Page 74 of Not Your Little Girl Anymore

“Don’t be silly, Chlo. It’s not that bad.” Which is true. The area is spacious enough for someone as young as we are, living alone until we save up enough and start a better life, and despite the proof that someone lives here, it’s not all that messy.

Chloe brushes what I said off and grabs a trash bag, immediately cleaning up empty bags of chips on the small coffee table and moving onto the empty soda cans. She doesn’t say anything while she cleans, and I’m too far gone to care. So, I watch her, swinging my bag off my shoulder and placing it beside the couch before I sit down on the plush sofa.

After Chloe finishes tidying up, she ties up the bag, leaving it next to the door to bring out later, and moves the few dirty clothes off to the sides. At least, I thought they were dirty. As she flips them right side out and folds them, I think otherwise.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asks.

I shake my head, thankful that she doesn’t push further.

“So, are you going to tell me about Mr. Rockstar, or am I stuck playing the guessing game?”

Chewing on my bottom lip, my nerves leap from my chest, and I hesitate to tell her anything. She sits on the recliner, resting her elbow on her knee, staring at me with a doll-like expression, waiting. Her red-manicured nails tap against the side of her jaw, and her eyebrows arch upward.

“Did he sing sweet lullabies in public to seduce his way between your legs?” She wiggles her eyebrows teasingly.

Rolling my eyes, I scoff. “No. We… haven’t even kissed.”

Chloe’s mouth falls open. She blinks twice, staring at me as if she doesn’t believe me. “I’m sorry. What?”

I press a hand to my face. “I really don’t want to talk about him, Chlo.” When I look up at her, her expression shifts.

She leans back in the recliner, resting one leg over the other. “You broke up.”

Blowing out a breath, I tell her, “We weren’t even dating.”

“Oh please, you were, and you know it. You’ve been all about Alec lately, which is fine. I’m not being a jealous friend over here. I, too, have…” she twirls her thumbs together.

I gasp. “I knew it. You are seeing someone.”

She smiles. “We are seeing how things go. It’s different for me. But he’s a really good guy.”

My lips rise into a small smile, but they soon fall. I try my best to push away the sadness embedded into my heart, but it’s not the easiest thing to do. “I’m really happy for you. I hope I get to meet him soon.”

“Something is wrong,” Chloe points out.

I shake my head. “Nothing is wrong.”

“We’ve gone over this a million times. You suck at lying. Spill.”

I can feel the tiny creases in my forehead tighten as I fight back the heat behind my eyes. It’s useless because they come out anyway. I cover my face with my hands, muffled sobs falling from my lungs.

Chloe moves beside me, wrapping her arm around my back and pulling me in for a hug. She lets me cry in silence, knowing that I will tell her once it subsides.

Wiping my snotty nose on Chloe’s shoulder. I push back on the couch, bringing my knees to my chest. “Alec was using me.”

“Shut up.”

I shake my head. “I wish I could say I’m joking, but I found his file in my mother’s library. My father had arrested him, and I think this was his way to get back at my dad.”

Chloe looks at me like I’ve grown two heads. “You think?”

My eyelashes flutter. “Well, no. I… um. I’m pretty sure.”

Her thumb and finger press onto her forehead, and she shakes her head disappointedly. “Summer Raleigh. You can’t assume that is the case without actually having the proof in your hands. That’s the one rule your dad has drilled into your head. Mine, too, for fuck’s sake.”

It’s not that I don’t understand what Chloe is getting at, but how much more proof do I need? Alec had multiple arrests, all of which were from my father. He lied about sleeping with Samantha. And maybe they didn’t sleep together, but they sure as hell were naked for whatever reason… right?

Unless that’s a lie my father made up.

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