Page 43 of How to Get Revenge on a Cheating Ex
I tuck my head to hide a grin. I’ve always liked Toni. It sucked when she and Bailey stopped being friends because then she and I stopped hanging out too. The common denominator named Bailey was all we’d really had in common.
Although now it seems maybe we share a mutual dislike for Grayson, Prince of Rides.
He’d taken his subpar job in stride. He’d actually believed Bailey’s wide-eyed lies about how she’d tried to put in a good word for him, and I’d watched with more than a little amusement ashe’dcomfortedher.
I know you did your best, Bae.
Patronizing ass.
The question I’ve been grappling with lately is this—had he always been such a d-bag? How had I not seen it before?
Because now it’s all Icansee. Every time I look at him I see the schmoozy, lying dickwad who made out with my girlfriend and betrayed Bailey. His smile makes me want to vomit. He’s so freakin’ slick. So sure of himself.
Toni kicks me under the table, and when I look up she’s giving me this weird look I can’t decipher. It’s part confusion, part understanding—and then she gives a little head tilt in Grayson’s direction and I realize…
She knows. Or she knows enough, I guess, because I think she’s warning me that I’m acting weird.
Because I am. I totally am. I relax my features and look away. She’d caught me glaring at Grayson, no doubt with all the disgust I’m feeling.
If anyone else had seen my hatred, there’d be questions.
The jig, as they say, would be up.
Toni goes back to eating her food, ignoring me and everyone else. I’d kill for one minute alone with Toni so I can ask her what she knows.
Apparently I was too focused on Toni, because Bailey’s sudden appearance at my side catches me off guard.
I give her a quick once over, relieved to find that she looks okay.
Which is not a surprise. I mean, I literally just saw her at the souvenir shop, like, twenty minutes ago. But the girl has been under some serious stress lately and I’m always half waiting for her to run off and have a breakdown in the employee bathrooms.
“What took you so long?” Grayson’s tone is all put out as Bailey leans over and kisses his cheek before sliding in beside him.
“Sorry.” She’s out of breath, and her cheeks are flushed as she sets a prepackaged salad in front of her. Her hair’s pulled back in a ponytail, and it’s so perfectly neat and tidy, I have an overwhelming urge to reach over and mess it up.
Toni stops eating to stare at Bailey’s salad. “Girl, where do you even find greens in this place?”
I laugh because she has a point. Hot dogs and burgers? We have ’em in spades. Salads? Not so much. The only salad Iknow of at this amusement park is the tater nacho salad, which is mostly made up of meat and fried potatoes, and it’s just as disgustingly delicious as it sounds.
“I brought it from home,” Bailey says.
“Lame,” I say through a cough. Mainly because it’s expected of me.
Bailey ignores me. Rightfully so.
“I like to be healthy,” she says.
“I like to be healthy,” I copy in a high voice. And yeah, I’m acting like a ten-year-old, but it makes Jessica giggle, and so long as Bailey’s rolling her eyes in exasperation, she’s not on the verge of tears.
To be fair, she’s held it together pretty well this week, all things considered. I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who notices the way her mouth thins into a flat line whenever Grayson’s name is mentioned.
I cast a quick glance over at Toni. Or maybe I’m not theonlyone who’s noticed.
But more importantly, when Bailey’s around Grayson she’s been acting like her old self. For better or worse.
“You might want to try a salad every now and again, Zack.” Bailey’s voice is all snooty and superior as her gaze drops meaningfully to my beef burrito. “They just released a study that links too much red meat to erectile dysfunction.”
Toni snorts out a shocked laugh around the hot dog she’s eating, and I let out an honest-to-God laugh, because...holy shit. Bailey just made a dick joke. Kind of. Close enough.
