Page 64 of Wicked Scandal

I nod in response, desperate for this conversation to end. I swear my dad, like Rome, has the ability to sniff lies out of me.

“Watch yourself tonight.” He pats my shoulder and smiles. “Make good choices, son. We’re almost to the finish line.”

He has to mean graduation because the election is still months away. Regardless, I say, “Will do.”

The sound of someone laying heavy on a car horn rings in our ears and Dad grumbles as he heads toward my bedroom door. “The dumbasses have arrived.”

Dad’s never been a fan of Luke’s. Aiden he tolerates, but much like ninety percent of the population, he thinks Luke is disrespectful and immature. When I was about thirteen, my father went as far as to try and bribe me with five hundred bucks to drop him as a friend. We laughed it off, but I’m certain he was dead serious. Now, I could probably get five thousand.

Luke’s friendship is priceless, though. He’s one of those guys who will treat everyone else like trash but he’d defend the ones he loves to no end. And he happens to love me like a brother.

I give myself one last look in the mirror, taking in my light gray suit, blue tie, and matching Oxford shoes. Not gonna lie, I look pretty fucking good in a suit.

The sound of the horn rings again and when I jog down the stairs, I see Dad rip the front door open, almost taking it off the hinges. “He’s coming!” he screams into the dim night air.

I walk past him, patting him on the shoulder as I leave. “Later, Dad.”

Luke comes out of the driver’s side window, his hands on the roof. “Hurry your ass up, Cromwell. There’s a gym full of hot chicks waiting for us to check them out.”

I shake my head at his class act as I move faster to the car.

Swinging open the back door, I drop down inside beside Brady. Luke sinks back down in his seat as Aiden passes Brady a bottle of tequila.

Brady takes a swig then holds it out to me but I shake my head. I don’t drink too often, and when I do, it’s usually because I’m pissed off. The last time I drank was at the end of the football season when Rome took his position back from me as QB and I returned to my spot on the team as running back.

It’s not that I didn’t like my position, I did. It’s what I’ve done on the field my entire high school career. And Rome was made to be quarterback. It’s just, when it was me, I felt like the star of the show. I was the important Cromwell on the field and for a brief time, I wasn’t living in Rome’s shadow.

Anyway, I got shit-faced that night and when I woke up, I swore to myself I’d never drink to drown my sorrows again. And I haven’t since.

Luke, being the hotshot he thinks he is, pulls his car right up onto the sidewalk in front of the high school. Left tires on the pavement, right tires on the walkway. “Dude,” I huff. “Can't you park like a normal person?”

He kills the engine and doesn’t hesitate to jump out of the car through the window. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“You’re gonna get towed,” Brady warns him.

Luke snickers. “In that case, who’s driving me to the impound tomorrow?” He laughs as we all make our way to the front doors.

The minute we step in, my breath catches in my throat. Standing three feet away, talking to Mr. Hargrove, is Cat. She’s dressed in a dark purple satin dress that runs down to the floor, hugging every curve of her body. Her dark hair is piled in a bun on the top of her head with tiny tendrils of curls framing her face.

“Come on, man,” Aiden scoffs. “What are you waiting for?”

I snap out of the trance I fell in and keep walking, but I’m unable to take my eyes off her. When she drops her head back laughing, I take notice of a tiny bruise on her collarbone. I’m not sure if it’s new, or old, but the rest of her body looks unharmed and I’m thankful for that.

Maybe staying away is beneficial for her, after all. Even if it kills me inside.

As I walk past her, our eyes connect and her surprise is apparent. She draws in a deep breath and I watch as she swallows hard before pretending not to notice me at all. It hurts, but it’s necessary. Especially with half the student body thinking we slept together. Not that they’re wrong. We just can’t allow those rumors to get out because she’d lose her job, or worse.

Both gym doors are open and blue balloons run down the length of them. Two chaperones stand on either side, greeting us as we walk in. Disco lights circulate in the dark room and the theme for the event is apparent when everything looks like it’s been covered in blue ice. There’s even an ice sculpture of a snowflake in the middle of the dance floor.

“There you are.” Sam’s voice hits my ears before I even see her. She comes up behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder as she joins my side. “I was wondering when you’d get here.”

“Here I am,” I sing as I keep my eyes straight ahead. If I give her too much attention, she’ll want more.

“Let’s dance.” She tugs my arm with a pout. My eyes slide to hers, but I don’t move. “Oh come on, Wilder. It’s just a dance.”

I watch as Luke and Aiden join a group of girls on the dance floor and figure, what the hell. It is just a dance. Maybe this will satisfy her hunger for a while and she’ll leave me the hell alone. Maybe it’ll also stop people from thinking I slept with my teacher. She does have the same color hair as Cat. This could help get people off my back.

“Fine,” I quip. “But just one.”

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