Page 59 of Sinful as They Come
I rolled my eyes, but that was just because I needed more time to come up with an excuse that actually made sense. “Yeah, and then I walked back to the fire, and Holly’s dumb friend wouldn’t shut up about her. That’s why I’m here.”
“Then how did you beat us up here?” Carter kept interrogating me. Dude was pissed I cock blocked him, but I couldn’t care less. “I didn’t even see you walking.”
“That’s because you’re an idiot, Carter,” I said bluntly.
Carter jolted forward and I stood there with narrowed eyes, more than ready to fight. He would lose. He must have known that. That was why he stopped himself in his tracks.
“Annie wants me?” Holly spoke up finally. Her voice was so quiet. No confidence, no spark. Not how she was with me when we argued. It was strange seeing her so timid.
“Yeah, she won’t shut up, so could you go see her? She forced me up here.” I shrugged. “Your friend’s annoying. Go deal with her.”
Holly cleared her throat and nodded at me before looking at Carter. “I’m gonna go see what she wants. Do you—"
“God, whatever, Holly. Why do I even bother with you?” he muttered at her.
He turned around, his shoulder barging right into hers like he was on the football field or something. It took me just a second to step forward. What I was doing, I didn’t know. All I understood was that I felt a new kind of anger take over my body. Who the fuck did he think he was touching her like that?
“Hey!” I growled.
Holly quickly stepped in front of me, blocking me from getting to her pussy of a boyfriend. She stared at me, eyes wide and wet as she placed her hands on my chest.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
“Don’t?” I stared down at her.
“Please. Just don’t.” Her voice was panicked. Truly panicked. That was the only time I had ever heard her sound so terrified.
I huffed, letting Carter walk away, watching as he went back to the fire. If we were back home, he’d probably be hunting down some cheerleader to cheat on Holly with. And if we were back home without Holly in the way, I would have made him bleed.
I was still breathing heavy, anger finding a home in my body. It had been there before. It wasn’t a stranger to me. But I had never been furious on Holly’s behalf before.
“Why do you let that asshole treat you like that?” I asked her.
“What?” She gasped, turning back around to face me. She still sounded like she was on the verge of sobbing right in front of me.
“You have no problem fighting me. But him?” I pointed back to the fire. “What the fuck happens to you when he acts like that? Where the hell does all that confidence go?”
She blinked at me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I shook my head with a sarcastic laugh. “I can’t believe I’m saying this to you: but holy shit, you’re smarter than this.”
“Carter’s a good boyfriend.” She sounded desperate to convince herself. “He’s… He’s sweet and kind and romantic and—"
“He tried to fuck you up against a wall in the middle of nowhere.” I gestured to the trees around us. “Christ, Holly, why don’t you dump that asshole?”
“Because I love him. And he loves me. Couples that love each other don’t break up just because of a silly, little argument.”
“Doeshe love you?” I asked before I could take it back. I watched her face closely. Her eyes widened. Why did she have to have those doe eyes for? Those ridiculous Bambi eyes that made me feel bad for her?
She wrapped her arms around herself. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I opened my mouth and no words came out. I couldn’t say it. Jesus, I hated her with everything in me, but that was the one thing I could never say to her – about how her boyfriend was a cheating asshole who was fucking every girl he came across.
“I… I don’t know,” I finally managed to let out. “It doesn’t matter.”
“What the hell were you doing listening to our conversation anyway?” Holly asked, voice accusing as ever.
Oh, now she was mad at me. Of course. “I was here first. Then you and your little desperate-to-get-his-dick-sucked boyfriend came along. I just wanted a fucking cigarette. Don’t blame me.”
