Page 77 of Loving the Liar

Still in a daze, I watch him walk out of the kitchen. I won’t be going to his party, that’s a certainty, but I feel like a dick for not realizing it was his birthday.

I don’t touch the box he gave me until I hear the front door closing.

It’s a sky-blue velvet jewelry box, and when I open it, my mouth drops open. There’s a single string in there, and multiple little pearls. A necklace I have to make myself.

I grab the note, putting the box to the side.

One at a time, Sweets.

God, I hate that man so much it feels a lot like love.

I love you

It feels so good to be jealous and possessive over you. Like a drug I can’t get enough of. Why should I feel anything but pride in knowing I’m utterly obsessed with one woman? Why should I feel regretful or ashamed that I want to destroy any other man who gets near you?

Chapter Nineteen

Chris

All this time - Toby Mai

Ipark in front of one of the Xi Ep house on sorority row. It’s not far at all from the residences where Ella lives. Many people are probably waiting at my house in Stoneview, but I have something to settle before celebrating my twenty-fourth year. I grab the documents I brought with me and make my way to their front door. The second a girl opens, she shakes her head.

“You can’t get in. Xi Ep girls only until the party starts.”

“Could you tell Maria Delgado someone’s here to see her?” I say with a smile.

She hesitates, shifting from one foot to another. She can probably feel her friend is in trouble but can’t reconcile that with my warm smile and golden boy look.

“I tend to get what I want,” I add as an explanation. “You don’t want to get in the way of that.”

She closes the door on me, and a minute later, Maria is the one who opens it.

“Christopher,” she smiles brightly. “This is a nice surprise. I thought you weren’t coming to our party tonight.”

“I’m not.”

My curt answer takes her by surprise. Like most people I’ve spoken with on campus, she’s used to a nicer version of me.

I hand her the documents I’m holding.

“I wanted you to know the dean and your cheer coach have been made aware of the drug tests you falsified in the summer to stay on the team.”

Her face falls, shock rendering her speechless.

“You should pack your bags,” I say as I look behind her into the hallway of the house.

“Wait, wait,” she babbles, coming out and closing the door behind her. “Don’t do this. What do you want?”

I shake my head because she clearly didn’t get it. “I don’t want anything. It’s done. You’re being expelled from SFU.”

I’m not about to tell her I’m getting her expelled because she hurt the woman I love. It might have been just about kicking Ella off of the team for her. But to Ella, it’s a hit to her confidence, a stain on the list of things she thought she could achieve. And that can’t happen on my watch.

“How the fuck do you know about my drug test?” she hisses, going for anger rather than bargaining this time.

Tilting my head to the side, I observe the way she’s trying to process this: a hand rubbing her forehead, the one holding the papers crushing them, eyebrows pinched.

“Ah, well. I know a lot of people who can give me information. And they were kind enough to give me information about you.”

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