Page 63 of Dangerous Play

“You did always come up with excuses,” Paige reminded him, but I hadn’t recalled any invite being extended to me for any dinner or hang out with girls. We only ever hung out with the guys.

Both Derek and Maddox shot their friend a look that told me this was a serious boundary of not introducing the fake girlfriend to the girls, and I understood where he was coming from. We weren’t supposed to last. This was only temporary and while the guys weren’t going to get attached to me emotionally, some of these girls might if we hung out and became friends.

“I like her more than Thalia.” Nova snickered. “She was a total bitch. Super controlling, selfish and manipulative. Not much has changed... other than Max learned how to pick a girlfriend.”

“Very funny.” Max fake-laughed but I saw his eyes light up with happiness being surrounded by his closest friends.

“Don’t worry.” Rosalie leaned into me. “Nova is always super hyper. I’ve seen her only twice and am still not used to it. But they keep telling me she will grow on me. Still waiting for that to happen.”

I chuckled. “I’m not even sure what’s the big story behind all this,” I motioned around the table.

“Nova and Brooklyn were instant besties the moment they met at the first soccer game freshman year. Paige was Brooklyn’s roommate who was dragged along. Guess Nova being the Coach’s daughter and Brooklyn being with Liam just created their own little group. I only know bits and pieces of what I picked up since August, so I’m happy to have someone equally new next to me.”

“Thanks,” I offered a grin, but the pang in my chest kept reminding me of Daisy. Even their smiles were similar. Or at least my sister’s pre-Ander personality as I called it. “Anything else I should be aware?”

Rosalie pretended to think. “No, not really. I’m not familiar with anything. I know some of the other guys join sometimes, like last time Nico came and he is a totally douchebag, but I think it started as a thing for girls to bond.”

“Yes.” Brooklyn leaned over Liam to join in our conversation. “We are like the committee that gets to decide if girlfriends are worth it.”

Paige added with a laugh. “We might be scary.”

She was anything but scary with her strawberry blonde hair and baby blue eyes. She looked like a real-life doll especially with the Southern accent.

“Doubt it,” I shrugged. “Maybe the guys are just bad at getting girls.”

They all chuckled.

“True.” Nova lifted her coke glass to me and drank. “If you have any single girlfriends, you can bring them. We can purge the Lion out of them and turn them into Titans.”

I almost offered to bring Kaia, but then I remembered she was dating Tristan and she was full on Lioness.

“You could bring the cutie.” Derek wiggled his brows. “Would give her another round.”

“She’s actually dating Tristan.” I winced as the words came out.

Derek’s face went blank, and it was Max who touched my back in a soothing gesture. “The co-captain? The defender?”

“Edwins.”

Someone let out a low whistle. “He’s an ass.”

“When did this happen?” Derek asked, confused. “She was literally booty calling me four days ago.”

“Around Halloween,” I guessed with a shrug. “What do you mean she was booty calling you?”

“What would I mean?” He rolled his eyes, picking up his phone to read out loud. “Hey, Dex! Wanna come over for Netflix and Chill? Wink face, eggplant emoji, water drops emoji.”

That didn’t sound like Kaia, but at the same time it sounded like her.

“She is madly in love with Tristan, she would never risk losing him.”

Glancing at my own phone, I checked when the last message exchange was between us and since Halloween, the only real conversation we had were about groceries and bills.

“She sounds like a lost cause.” Nova’s voice snapped me back to reality as Max’s hand moved in a slow circling motion on my back. “You need new friends, and lucky for you, we’re here.”

I managed to force out a smile, but the words to thank her burned in the back of my throat as tears clouded my vision. It didn’t hit me until that exact moment how awfully alone I really was. Losing all my friendship I’d built over the past two years and being stuck in a fake relationship.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

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