Page 73 of Starstruck

Guilt twisted in my stomach as I turned around and hurried downthe corridor, craving the dark corners of Liberty for the first time since I’d been here.

chapter twenty two

is this the end?

“It’s complicated. Look, I’ve got to go, we’ll catch up soon!”

Atta girl, I thought to myself, as I watched Goldie turn away fromHenry, my body hidden behind one of the archways. I'd stopped in my tracks the second I heard his voice, and when I turned to find him hovering over her, I slipped into the shadows.

That kind smile that always lived on her face faltered as she turned her back to him and sped off down another hallway, only for his fade.

I wondered what made her change her mind about him. She couldhave very well just ignored my warning and gone after him, but part of me prayed that she wouldn’t. And seeing Henry’s face right now, red as a phone booth and steam practically simmering under the golden mop he calls a haircut, I’m glad I made the right decision to tell her.

She deserves more than that arsehole.

I watched on as Henry scrubbed his hands overhis face, wiping away any evidence of the boyish smile he thought he could convince the world was real. But as he peels his hands away, those navy eyes find me, and before I know it, he’s storming over to me with a stride that was purely fueled by anger.

It was a good thing we were the same height; if he were any taller,he might have had a chance at intimidating me.

His hot breath hit my face as he reached me, his head tiltedslightly and his fist balled by his side, like a toddler who didn’t know what to do with all the frustration trapped inside them. “You fucking told her, didn’t you?”

It wasn’t a question, which told me that he knew what he’d told meat the Lions game wasn’t right. But I simply tilted my head and pulled my smile tight. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

His palm met the centre of my chest as he pushed me, my feetstumbling back a step or two before I blinked up at him. “What I told you at the game, you fucking told her, you asshole.”

I shook my head at him as I bit the inside of my cheek. “Goldie’s asmart girl; she probably came to her conclusion about you all by herself.”

As my words settled, Henry took a step back, almost like he wassizing me up.

If Henry had scared me, then I would have backed up, andsurrendered in the moment. But he didn’t, not one bit.

Henry was a comet, born in the frozen corners of the universe, butI was an asteroid, the kind of destructive rock that thrived under the light and attention of the sun. He was all ice, cold as anything, with not an ounce of sympathy coursing through his veins, with no chance of surviving near Goldie and the light she emitted on the world.

He shook his head at me, his eyes knowing, and narrowed, as he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. “You’re fucking her, aren’t you?”

I scoffed. “Christ, is that all you fucking think about, mate?”

“Admit it.” He pushed, as he took a step closer.

“Not that it’s any of your business who that girl decides to spendher time with, but no, we’re not.”

He shrugged, rather pathetically. “Then what the fuck is yourproblem?”

The scoff that sounded this time felt like razor blades slicing up mythroat. “Oh fucking hell, do you need your prescription checked? You’re the fucking problem, dickhead. You sat there and told me that if, by some miracle, you bagged Gold’s, then you wouldn’t hesitate to fuck someone else right after her.” Disgust powered my head shake. “And I know for a fact that that girl deserves a lot more than what you’re offering her, mate.” I began to turn. “Now if you’ll excuse me, you’re awfully boring, and if I’m being honest, I’d rather set myself on fire than talk to you any longer, so t’ra.”

I dish Henry a gleaming smile before I step around him, wanderingtowards the empty corridor that was filled with the harsh light of the golden hour. The dust particles floating in front of me, as the soft breeze blew through the wide hallway, with my footsteps the only sound echoing through the halls as I turned the corner and found myself near where the fountain was.

The day Goldie found me and proposed our little dating plan to meflashed across my mind. The white lies mixed with half-truths that spilled from my mouth, making me question for a second whether I was any better than Henry. If not being honest with her, pretending I knew what it felt like to be in her shoes, meant I was just like him.

But whatever answer I came up with soon faded the second I hearda second set of footsteps, closing in on me from behind.

I turned around to find Henry storming after me with a sinisterlook on his face. I couldn’t help but laugh once I saw him. “Don’t you have white chocolate to sell or something—”

“Shut the fuck up, Tristan.” His face was like stone, all rigid and icy.“You don’t think I’m good enough for her, but what about you? You think you’re such a saint?”

The inside of my cheek slid between my teeth. “I might not be asaint but I’m not like you, that’s for sure. Now, do me a favour and fuck off—”

“Does she know why you’re here?”

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