Page 9 of Puck Block

Claire: THEY PAID HIM?

Taytum snatches the phone out of my hand when she notices that I’m distracted, and I bite my tongue to hold in my laughter. “We didn’t pay him. You’re so dramatic.”

Taytum’s hot breath fills my entire car. She might as well have fire flying from her mouth like a dragon. I can feel herwrath wrap around my throat like she’s seconds from choking me. “I’m dramatic? Are you freaking kidding me?”

“Hey,” I try to even my tone. “Calm down. Don’t get all worked up and throw your body out of sync. Stress plays a part in raising your blood sugar, in case you didn’t know. Your parents will kill me if I’m the reason it spikes.”

Taytum throws her hands up in frustration. “Good! Then maybe I can finally get a boyfriend and live my life without you interfering.” She pauses dramatically. “Actually, it doesn’t matter. No one is going to want to date me with this thing on my skin anyway!” Taytum gestures to her arm that’s covered by her coat, and I roll my eyes.

“No one is stopping you from getting a boyfriend.”

Taytum snaps her head over to me, but I refuse to look at her because we both know that isn’t true.

“Oh, really?” The winter breeze cools the heated car when she pushes open the door with force and steps outside. “Then prove it.”

“What do you mean, ‘prove it’?” I am not falling for her little tricks.

Taytum leans back into the car with her hand still on the door handle. I’ve seen this look before, and it usually means she has some wild plan brewing. Her cheeks ripen with heat, and it’s the same pinkish hue she has on her face when she tries to run off with some loser at a party, just to spite me. And the little twinkle in her eye is the same bright gleam she had the night she lost her virginity without me knowing. When I found out, the twinkle intensified to a full-on glow.

That was the moment I learned that Taytum loves irritating me just as much as I love irritating her.

“Don’t interfere tonight.”

My heart skips a beat, and it pisses me off. “What the hell is tonight?” I ask.

Taytum smiles like a devil in red and disappears from my sight.

Not so fast.

I open my door and stand up with one foot still in the car. I watch her skip up the stairs to the auditorium with her dance bag in hand. I reach down and blow the horn to get her attention. She freezes.

“What do you have planned, Heartbreaker?” I shout.

She peeks over her shoulder. “You’ll just have to see.”

I fully step out of my car, with my costume in hand. I start to get dressed, and her lips purse with annoyance. “You know what, I think I’ll stay for your dance practice today.”

I really need to go to my study group if I want to ace chemistry, but annoying Taytum further takes precedence every single time. Her glare fuels me like gasoline on a fire, and I can’t help but poke her a little more.

She picks up her pace, but it’s no use. I know my way around the auditorium. My smirk deepens when I step in line with her to march down the hall. “Tell me what you’re up to, and I’ll leave.”

“No! Go away,” she snaps.

“That’s not a very nice tone you’re using with me.”

Taytum stops with her hand on the auditorium door handle. She spins so quickly the fuzzy ball on top of her hat bounces. “You know what’s not nice? The fact that you steal my phone, and read my messages, and butt into every part of my life. Or when you swoop in and stop me from having any fun at a party. Or when you and Emory ban together and threaten any guy from talking to me.” Taytum turns away in a fury, and strangely enough, I feel wounded. I decide to let her stomp away in anger and slip into the back of the auditorium in silence. When their rehearsal has started, I discreetly text her brother.

Me: Is there a party tonight or something?

Emory: Yeah. Rush invited a bunch of people over to gear up for their championship game.

Me: We’re going.

[ 5 ]

TAYTUM

“What’s gotteninto you tonight? You’re being awfully quiet.”

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