Page 37 of I Hate You More

She eventually schooled her features once again and her carefree expression returned as she wound a long strand of hair around her finger. “What was what in there?”

“You know perfectly well I’m asking you about that song you put on.”

Jenna frowned as she stared back at me. “You’re upset about the prank I pulled on Ally?”

My lips tensed as I considered my reply. It was understandable that Jenna would be confused by my response, and she wasn’t the only one questioning why I was so angry. The prank shouldn’t have bothered me, but considering the emotion that was boiling up inside me, it clearly had. It was something I didn’t even want to admit to myself though, let alone Jenna.

“I thought it would make you happy.”

Her words stole a breath from me, and I had to wonder if I’d heard her correctly. How could Jenna possibly think this would make me happy? Had the conflict between Ally and I really gotten so bad that Jenna thought I’d enjoy seeing her embarrassed in front of the whole school?

“Why on earth would you think that?”

Jenna shrugged. “You’re always complaining about her, and with all those stripper posters going around, I thought you’d find it funny.”

“Do I look like I’m laughing?”

“No.” She pouted like my seriousness was a personal affront to her.

“Although, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve been so grumpy since school started this year.”

“I’m not grumpy.”

“Well, you are,” she said. “And worrying about little Ally Lockwood isn’t helping. Don’t you think you should be focusing a little less on her and a little more on girls who actually care about you?”

She lifted a hand and went to trace it across my chest, but I grabbed it to stop her. “You know we’re over,” I said.

Jenna shrugged and stepped back. “Your loss. Maybe I’ll see if that new guy Luke wants to play with me.”

“You do that.”

A flicker of hurt flashed across her eyes, but it only lasted for a second. Jenna’s heart had never been in our relationship. I was more of a prize she could parade around on her arm rather than an actual boyfriend. I had no idea why she was still after me. It was probably because I ended things with her and she wasn’t used to being told no. I’d seen her dancing pretty closely with some guy at the club on Saturday night, so I wasn’t exactly concerned that she was struggling to move on.

She turned away without another word and walked off. I didn’t like being so hard on her, but I hoped she was starting to understand we wouldn’t be getting back together again. I also hoped my outburst meant she wouldn’t be pulling any other stunts like the prank she’d just played on Ally.

“Why do you look like your puppy just died?” I turned to find Shane walking toward me. A light sheen of sweat coated his forehead from his workout, and he was staring at me with concern in his eyes.

I grimaced at his question. Shane knew about the posters and had spent the morning tearing most of them down. He’d missed Ally’s display at lunch though, and I really didn’t want to be the bearer of more bad news.

“You might want to sit down…”

Shane didn’t move. “What’s wrong?”

I let out a hard breath before I tried to explain what had just happened. My best friend had always been so relaxed, but he looked more tense than I’d ever seen him as I spoke. His face was pale, and his eyes were tired—his sister was slowly but surely turning him into an old man.

“What do you mean she danced like a stripper?” he asked.

I rubbed a hand over my face. “Please don’t make me explain again.” It was bad enough that Ally’s dance was playing over and over in my mind on repeat. She’d looked incredible when she’d stepped onto the table, but her bravery had really taken my breath away. Ally had never been afraid to speak her mind with me, but in public, she always faded into the background. Taking a stand like she had in the cafeteria was completely unexpected, and as much as it annoyed me, I couldn’t help but be impressed.

Something was different about her this year, and I kept trying to piece together what exactly had changed over the summer. I’d spent the last three years avoiding Ally like the plague, but ever since I’d moved in with her, I couldn’t seem to get her off my mind.

Thankfully, Shane didn’t ask me to repeat myself. “Is Ally okay?” he asked instead.

I was hesitant to respond. I was worried that one more piece of bad news might just break my friend. I couldn’t really avoid telling him about the principal, but he didn’t need to hear that I’d seen a flash of fear in Ally’s eyes when she’d been summoned there. I also didn’t particularly want to recount how pissed she’d been with me either. Ally wasn’t even close to being okay right now, but I thought it best if I kept my considerations on her mental state to myself.

“She was called to the principal’s office,” I said, hoping that was answer enough.

Shane swore. “I’m guessing he’ll probably call Dad.”

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