Page 10 of I Hate You More

“True,” he agreed. “So, does Jenna know you’re back?” A playful grin lit up his features once more.

I groaned at the question, wishing he hadn’t brought her up. It had been a mistake dating Jenna at the end of last year and one I still regretted. I rarely went out with girls from school. None of the girls there had ever seemed like the right fit for me, and I didn’t like to lead them on. Jenna had been flirting with me incessantly for most of junior year though, and I finally caved and went on one date with her. One date quickly turned into two, and before I knew it, we were a couple.

I’d tried to break it off between us when I went away for the summer, but she hadn’t accepted that we were over, and I was still receiving endless texts months later. Shane knew perfectly well there was no way I’d told Jenna I was back in town. I wouldn’t be able to avoid her once school started tomorrow though.

“Do I really need to answer that?” I lifted an eyebrow, making him grin. He loved nothing more than giving me shit.

“But she really misses you,” he said. “She wouldn’t stop talking about you at the party last night. You should probably give her a call…”

I picked up a shoe from my suitcase and launched it toward Shane’s head. He laughed as he easily dodged out of the way. “Look, you probably should have known better. That girl’s had her eye on you for years. You knew it wouldn’t end well.”

“I was just hoping she’d realize we weren’t right for each other after we went on that first date and then she’d leave me alone.”

“Such an amateur mistake,” Shane replied, shaking his head solemnly.

There was a knock on the door and I glanced over my shoulder as Shane’s dad entered the room. “How’s it going in here, boys?” he asked.

“Fine, I’m just getting my stuff sorted,” I said, giving him a warm smile. Mr. Lockwood was a really good guy. He’d welcomed me into his home for this year without question and had always let me sleep over when my dad was giving me a hard time over the years. If it weren’t for him, I’d be starting a new school this semester, and I was always going to be grateful to him that I wasn’t.

“Is there anything you need?” he asked.

“No, I’m pretty well set, thanks.”

Mr. Lockwood nodded and gave me a smile. “Well, let me know if you think of anything. I’m cooking a back-to-school dinner for us all. It’ll be ready in ten, so you boys might want to start making your way downstairs.”

“Sounds great,” I replied.

“Think you can survive dinner with my sister?” Shane asked, once his dad had left the room.

“I guess we’re about to find out.”

* * *

The ice princessbarely said a word as the four of us sat around the Lockwood family dinner table. Her eyes were glued to her lasagna, and she only gave one-word answers to any question that came her way.

“Are you ready for school tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“How’s your dinner, Ally?”

“Fine.”

“Can you please pass the parmesan?”

“No.” That last question was from me, and I probably should have known there was no way she’d help me out even if it was with something as simple as passing a garnish.

I’d tried to ask her politely, but if that wasn’t going to work, I was left with no other choice. I ignored her response and leaned over her to grab the parmesan myself. I made sure to crowd her space as I leaned in, and I brushed up against her arm, disrupting her meal. My skin prickled from the contact, like some kind of natural warning sign that I was getting too close to danger. She jumped at the unexpected sensation between us, and her fork dropped from her hand, clattering loudly as it landed on the table. A small wave of satisfaction went through me when I felt her heated scowl warming the side of my face.

I moved as slowly as possible as I retreated, enjoying every moment of her discomfort. I’d never been so close to her before, and the proximity made my heart beat faster. It felt like we were two magnets that buzzed with static when they got too close and couldn’t help but push each other away.

“Jerk,” she hissed under her breath so no one else at the table could hear. She really was determined to stick to her one-word rule tonight. I grinned in response, making her glare turn more violent.

I was used to being on the receiving end of one of Ally’s scowls, but I always struggled not to laugh at them. Her eyes were too big, and she looked like some kind of sad puppy rather than the angry pit bull she tried to portray.

“Sorry, what did you say, Ally? I didn’t quite catch that.” My grin grew larger as I returned her stare.

Her gaze flickered toward her dad before she let out an irritated breath and stared back down at her food. I happily proceeded to cover my food in parmesan, content in the knowledge I had won our latest battle. But the small triumph was quickly weighed down with the realization that the war was most likely going to last for the rest of the year.

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