Page 7 of Twisted Lies
Jade stared.
My gut started churning in that familiar way when I thought of Kyle. He had been my first everything—first boyfriend, first lover, first mistake. And just like clockwork, the self-loathing began to slither through my veins like poison.
I sighed heavily. “All right, fuck it, I haven’t.”
I cringed just from thinking about the emotional mess I was after Dad died. I had been weak. Mom had turned her back on me, leaving me searching for something I didn’t understand, even now. I was like a junkie, cut off from my next fix of love, and I’d been left to die a slow, emotional death. Adrift, I’d shut down my heart, but Kyle had wanted in, and I’d let him in because my delusional ass thought he was worth it. But A.K.—After Kyle—I decided there was only one way to avoid the pain of love. Close off my heart permanently. It was no longer open for business, and I planned on keeping it that way.
Jade studied me, worried. “There’s no shame in admitting it. He was a fucked-up high school crush. We all have one. Shit, I have several.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the tension mounting. “But the difference is you didn’t catch some chick fondling your boyfriend’s cock.”
Jade’s lips pursed. “Uh…hello? Did you forget the Justin scandal? Nothing’s more fucked up than discovering a selfie of your boyfriend going down on his mom’s bestie.”
We shuddered. It was an image we’d both wanted to burn from our memories.
I smirked. “Yeah, but you got even by sending the selfie to his parents and the woman’s husband.”
“Exactly. No one fucks with a Bellisario.” She smiled smugly. “It was the biggest divorce scandal that summer.” Only Jade could take heartbreak and turn it into a reality show.
“Well, I lost my chance to get revenge on Kyle years ago.”
Jade tilted her head and stared at me incredulously. “Are you fucking kidding me? Look at you.” She leaned forward and tapped Kirby on his shoulder. “Isn’t she gorgeous?”
Kirby winked at me in the rearview mirror. “Absolutely.”
“See?” Jade smiled like a Cheshire cat. “You’re gorgeous, smart, talented, and still standing tough, like a damn warrior princess. Believe me, that’s the greatest revenge against arrogant asswipes like Kyle Fillion. You didn’t crumble and blow away like he’d hoped.”
“Yeah, but it was real close.”
Jade slapped my thigh. “Not on my damn watch.”
She was right. I hadn’t crumbled or blown away, but I had changed too much after what happened that night. I blinked back the pain, remembering the pivotal night that was still vivid in my mind.
That night had started out with so much happiness and excitement. I was practically giddy when Jade and I pulled up in the driveway of Kyle’s parents’ enormous redbrick mansion. I had pinched myself for being so lucky. I was Kyle’s girlfriend. After months of me crushing on him hard, gorgeous Kyle had finally noticed me and smiled at me one day in chemistry class. He’d taken my breath away. He was the hottest guy in my high school, and it hadn’t hurt that his parents were New York City’s most influential political couple. Kyle was destined for greatness. Everyone expected it.
We had come from different worlds, but he’d chosen me over all the girls clamoring for him. Those girls had come from the right families and looked the part—blond, lithe, and beautiful. But he hadn’t seemed to care, and just like a tornado, he’d swept into my life and validated that I was worthy of love. He’d said all the right things, making me believe I was special, and in turn, I’d given him everything.
I thought we were in love, and I’d even lost my virginity to him, fucking him on his parents’ boat on my birthday. That night had turned into Kyle and me fucking like rabbits every weekend. Jade told me not to trust him, but I’d said fuck it and ignored her. I thought he was the one, so he was worth it. I should have listened. All the shit he’d told me was so unoriginal.
I laughed bitterly, remembering how nervous and excited I had been when we headed inside Kyle’s pre-graduation bash, the hottest party that night. I couldn’t wait to celebrate with Kyle, and like a fool, I’d resolved to shed my fear and utter the words I hadn’t said since the day my dad died—I love you. I’d expected to find Kyle holding court, surrounded by his preppy friends, but he wasn’t around, so I’d gotten some liquid courage before I set out to find him in the maze of the huge mansion. Just like everything in my damn life, happiness turned to dust the moment I pushed open his bedroom door. Kyle’s designer jeans were gathered around his ankles while his cock was being fondled by some chick with perfectly smooth, highlighted blond hair that fell across her shoulders like a gorgeous curtain.
I remembered how I’d just stood there shocked with my mouth gaping open as if it were some sort of mirage. I watched as the girl glided up from kneeling with too much sway in her narrow hips. When she’d given me a smug look before sauntering out of the bedroom, it felt like a dagger to the heart.
“Kyle? How could you do this to me?” I’d rasped with tears streaming unchecked down my cheeks. “I love you.” My voice had hitched.
His face had turned into a mask of hate that shocked me to the very core.
“Love?” He’d huffed out an arctic laugh. “Sin, this isn’t love. It never was, and it never will be.”
I’d flinched, like a punch was launched to my gut. “If this isn’t love, then tell me, what the hell is it?” I’d stared at him with narrowed eyes, feeling my heart ice over inch by inch.
“What do you want from me? I haven’t promised you anything, Sin!” He’d sneered while unhurriedly buckling his belt.
“We’ve been dating for months!” I’d yelled.
His jaw tightened. “No, we’ve beenfuckingfor months.” He’d walked up and stared at me without a trace of emotion in his beautiful blue eyes. “Sin, I’m going away to college, and you’re staying here to work for your mother. It would never work out between us.”
He’d reached out to touch my hair, but I smacked his hand away.
