Page 56 of Puck You
“Was it as terrible as you imagined?”
Her head fall to the side as she glanced at me.“Was what terrible?”
“Working out with me?”
Grace looked absolutely stunning like this: no makeup, rosy cheeks, hair piled atop her head, several loose strands falling along the side of her face.She was practically glowing.
“It wasn’t terrible.But you don’t seem like yourself today.”
“You don’t really know me, though,” I said with a low rumble of laughter.“Maybe I’m more myself today than I ever have been with you.”
A touch of her snarky attitude came through in her response.“Too bad I won’t find out since we agreed onjust this once.”
“I thought you weren’t avoiding me.”My lips curled knowingly.Grace hated that she wanted me—refused to accept whatever this was.I knew what denial looked like after watching it in the mirror for weeks.
“Not everyone has to like you, Sebastian.”I recognized her words as a parrot of my own, from the day Grace had goaded me into a heated comment for theDallardSpectator.My lips twitched in anticipation as I stood up and began to gather my things.
“Is that why you pushed me into the lake, because you don’t like me?”I asked, and she stilled at the question.“Or maybe you pushed me into the lake because you like me a little too much.”
With a parting wink, I turned on my heel and headed toward the exit.I was halfway out the door when another thought crossed my mind.
“Oh, and a word of advice,” I said, glancing over my shoulder.“You’re better suited to anger than you are denial.Wouldn’t you rather play with fire than pretend it doesn’t exist?”
>> <<
Grace
Sebastian was giving me emotional whiplash.He was all I could focus on in the week following our training session.One moment, I’d be lost in a daydream about his lips, and the next, I was resisting the urge to smash my own head against the wall for having such ridiculous fantasies.I could still hear his voice like a haunted whisper.Or maybe you pushed me into the lake because you like me a little too much.He got off on teasing me and seemed intent on pushing my buttons until I was forced to shove back.But something about his parting words felt like a warning.Wouldn’t you rather play with fire than pretend it doesn’t exist?
I needed to remind myself that Sebastian would do anything to win this bet.After all, he didn’t have to like me to fuck me.And yet, even when taking into consideration his past grievances, it was a tempting offer.I couldn’t deny our sexual chemistry.For whatever twisted reason, my body came to life in his presence.Would it be so bad to give in?The thought alone sent a jolt of excitement through my body.One more taste couldn’t hurt, not if I didn’t let it.But that was the problem, I realized.How could I be sure it would only happen once?
“I am not watching that.”Caroline’s voice dragged me out of my introspection—I kept losing myself in thoughts of Sebastian.It was exhausting work, all this overanalyzing.That was why I’d suggested a movie night.I needed the solid distraction that only horror, true crime, or sleep could provide.
“I promise to let you snuggle tonight if you’re too scared to fall asleep.”
Lydia was only half teasing.The last time we’d convinced Caroline to watch a scary movie, she’d made us sleep together in the living room under a massive pile of blankets.The girl could do anything she set her mind to with only three hours of sleep, but she couldn’t make it through a horror film.
“Why can’t we just put onNew Girland gossip about boys,” Caroline suggested.“We can bore Lydia with our problems as penance for being in a loving, healthy relationship.”
Being stabbed in the eye sounded like a better way to spend the night.“I’m in desperate need of a distraction,” I admitted.“AndHereditaryis one of my favorite movies.It’s not that bad, I promise.”
Lydia caught my eye from across the couch with a barely concealed smirk.We both knew that wasn’t entirely true, but if Caroline was ever going to get over her fear of horror, she had toface it head-on.
“What’s on your mind?”Lydia asked dramatically, flipping through her sketchbook as she tried to settle on a project to finish.
“Family stuff,” I said.“My sister is still pretending I don’t exist.”
“If it makes you feel better, my brother called me twice yesterday, and one of the times it was to ask me how to boil spaghetti noodles,” Lydia said.
Her siblings’ helplessness was astounding to me, even after months of overhearing their ridiculous phone calls.Lydia was the eldest of four, though she acted more like a mother to her brother and sisters in the absence of their parents, who spent much of their time working.At least twice a week, one of them would call asking for advice, usually pertaining to something ridiculous like where the fabric softener went or how to boil spaghetti.Her capacity for remaining patient with them was remarkable.
“Isn’t he, like, nineteen?”Caroline asked.
“Twenty.”
“Sometimes, being an only child has its perks,” Caroline muttered as she sifted through a pile of her philosophy notes.
“What does your dad think about it?”Lydia asked me, jumping back to our conversation.
