Page 37 of The Sweetest Revenge

When Ariella was in her element, she owned that field. My chest tightened with a familiar ache.

Suddenly, I was in high school again, leaning against the metal bars of the bleachers, watching her dance. I'd been obsessed with her for as long as I could remember.

But she was my little sister's best friend.

"Stay away from Ariella," Kacie had begged me. "Promise me, Zaiden."

And I tried. God knows I tried.

Ariella leaned forward before flipping her head up, her long blonde hair flying everywhere. If this had been before, her eyes would have met mine, but not this time. Now, she purposefully avoided me. She spun around to the opposite side of the field, and my gaze dropped to her ass, following as it moved with the beat.

My teeth sank into my bottom lip as heat pooled low in my body, the familiar ache of wanting someone I shouldn't. The contradiction twisted inside me—how the same person could simultaneously make my blood boil with rage and my skin burn with desire. Each beat of the music pulled her body into movements that felt like they were designed specifically to torture me.

The crowd cheered the girls on, and something about the fact that other men were watching Ariella triggered something dark inside me.

The music ended, and the girls froze, their big smiles and wide eyes staring up into the stadium.

"Can we fucking go now?" Sterling growled.

The girls ran off the field, and the announcer came over the speaker, announcing the cheerleaders.

"Yeah." I pushed off the metal bars, my gaze lingering on the tunnel where Ariella had disappeared. "Let's get out of here."

"Thank you." Sterling threw his hands up dramatically, eyes rolling toward the stadium lights. "Let's go meet the guys at Hawk's party."

"Nah," I shook my head. "I'm going home."

"To the frat house?"

"No." The bike keys bit into my palm as I gripped them tighter. "To my dad's."

Sterling's "Whatever, bro" bounced off my back as I shouldered through the heavy exit doors. His footsteps veered in the opposite direction.

The cool night air hit my face as I entered the parking lot. My phone chimed in my pocket.

I pulled it out and groaned as 'Mom' scrolled across the screen.

My thumb hovered over the phone, her name flashing like a warning. A year of these calls, and every conversation still felt like moving chess pieces between two kingdoms at war. I took a deep breath and answered, already mentally preparing myself for whatever battle she was recruiting me for this time.

"Hello." I sighed, the cool metal of my bike beneath me.

"Hey, honey." Her voice came through too bright, too chipper, the artificial sweetness crackling through the speaker.

"When are you going to be at your dad's again?"

I blew out a heavy sigh. This was what all our conversations consisted of. She wanted me to tell my dad something or find something in the house.

"I have no idea," I lied. "What do you need?" I stopped in front of my bike.

"I need you to let me know when the house will be empty." I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "I'm missing some of Kacie's things, and I want them back."

"What are you missing, Mother?" I kept my voice steady.

"It's just a few sentimental things that I thought I had, but I don't. They are probably in the garage. I would prefer to come get them."

There was nothing left of Kacie's in the house except a small keepsake box my father kept with pictures, a few things that were special to him, and one picture that still hung in his office. Everything else was gone. I knew nothing was left in the garage, which meant she wanted to start trouble with Ariella's mom and my dad.

I pressed my lips into a tight line as I decided how I wanted to handle this. "Mom, Dad and Claire don't want you in the house anymore." I honestly wouldn't care, except I didn't want to be in the middle anymore. "And I don't plan on going back to the house any time soon. You should call Dad to see if he can help you find whatever you're looking for."

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