Page 5 of Cruel Devotion

“Yeah, I fucking love you, man,” a friend from the team shouted from another sidewalk.

Laughing and shaking my head at Finn, I held my hands up. “See?”

He chuckled. “Whatever you say, man.”

A half hour later, though, after Finn and I got into the house and made our way through the party, I found the number-one person who would never admit to loving me. Not even liking me.

The man of the “house” and the star of the winning basketball team practically preened. I’d never cared for Preston West, and the feelings were mutual. Finn thought it was because we were both sports stars and popular because of it, just on different teams. I figured it was just because the guy was a douche.

“Look who’s here, everybody,” Preston teased to the people drinking and mingling around him. “The one and onlyloser.”

I rolled my eyes, used to everyone calling the members of the football team losers. Wehadunfortunately lost our championship at the end of the season in November. But hell, our best running back had a concussion from a tackleandthe refs were clearly biased against us.

“Whatever you say,” I replied, keeping things as civil as possible. After all, this was his party and we were his guests. Preston’s family was one of the big names around town and the college, so of course, I’d toe the line and not be rude to him outright. I’d never kiss his ass or be a pushover like my parents probably wanted me to be since they viewed the Wests through filters of awe, envy, and fear.

“Eh, it’s all right,” Preston joked before sipping his drink. I grabbed one since we were near the kegs.

“What’s all right?” I asked.

“Being second-best. A loser.” He shrugged, grinning. “You’re nothing special and everyone knows it, Young.”

I held back a retort, knowing he was only saying this shit to make himself look better. So he could feel like he was bigger and better.

“Hey.” Finn tipped his head to the side, capturing my attention before I could reply to the host of the party, the asshole who thought way too much of himself. “I see Britney.”

I knew he was interrupting, too afraid of my talking back to Preston. It was that nervousness again. Britney was walking into another room, and I shrugged. “Yeah. I saw.” Ignoring Preston, I left the massive kitchen with Finn, counting on being there for him.

After all, once he was preoccupied with Britney, I’d be free to hang out and chill. Maybe I’d find someone to take back to my place and have a good time with, too.

Finn approached Britney, but before I could get closer to offer him backup and make it look more like a group thing than him approaching her solo, someone bumped into me.

“Oh! Fuck. Sorry!” the girl said, trying not to spillallof her drink on us.

One of the basketball players had run through, passing a ball with another player. They’d knocked into her, and I stopped her from falling. “That’s traveling!” I shouted.

People laughed around me, and so did the thin girl who’d collided with me.

“Funny, Eli,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

I smiled, pleased that she’d find me humorous since she always seemed to have a stick up her ass. “Gotta be careful out there, Davina.” I took her cup and chugged it. “Might lose your drink.”

“Hey!” She scowled at me.

I grinned. “You snooze, you lose.”

She shook her head, looking annoyed, but I swore she was fighting a smile.

“Speaking of, you should tell your little friend that.”

She arched one brow. “What friend?”

“Haley.”

She crossed her arms. “Are you bothering her again?”

“Not at all,” I lied.

“Bullshit,” she quipped.

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