Page 5 of Ramsay

“I’m not interested,” I say between my teeth.

“Why not? You could do worse, you know? He’s smart and cute and likes you. It’s not like you have a lot of options with your ice queen act.”

“I’m not an ice queen. Maybe I don’t care for high school jocks.”

She raises a perfectly plucked brow and looks me up and down. I straighten my spine, bracing for whatever comes next. She’s the queen of nasty—I’ve come to know this all too well.

“Then what are you interested in? The Sinners?” she jeers. “I saw the way you looked at them today. You think they care about you? Please. They’re bully trash. Stay away from them.”

With a silent sigh, I widen my eyes and give my best innocent stare because I hardly need Sabrina to know of my obsession. Hell, no one needs to know.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. All I’m saying is I’m not interested in Patrick.”

“Whatever,” she says, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Stay away from them. They’re bad news.”

As if you care. Bitch. Nodding because if I speak, it won’t be pretty, I turn away and glance toward the night sky. Now would be an excellent time to toss me a break, god, or whatever you are.

∞∞∞

Our team lost horribly because Jensen, our hotshot quarterback, was off his game. Regardless, I cheered my ass off because I knew it’s expected of me, and if I didn’t Sabrina would be in my face again.

I spent the day handing out goodies to the team and trying my best to give Patrick extra attention, but I drew the line at making out, which he offered multiple times. I’m not a fucking whore. Would it kill a guy to treat me as more than a blowup doll with holes?

Now we’re all trailing up the driveway after queen bee to the party, where bass music is pumping so loud, my pulse jumps in tune to the beat. Another strike against this crowd, they have shit taste in music.

Hiding my sour expression, I give Hailey a weak smile when she steps up and runs her arm through mine. Hailey’s the only one from the group that I can stand, and only because I sense she’s here under duress the same as I.

This doesn’t mean I trust her because she’ll betray me in a heartbeat to stay in Sabrina’s good graces. It’s just how it is amongst this barbaric crowd. Every bitch on this team is willing to trample over her friend to be at the top.

It’s why Sabrina fights so hard to stay where she is because she knows she’s one betrayal away from being at the bottom of the totem pole. Case in point—Penny Loughlin.

Penny was head cheerleader, Sabrina’s best friend, and Jensen’s main squeeze. Sabrina spotted an opportunity to oust her from her spot as the bitchy queen of Sterling High, exposing all her secrets in exchange for her crown.

Penny dropped out last year and elected to home school rather than face the friends’ turned enemies who wouldn’t know loyalty if it hit them in the face.

It’s a tightrope Sabrina walks, having set a precedent.

Oh, and the horrible secret that drove Penny away. She supposedly ate out a girl at a party. That’s it. She likes girls and maybe boys too, who knows. But it was enough for these cruel catty bitches to step over her and move ahead as if their shit don’t stink.

So yeah, Hailey’s nice, but not that nice. What a tangled web we weave.

“You okay, Will?” she asks softly, giving me a sideways glance.

“Peachy,” I mutter.

“Okay, well...you should know Sabrina’s got her eye on you. She thinks you’re up to something, and it’s driving her mad.”

“Great,” I drawl.

Not unexpected, she senses she has no real control over me. I’m a lion in a sea of gazelles, and if she wants to maintain her stupid as fuck crown, she has to keep the predators at bay. Whatever.

“Just be careful,” she says under her breath, pulling away and straightening her dress as we approach the door.

She’s a good inch shorter than me, with pretty dark hair and eyes, lush curves, and a perpetually just fucked look. It’s effortless for her, and in my weaker moments, I envy it, but then I remember, nothing is ever as it seems.

Word on the street is Hailey’s daddy is fucking the pool boy while her mom drowns her woes in a nightly bottle of whiskey.

With a long-suffering sigh, I follow my friends into the house and brace myself. This should be another shit show in which, by the time it’s over, I’ll regret having been born.

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