Page 59 of I Despise You
I stare at him and involuntarily burst into laughter. I can’t help it. The whole situation is absurd. “You know what? If the scholarship thing is bothering you so much that you’re losing your mind, then maybe we shouldn’t be dating.”
I spin on my heel and walk away, tears prickling the corners of my eyes. A loud crashing sound behind me makes me jump, my pulse accelerating, but I don’t look back, just quicken my steps.
I don’t know anything anymore. My chest hurts, and my arm too. I’m sure I’m going to have bruises. I stumble through the crowd like a zombie until I spot Vanessa.
Her brow is creased with worry, and when her eyes land on me, she rushes to me.
“Oh, my god! I’ve been looking all over for you! Are you okay?” She looks me up and down.
I nod. “I need to get out of here.”
“Yeah. We’re leaving. Come on.” She winds her arm around me, and it takes all my willpower not to break down in tears.
***
ISIT ON MY BED ANDstare at the wall. Even a hot shower didn’t help me clear my mind. It’s like I’m on a roller coaster that’s speeding like crazy and I end up upside down every five seconds.
A knock on the door startles me. I get to my feet and crack it open.
Chase is in the hallway, and I almost slam the door shut. But he doesn’t look angry anymore, just sad.
“Can we talk for a sec?” he asks quietly.
“Yeah.” I step away from the door and let him in.
“I’m sorry.” His eyes find mine. “I don’t know what came over me. It’s been a shitty day, and a shitty week, and I just... Getting that text sent me over the edge.”
“What text?” I furrow my brow.
“I got a text that you were making out with my friend.”
My jaw goes slack. “What?” Who could be so vile to send such a blatant lie?
“I know now it wasn’t true, but in that moment, I just lost it.”
“Who sent you the text?”
“Brittany.”
I scoff. That bitch. Of course, it was her. She’s not done messing with me. “And you believed her?” He may not know everything Brittany has done, but he knows her. He knows how shitty she really is, and yet he believed her.
“I know. It was a dumb move, but I wasn’t thinking.”
Anger fills me at the thought of Brittany.
“I don’t want us to be over,” he says softly.
I don’t want us to be over either, and not just because I don’t want to see Brittany win. She wants us to break up. She wants to ruin my life completely.
“I want to make her pay,” I say through my teeth.
“We can.”
I meet his gaze. “How?”
“Her birthday party is coming up. It’s the biggest party of the year. She’s been throwing those since she was a freshman. And she invites everyone, including her enemies, so they can see her be the queen of the party. We can mess it up somehow.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek. Mess up Brittany’s birthday party? It sounds appealing, but I want more than that. I want to be done with Brittany and make her truly pay for what she’s done.
“I think I have an idea.” I flash him a smile.
Brittany is going down.
