Page 18 of (Un)Rivaled

Despite their closeness, the girls were as different as they could be. Devyn was shy, her words quiet butalso cutting. Calla was one of the kindest people I’d ever met, always willing to go above and beyond for anyone. Where Devyn played her cards close to the chest, Calla was an open book.

Her auburn hair was tied in a ponytail and secured with a red, white, and blue ribbon. She was wearing a similar outfit to Devyn’s but traded in the black top Devyn favored for one in a vibrant red. Just like her sister, Calla had grown up a lot this past year, looking more and more beautiful every day. And maybe, in another life, she’d be the girl I wanted.

But no, I was too busy fixating on my best friend, the one who had been pushing me away for months, who now had blown off our most sacred tradition to hang out with Wade.

Calla smirked and pointed the candy at me. “That face. Right there. Damn, Gray. I honestly didn’t know you had it in you.”

I scrubbed my hand over my face. “I’m not trying to. I just don’t get it.” When did they start spending time together? I wanted all the details and none of them at the same time. When Wade asked her to hang out later, I thought it was spontaneous. But now that I saw them together, I wondered if I’d missed something. While I was watching Devyn, maybe Wade was too. Unlike me, though, she seemed to be looking right back at him.

Calla slid her seat closer to me, leaning in conspiratorially. “You know she’s had a crush on him foryears, right?” When I shook my head, she continued. “Yeah, ever since he grew a foot and joined the team. Devyn’s got a type.”

“What does that mean?”

Calla stared at me then leaned back, shaking her head. “Are you seriously telling me nothing has ever happenedbetween you two? It seems like there’s something there, something more than just friends.”

I heard Devyn laugh, and once again, my eyes instantly went to her. It was so light, so airy. She sounded happy, and my heart sunk. I was being such a shitty friend. No matter what I felt, at the end of the day, all I really wanted was to see her smile. After everything that happened over the last year, that was all I could ask for. If Wade was the one to make that happen, I should be happy for my best friend.

Maybe that was all we were meant to be. We were friends.Bestfriends. And even if my head was all messed up right now, I knew I always wanted Devyn in my life. I wouldn’t risk that because she was the most beautiful girl in the world. I’d rather be her friend than nothing at all. It was enough for me. It would always be enough for me.

I nodded, turning back to Calla. “Yeah, we’re just friends. I’ve never thought of her like that.” I cleared my throat. “Plus, Wade’s a good guy. Devyn deserves someone like that in her corner.”

Calla grimaced. “Good thing you said that, because otherwise…” She nodded behind us. “Otherwise, that might be hard to see.”

I knew what had happened before I even shifted. But like a true masochist, I couldn’t help but watch as Wade placed his hand on Devyn’s neck and pulled her in for a kiss. It was tentative at first, and they jumped apart like they’d been shocked. But after a moment, Devyn leaned forward and kissed him again.

Fresh, burning agony seared through my chest, and I forgot how to breathe. This was ridiculous. Devyn wasn’t mine, and I wasn’t hers. So why did it hurt so much to see Wade kiss her? I closed my eyes and shook my head.Friends. We’re just friends. Keep saying it until you remember it.

“Oh man,” Calla sighed, dropping her head to her palm. “I want someone to kiss me like that.”

Maybe it was because my heart had just been battered—maybe it was because I was too young and dumb to think about my choices—but I leaned over and said, “I can help you with that.”

And I pulled her in and pressed my lips to hers.

NINE

“Whatthe hellhappened in here?”

Calla? My eyes flicked open at the sound of my sister’s voice, praying this was some sort of alternate dimension. After weeks of missing her, I might have been desperate to see her, but I was hoping it would be once I’d gotten my shit together.

In the two weeks since I was fired, I’d been holed up in my apartment, alternating between obsessing over the files Tomas found and wallowing in the pitiful state of my life. Maybe this was some sort of stress-induced hallucination? But as I shoved up my eye mask from my spot on the couch, it became painfully apparent that was not the case.

Calla’s eyes bulged out of her head, and her mouth hung open as she took in my apartment. The last time she was here was right after she moved back upstate, and the place was pristine. There was not a single thing out of place, thanks to my daily maid service and the fact that I spent, at most, three to four hours here each day outside of sleeping.

“Shit,” I hissed as I scurried off the couch, banging my knees on the coffee table, which was definitelynotwhere itwas supposed to be.I think. Honestly, at this point, the coffee table could have come to life in the middle of the night, and I would have just shrugged it off. “Calla…what are you doing here?”

“I got nervous. Considering you were calling me fifteen times a day after leaving the lake, it was a little worrisome when you just stopped. We had to be in the city for Theo’s PT appointment, so I thought I’d do a welfare check.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I should’ve come sooner.”

I looked up at her. “I thought you hated me.”

“No,” Calla scoffed. “I could never hate you. Don’t get me wrong—I’m still super pissed you hid something this major from me. But after everything you did with Jack, I can’t stay mad at you.” She held up one of the takeout containers, sniffed it, then turned a shade of green. “This is horrifying on so many levels.”

“It’s fine,” I groaned, dropping my head back down to the pillow. As much as I wanted to engulf my sister in a tight hug, moving was not in the cards for me, not when every movement and sliver of light felt like it was a knife straight into my frontal lobe.

Calla shook her head as she reached down, taking my hands and pulling me to stand. “This is anything but fine, Devyn. Like the time you tried to cut your bangs because Donny Watkins called you a nerd bad.”

“You’re being dramatic.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s not that bad. It just needs a little…sprucing.”

“Devyn…” Calla drawled as she turned around to face me. “We’re a couple of takeout containers away from me bringing in the crew fromHoarders.”

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