Page 43 of Pick Me

I nodded. Agreeing wholeheartedly with her.

“Jackson’s on drugs,” I stated.

She stopped nodding, and her mouth dropped open as she stared at me silently for a few seconds.

“Wait, he’s on drugs? But that will get him in so much trouble if anyone finds out.” Her hands were jittering, as though she didn’t know what to do with them. “How am I supposed to keep a secret like that from Matty?”

I arched my brow. “Why are you surprised? I thought you said you knew?”

She laughed nervously. “Uh, I gotta be honest. That’s not what I thought you were going to say.” I stared at her blankly, and she waved a dismissive hand. “I thought you were going to say… you know…” She drew it out, giving me a bemused smile.

I shook my head. “No, I don’t know.”

“You sure? Because everyone else does.”

“Britt, if he’s not on drugs, then what’s his problem?”

Her shoulders slumped, and she sighed out. “You’re really going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

“Say what?”

Instead of answering me, she pulled the plate with her burrito back and stared at it. The cheese on top had gone cold, and she looked almost as sad as the day she saw Matty for the first time after the summer.

“I think Jackson’s in love with you.”

Thank goodness I hadn’t brought the tomato to my mouth, because I would’ve choked on it.

“Jackson. In love. With me?” I was trying to make sense of the words. She had to be taunting me over the mess I’d found myself in and just wanted to get a rise out of me. That was all it was.

Britt rolled her eyes. “Don’t act so surprised by it. Everyone thinks the same thing.”

“And what’s that?”

“You two have the hots for each other.”

My jaw dropped, and I glared at my friend in disgust. “I’ve never had the hots for Jackson.”

“Really? I vaguely remember you telling me you thought he was cute when you started here.”

“Yeah, that was before he started talking. His arrogance quickly changed all of that.”

“Did it?”

I ignored the question. “Thinking someone is cute when you first meet them is not proof that I have the hots for Jackson now.”

“No, but it’s a good indication that the sexual attraction is there.”

Sexual attraction?

My jaw dropped, and I fixed her with a pointed stare. “There is no sexual attraction! We can barely stand each other.”

Britt rolled her eyes, waving me off. “Deny it all you want. You just seem to be forgetting I’ve been in this position before. I was in love with my best friend for years before I could say anything. Do you know how hard it was to admit my feelings for Matty after being questioned over it for years?”

“I wouldn’t say you admitted you were in love with him. You kind of just married him.”

She nodded, smiling. “Yeah, once you and Jackson debut your relationship, I’d recommend a more conventional approach. Unless you want to give Tanner a heart attack.”

I exhaled sharply, my nostrils flaring. “Tanner’s ticker will be just fine since there’s nothing for Jackson and me to debut.”

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