more of an idiot than I originally thought. To be so blind that I didn’t notice the most perfect woman in the world stood before me, wanting me.

Just thinking about the past, everything begins to make more sense than it ever did before…

The party is alive as always when Asher and I attend. Jake, the kid whose house it is, is having the time of his life. With his parents out of town, he decided to make a name for himself by throwing the most epic party of the year. Or so that’s what he called it.

With a drink in my hand, girls flock to Asher and me. Sam and Asher have had another fight, and I finally hooked up with the blonde hottie from the volleyball team. Just thinking of her perky ass in those tight volleyball shorts excites me.

The stomping of feet on the stairs draws my attention to Madi, who comes down them rather quickly with tears in her eyes. My brows narrow in concern, as I step forward, catching her by her arm to stop her in her tracks. “Madi, what’s wrong?”

She shakes her head. “Forget it, it’s dumb.”

“Are you sure?”

She nods, “yeah. I’m sure. But hey… I heard you asked Alexa to prom.”

“Yeah,” I reply with a smile. My eyes drift around the room to land on Alexa, her blonde hair swinging from her ponytail behind her back as she chats with her friends. “Do you have someone you want to go with? I can help talk to them for you.”

She laughs, shaking her head. “Gosh, you have no idea… do you?”

I open my mouth slowly, but nothing comes out. My eyes stare at her with confusion as I try to understand what she means. What am I supposed to know?

“Never mind…” she mutters, “it doesn’t matter. I’m going home. I’ll see you Monday.”

“Okay…” I mumble, still trying to understand what’s going on. Madison’s figure leaves through the crowd of people as I try to understand what had happened. And who the fuck made her cry.

I was a complete idiot. She had cared for me for years and I overlooked her at every turn.

The stupidity of my actions weighs heavily on me. With only one thing clear.

There’s no way in hell I’ll make that mistake again.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Madison

Filming Day

I never thought the words would run through my mind soon enough. Just hearing the directing crew and the producer run through the agenda this morning brings a smile to my face. I wasn’t sure what to expect months ago when my mom and I agreed to everything, but now that I’m seeing and experiencing it… I can’t get enough.

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