Page 37 of Pick Me

I tossed the phone onto my bed before joining it and staring at the ceiling. This wasn’t the way I was expecting my night to go. Rejected by Thea and still thinking about her. Man, I was a glutton for punishment.

Chapter Nine

Thea

Henry:Looking forward to our date tomorrow night.

My music blasted out of my phone as I sang along to the latest Bailey Hill album. Perfection. That was all that tiny blonde pop princess was, and after last night’s confrontation with Jackson in the kitchen, I hadn’t stopped listening to her. So much so, I fell asleep with my noise canceling headphones and her music in my ears.

Waving my arms in front of me, I copied her routine as much as I could while my fake tan dried. With a bikini on, I was a sight to see. A sight I wanted no one to see, but I didn’t care because no one was home and I had a date tomorrow night.

Suck on that, Jackson.

I gleamed with excitement thinking about the date. It had been so long since I’d been able to say that and not feel an ounce of trepidation in my stomach. Okay, that might’ve been an exaggeration. I was a little nervous, but knowing Henry lived in my apartment block and Brandon would know if anything happened to me, made me feel marginally better about the whole thing. Maybe this date would be as healing for me as it was for Henry.

My upper lip tingled, the bleach burning my skin a little as it lightened the hair there. I was determined to cover all bases tonight, just in case we decided to take things further. I wasn’t looking for a hookup, but it had been so long that I wouldn’t complain if I got something.

The music lowered as my phone dinged with another message. I tiptoed over like a mummy, assuming it was Henry texting again, only to frown when I saw the preview of the message.

Tanner:Jackson told me…

Ugh, Jackson. He’s such a rat. I knew what this text was about, my date. No doubt, he told Tanner about it to get me in trouble, but the joke was on him. Tanner was miles away, and by the time he got back, I’d be able to prove to him I would be fine.

I opened my brother’s message and started to read it.

Tanner:Jackson told me you were spending your nights watchingThe Baseball Bachelor. I know I said you should spend time at home, but I think you should go out and have some fun too. You’re only in college once.

My brows furrowed. That was a completely rational response from my brother, which felt a little odd. So, Jackson hadn’t told him about my nonexistent date last night? Why was he so hell-bent on finding out who it was, then?

Just as I was about to respond to Tanner, the apartment door opened, and I dropped my phone.

“No. No. No,” I squealed, dropping down so the kitchen counter was protecting me, and cursed myself for the tan lines this move would create. “You weren’t supposed to be home for another hour,” I yelled into the abyss as feet shuffled through the hallway. It was in that moment I realized I still had white cream on my upper lip.

“Shit.”

I grabbed a kitchen towel and scrubbed at my face, hoping any evidence of the bleach was gone even though I knew full well it left a red mark last time.

“What’s going on in here?”

Her voice. I crept down even lower. I could have handled Jackson and his obnoxious responses to me trying to beautify myself, but I couldn’t handle her.

“Nothing,” Jackson mumbled, and I closed my eyes, hoping the fear of embarrassment would be worse than the actual embarrassment itself.

“Oh. My. God. What isshedoing here?”

There it was. My sorority sister’s voice was heavy in the air. Grace. Out of all the people in this college, why did he have to bring her home? He had to pick the girl who hated me yet liked to flaunt her power over Jackson James.

Tears threatened to spill, but I sucked it up, refusing to feel lesser. That was what she’d want, and I couldn’t bear to see her grinning in satisfaction.

“Hey, Grace.” I tried to sound as unaffected by this woman as possible as I stood to my full height. Grace was standing in the middle of the living room, and Jackson was on the other side, looking absolutely pissed that I was here, getting in the way.

I could feel heat rising to my cheeks, which I thought was probably a good thing. It might mask the red of my upper lip.

“Are you lost and looking for Tanner?”

Her voice had the ability to make my flesh crawl. Bitchy with a side of sass, she made me feel like a fool, or more of one than I already was.

“I live here,” I retorted, gathering my things and holding them away from my body as I tried to make a quick escape, fake tan be damned. I needed to get into my room and away from her as quickly as possible. “I have every right to be out here doing my thing.”

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