Page 33 of Risking it All

Oh. “How do you know all this?”

“My best friend Marsh works with Brayden at The Game Place.”

Oh again. My friends were talking about me. A lot and again. I felt like a deflated balloon. What was life going to be like when we returned to school in the fall?

“Don’t do that,” Relic said. “Don’t let other people’s pathetic bullshit bring you down.”

“Let’s go home.” I opened the door to my car and plopped into the seat. A few seconds later, Relic joined me, but he didn’t start the car and instead looked at me.

“Let’s go to the party,” Relic said.

I rubbed my temples as a headache threatened. “Why?”

“To fuck with them.”

I cocked one eyebrow and met his gaze. “And how do we do that?”

“Everyone thinks we made out, right?”

I nodded.

“And everyone knows I don’t make out with a girl more than once, correct?”

“You said that’s the rumor.”

Relic gave me a sly smile. “Let’s blow their minds when I spend the entire night with only you.”

Chapter thirteen

Relic

Macie and I just didn’t walk into the party; we held hands as we entered. To say that her brat pack of friends were shocked would have been an understatement. We hung out in the living room and shot the shit with everyone. When anyone asked Macie how work went, her answer was easy-breezy, as if she couldn’t tell their eyes were falling out of their heads. I looped an arm around her shoulder to push her friend group over the edge, and it was obvious they were dying with questions. I had to admit, I enjoyed the feel of Macie in the shelter of my body, loved having her body that close to mine. I had to resist the urge to lean in and nuzzle her hair, to kiss that tempting neck of hers.Ifshe was my girl, that was what I would do. But we weren’t an item. We were faking, but still…

I leaned over to whisper in Macie’s ear. “Want to head out back?”

Her eyes had a beautiful twinkle to them as she answered, “Yes.”

“Macie.” Gianna patted the barely-there space on the couch next to her. “Come sit with me for a second.”

Macie gave me a smirk and said, “Give me a minute, okay?”

“I’ll meet you out back.”

I nodded to people I knew as I headed to the backyard. Unlike last time, several people hung on the deck, and one of them was Marsh. He flashed a wide grin the moment he saw me then gave me a fast pat of a hug. “What’s up, brother?”

“Nice on texting Lyra on the party. She blew up my phone for an hour straight.”

His smile only widened. “It worked, and you’re here, aren’t you? And she’s right. You need to live a little more. With that new job, I hardly see your ass.”

I moved a few steps away from everyone else. Marsh followed and I assessed him, head to toe. Still in a brace, but nothing else seemed injured. “You doing okay?”

“I’m good.”

“Last time I saw you, Eric was busting my balls. Did he give you shit that night?”

Fear flashed over his expression, and he glanced away as if to hide it. “Doesn’t matter does it? I’m stuck and I can’t get out.”

Part of me wanted to tell him he could walk from Eric. That was what judgmental, rich people would say, but unless people lived this life, no one could understand. Leaving would mean literally packing your ass up and moving to a different state. Who could afford that shit? Even then, there were no guarantees that monster wouldn’t follow you to the ends of the Earth.

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