Page 29 of Chasing Elliott
“Stay out of this, Drea,” Benjamin muttered, running a hand down his face.
“What is going on?” Cooper piped up, looking between the three of us.
“I saw the picture,” Benjamin snapped as he reached for his phone and held it out in my direction, ignoring Cooper but addressing me. Snatching it from his grip, I narrowed my eyes at it before my face fell and anger coursed through me.
I was staring at a picture of Kara standing outside our townhome with Johnathan. Her back was practically pressed against the door with her arms around his neck as he buried his head in her shoulder.
“And this is exactly why you should’ve fucking talked to her,” I fired back, throwing his phone at him. “She was talking to him for me because I wasn’t ready to, okay? They’re friends, Benji. They were friends before I ever knew him. I can’t believe you really think she’d cheat on you.”
“You’re just covering for her,” he mumbled as he flipped his laptop back open.
“Why weren’t you ready to talk to him?” Cooper asked, pulling my attention over to him.
I took a deep breath, shaking my head as I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth. “Now really isn’t the time, Coop.”
“Wait,” I heard who Benjamin had previously called Drea say. “Just going out on a limb here, but if what she’s saying is true, could it be your ex?” She directed at Cooper. “I mean, trying to stir up drama definitely sounds like something she would do. Although, what could shepossibly get out of getting between Kara and Ben? That won’t break you two up.”
“First off, we’re not dating,” I replied, tilting my head slightly. “I however do want to apologize for how I stormed in here and I want a second chance at a first impression later. But first, I got a bitch I need to put in her place.”
“You really don’t think this was her, do you?” Cooper asked incredulously, glancing between me and Drea with a furrow in his brow.
Pushing past the two of them with one last glance in Benjamin’s direction, I made my way toward the front door. “You’re damn right I do, and she’s about to get a piece of my mind.”
I stormed down the hall, practically kicking the boxes in my path as I made a beeline for the door. I wasn’t a huge fan of confrontation, didn’t enjoy starting a fight, but I sure as hellwould finish one if the need arose - and it just had.
“Wait,” I heard Drea yell after me as I stepped outside. “Let me drive you. I do not want to miss this.”
I raised a brow as she walked past me and over to a yellow beetle, pulling open the driver's side door. “You got beef with her, too?”
“Oh, sweetie,” she chuckled, resting her arm on top of the car. “If only you knew. But that’s a story for another time.”
“I’m holding you to that.”
I walked onto the practice diamond where the team seemed to be having a party celebrating the new auditions to the roster. Pushing past endless amounts of drunk and hungover college students with Andrea on my heels, I finally spotted the mop of blonde hair I was looking for.
“You got this,” Andrea told me confidently. “But I’m here if you need backup.”
“Laura,” I yelled as I approached, placing a hand on her shoulder and spinning heraround so she was facing me. “What the hell is the matter with you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she tried to tell me sweetly, but I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth as my anger broke the surface.
I took a step forward so we were practically chest to chest, raising my nose at herslightly. “I don’t care what you try to do to me or Cooper, but you made a big fucking mistakewhen you brought Kara into this. Our beef stays between us.”
“You two think you’re so special,” Laura spat as she narrowed her eyes at me, speaking slightly louder so the crowd around us could hear. “Think you own the fucking world and every guy in it, but you don’t. You’re just a girl with daddy issues and a shitty home life who turned into a slut to make herself feel better. And Kara? Oh, she’s an even bigger fraud than you. Walking around in her perfect little outfits and innocent personality, when in reality she’s no better than you.”
“Oh,hell no,” I heard Andrea say from behind me. “Hey, let me go.”
I didn’t bother turning around to see who had stopped her, too blinded by my own anger. The minute she started badmouthing Kara, all rationalization went out the window. I brought up my left hand and slapped her firmly across the face. Everyone around us fell quiet as they encircled us, knowing what was about to happen next.
Laura whipped her head back around and narrowed her eyes on me. Using her right hand, she slapped me across the left cheek and my head snapped to the side. Slowly turning back to her, I ran my tongue across my teeth and smiled as I gripped her shoulders.
Pulling her down, I spun us in a circle as she roughly gripped my forearms in an attemptto try and get me off her. Instead, I grabbed a handful of her hair and sent a knee into her stomach. Laura bent over and let out a groan before she stood back up.
Catching me off guard, she landed a firm right to my jawbone which caused me to stumble back slightly. Gathering my bearings, I closed the gap between us once more and landed a hard left to her overly exaggerated, makeup covered cheekbone. As her eyes landed back on mine, I noticed the blood dripping down her nose once she pulled her hand away.
Before I had the opportunity to advance on her and finish this fight once and for all, apair of strong arms wrapped around my torso, pinning my arms down to my sides as Andreaappeared in my peripheral vision. I didn’t bother fighting against whoever had a hold on me, Andrea and I exchanging a quick glance before we noticed two girls attempting to help Laura.
“You don’t know who you’re messing with,” she hissed at me as Marcus stepped in to stop her from advancing on me.
