Page 145 of Ripped & Shipped
“Ella Mae. Ella Mae. You’ve been driving me crazy since that day we drove around Columbus together. The way you ate bites of food from my hand … that was so hot. I knew you were beautiful before I met you in person, but when I saw you, I could tell we’d be good together.”
“I’ve got a boyfriend,” I say. “We’re serious.”
I try not to look in Drake’s eyes. He’s right there, not touching me, but keeping me pinned in place. “I’m flattered, but I’m also taken. Drake, please back up.”
Instead of backing up, he lifts one of his hands and brushes it down my cheek. I shudder, and not in the good way.
“Come on, Ella Mae. What’s some guy in a small midwestern town going to give you? I can give you all this—connections, a sweet life … and think of the shopping sprees. You know I’m a better choice.”
I duck under Drake’s arm, and thankfully he doesn’t stop me. I was prepared to use the self-defense moves I learned years ago when that was a trending topic. Thank goodness for trends like that, otherwise I probably never would have made the effort to learn how to protect myself in a threatening situation.
“So,” Drake says, dragging his hand through his hair and eyeing me like I haven’t just given him the clear brush-off. “Are you sure about this? You aren’t interested in me?”
“I’m sure,” I say. “No offense. I’m already dating someone, like I said. But we can still be …”
I’m about to sayfriends. Why?
Drake’s not my friend.
As a matter of fact, I can’t wait to put a whole lot of distance between me and him—for good.
Meg’s words run through my mind.
Am I that desperate to fit in? Has the constant rejection of my hometown—my own dad—made me willing to give up my dignity in exchange for more likes and more followers?
When will it be enough?
When willIbe enough?
I thought getting one million followers was the apex. Now I have over eight million people who willingly follow me, and it still never feels like I’ve made it. There’s always another benchmark. Another person to impress. Another like or follow to garner.
Drake’s words snap me out of my internal spiral.
“You led me on, Ella Mae. You flirted that day in Columbus. But you were just trying to get something from me. You made me think you were interested.”
He shakes his head and hardens his features. Gone is the man who tried to charm me. Drake no longer looks like a casual surfer who’s made something of himself. His eyes are steely, despite the haze from whatever he had to drink.
“I’m done with you.” He squints at me. “You could have had all of this, but you threw it away for some midwestern nobody. You need to stop riding my coattails.”
I open my mouth to defend myself, but I know it’s not worth it. Besides, his words feel like darts, piercing holes in my confidence, all the air feels like it’s seeping out of me.
He continues to berate me as I turn to leave the kitchen and walk toward the front door.
“You’re a poser, Ella Mae. You’ll never be more than a wannabe. Insignificant influencers like you are a dime a dozen.”
CHAPTER48
Ella Mae
Even the strongestpeople have their breaking point. And I just hit mine. I run out of Drake’s home, unsure whether I even shut the door behind me. People watch me go, too. It’s not exactly a scene, but it’s not a subtle exit where I simply slip into the night either.
I don’t even have the energy to think about the ramifications of me leaving the way I did, being witnessed by the types of people who live for a juicy tidbit and don’t hesitate to capitalize on someone else’s drama.
As soon as I reach the valet, I tell Serge which car is mine. He retrieves it for me.
There’s this certain kind of sadness that dries you up from the inside. You’d give anything to be able to cry a river, but nothing will come. Right now, climbing into the front of this Altima sedan, I’m grateful my tear ducts are twin deserts.
I put the car in drive and pull away, watching Drake’s house disappear in my rearview mirror. He didn’t chase after me, thankfully. Not that he’d stoop to come after an insignificant influencer like me.
