Page 63 of How to Get Revenge on a Cheating Ex
Yeah, I do know.
I speak slowly. “What exactly are you protecting her from?”
But I know. I mean, I can guess. And when Janie starts rattling off some of the nasty rumors that are flying about Bailey, she just confirms it. They’re all making her out to be the bad guy. Her so-called friends are throwing her under the bus.
Me? I’ve always been the bad kid, so I guess it’s expected. Janie says there’s some talk about how crappy it was of me to go after my best friend’s girl. But most of it is about Bailey.
This leads Janie into a long, angry tirade about the unfair double standards for women, and—I can’t disagree. Idon’tdisagree because she’s obviously right.
But I still tune her out after a little while because my insides are revolting. My stomach’s churning, and my heart’s pounding, and there’s a heat flooding my veins that I’m definitely not used to.
It’s anger, yes, but it’s also...fear. I’m freakin’ worried as hell about Bailey. About how she’s going to react when she finds out. I glance at her sister who’s so worked up, her cheeks are turning red.
I get now why Janie did it. She’s just as worried about Bailey as I am. But Janie can’t hide Bailey from the world forever.
My chest feels like it’s getting tighter and tighter. I rub a hand over my heart. Either I’m about to have a heart attack or this is a new emotion for me. I take a deep breath and glance over at Bailey’s house as I try to make sense of what I’m feeling.
Protective. I guess that’s what this is. I want to go in there, scoop Bailey into my arms and take her away somewhere where she won’t have to face Grayson or anyone else. And that’s just...weird.
It’s also not my place.
We’re friends at most, and even that seems tenuous. We’ve forged a truce, that’s all.
But that kiss...
That kiss changed nothing. It was all for show, and I know that better than anyone. I cut into Janie’s tirade. “Janie, I get it, okay? Inequality sucks.”
She gives one last huff of indignation at my ineloquent synopsis of her long-winded speech. But when her eyes meetmine, there’s none of her usual attitude. “She was acting weird when she came home last night.”
“Weird how?” As if I need Janie to spell it out.
Janie just gives me a knowing look.
Of course, Bailey’s been acting weird. Her world’s been flipped upside down and she doesn’t know up from down. “She’ll be all right,” I say with more confidence than I feel. “She’s just going through some stuff. It’s only natural, right?”
Janie nods slowly. “I guess.” But she still looks disturbed. “It’s just weird seeing her like this. She’s normally so...so...”
“Bailey?” I finish.
She cracks a grin. “Yeah. Exactly. She’s normally soBailey.” She gives another little huff, this time with amusement. “I never thought I’d see the day when I actually miss Saint Bailey.”
“She’ll be back to her holier-than-thou self in no time,” I assure her.
But...I’m not so sure. It’s about more than Grayson’s cheating now, and I think we both know that. This isn’t just Bailey discovering she didn’t have the perfect boyfriend, it’s about realizing there’s no such thing as perfect. That what she’s been striving for all these years doesn’t exist.
“Maybe,” Janie says doubtfully, but then her tone hardens. “All I know is, I don’t want to see her getting hurt any more than she already has. Especially not by those freakin’ Graysonites.”
I start to laugh at the term. It’s surprisingly accurate. The guy doesn’t have friends, he has followers. Except for me. I’d never been one of his sheep.
But I don’t count anymore.
There’s something satisfying about knowing the dude lost his only real friend when he messed with Bailey.
Janie shifts, and she fidgets with the hem of her T-shirt. “Some people are saying stuff like...like maybe Bailey finally woke up. She opened her eyes.”
I frown. “What does that mean?”
She shrugs, looking more uncomfortable than I’ve ever seen her. “They’re making it sound like...like he’s cheated on her before. Like, a lot.”
