Page 220 of We Shouldn't Be Together
Drew moves in closer, looking at my hand. “Kai hurt you?”
“No, I just slipped. It’s not his fault.” I sniff hard, and a sob breaks through. “It’s my fault. I’m not good enough.”
Drew cups the sides of my face. “What are you talking about? You’re a prize.”
I shake my head between his hands. “No, I’m not. His friends can do all these amazing things, and I don’t measure up. Especially compared to…” I retch, reefing my head from his hand. “Ugh. Compared to Jamie.”
Kai kissed my cheek after English class, and then he left with her.
The girl who hates me.
The girl I’m not allowed to hate.
If I admit my jealousy of Kai’s relationship with Jamie, I’m done for. If I say anything negative about her, Kai will dump me.
“Jamie?” Drew questions. “Another girl?”
I suck in a breath, and Drew’s brow arches.
“Crap,“ he hisses. “I’ll kill him.”
I lunge forward, clutching Drew’s arm. “No, everything’s fine. He did nothing wrong.”
Drew frowns, following my grip on him until he meets my fretful gaze. “Something is definitely wrong if you’re worried about some other girl after Dad just threw down the hammer. Spill.”
“Okay.” I swipe the tears from my cheeks. “It is Kai and another girl, but it’s not what you think.”
“If it’s making you miserable, it’s exactly what I think.”
“It’s just that they’re together, and I hate it.”
Drew lets out a deep grunt. “He’s cheating on you?”
I pull at my hair. “Stop jumping to wild conclusions! I just hate that when she spends time with his brother, it makes Kai jealous. I hate when she tells Kai they’re hanging out; it makes him happy.”
“Wait. Is Jamie using Kai’s brother to make him jealous?”
I grimace while shuddering. “I don’t know. I mean, he’s her tutor, so no. But…”
“But you think Jamie is into Kai?”
“I don’t know. I just know they’re close. So close I can’t stand it.”
“Oof. You’re majorly jealous.”
“I was jealous of them before Kai and I became a thing.”
“Have you told Kai?”
I shake my head. “No, he’d dump me.”
Alarm takes over Drew’s face. “So, he is into Jamie?”
I shrug. “She’s just really important to him. I can never tell him I have a problem with them hanging out.”
“Why is he hanging out with her, anyway? Shouldn’t he want to be with you instead?”
“To be fair, he’s at soccer practice.” I sigh mournfully. “Butshetagged along. And last Thursday after practice, he spent the whole evening with her.“ I press a hand into my gut as it upturns inside me. “I just know it’ll happen again. He’ll forget about me because he’s wrapped up inher.”
