Page 112 of The Plan

“What?!” I sound as if he just said the most absurd shit ever, but he practically did. “No, I don't need rehab.” My voice comes out frantic becauseI can’t go back there.He ignores me and continues.

“You go to rehab after you tell me what happened with Vidia—”

“No, I—”

“Stop saying no because you don’t have a fucking choice!” I take a step back at his tone. He’s never yelled at me before. Not like this. Even when I said all that fucked up shit to Lisette the other day, he yelled, but he didn’t raise his voice like this. With such authority. I sit back down and stare at Vidia’s ring in my hand.

“You have ten minutes before they come back with that drug test, so start talking, or I walk. I don’t give a shit if that means I’m dead to you because I would rather be dead to you than you actually ending up dead.”

I let out a sigh and start with what happened at the party but skip over the miscarriage because it still feels too fresh. He asks what Brent was talking about, and I rub a hand down my face.

I really fucking wish I could go back in time right now.

“Look, it’s your girlfriend.” August throws the paper of his straw at me, and I look up from my phone, searching the restaurant. My eyes quickly land on her, and I feel my breath get caught in my throat at the sight of her. She’s so fucking beautiful.

She’s in a pastel blue, skin-tight dress, and she’s sitting across from an older woman who kind of resembles her and looks oddly familiar.

“She’s not my girlfriend.” I turn back to August. “Not yet, at least.” I bite back a smile, and he’s shaking his head.

“I don’t get why you don’t just ask her out. You made me invite you two out with Hazel and me, but you can’t ask her out yourself?” I shake my head at him because I’ve already explained this to him.

“She doesn’t date, so I need to ease my way in, or she’ll just shut me down and run.” I shrug, and August smirks at me. I had them invite us on their date so I could get on a date with her without her thinking it was a date.

I’m not sure why she doesn’t date, but this plan of mine to slow her into it by going on double dates with my brother and her best friend will work. I know it. We’ve already been on two, and I’m going to keep having August invite us.

“I really doubt she’ll shut you down and run. We had fun, but either way, there's no way she’ll reject you. You’re the second most popular guy at school.”

“What do you mean I’m the second most popular? Who’s the first?”

“Me. Duh.”

I snicker and look back down at my phone. “I’m the captain. I’m the most popular, Hale.” I don’t care for popularity, but I know it bugs him.

“And I’m the co-captain. We share responsibilities, Griffin.”

“He's still the most popular.” Buzz sits across from us, and a few of our other teammates trickle into the booth.

“Holy shit, is that the coach of the Tampa Bay Rays?” I look around the restaurant and then follow Brent's eyes on the woman sitting across from Vidia. “Wait, that girl goes to our school, right?”

I confirm, and he goes on to say how they look alike.

“Is she her daughter?!” He sounds dumbfounded, but I don’t get why. He goes on, raving about how she decides what scouts are called for our school this year, but what does that have to do with Vidia?

August says he’s going to the bathroom, and when he passes her, she looks over to our table, and her eyes lock on mine. She’s still smiling at something her mom said, and I can’t bring myself to tear my gaze from her.

“Imagine the benefits that come with dating the daughter of a famous coach.” I tune out whatever they’re talking about, and my eyes slowly sweep down her figure. “It’ll be so easy too. Step one, fuck her. Step two, string her along until you meet her mom. The rest is given.”

I watch her cross her legs, and as I stare at her, I feel myself smirking. She mouths, “cheater”at me. She’s clearly still stuck on the fact that I won when we went bowling.

Instead of telling her, once again, that I didn't cheat, I flip her off. She bites back a smile and slowly puts her hand where her legs are crossed. Then, because she knows that’s where I’m looking, she flips me off. I chuckle and shake my head.

“Well, if that’s the plan, I want to execute it.”

“No way. It’s my plan, and I get to do it.” That grabs my attention as my brain plays catch up, and I realize they’re talking about her.

“Too bad. She’s already mine.” She isn’t an object we should fight over, but I didn’t like how they were talking about fucking her.

“So, you’re going to be the one who executes the plan?” I hear Vidia’s laugh from across the room, and I turn back to look at her. God, I love her laugh.

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