Page 176 of Zero Chance

When she narrowed her eyes and glared back, I was freshly reminded that she and I weren’t friends.Amelia and I had hooked up our freshman year, and she’d been anti-Keene ever since.Guess I couldn’t win them all over.

But seriously, I had no idea what I’d done to piss her off in the first place.I distinctly remembered her having multiple orgasms, and I hadn’t even ghosted her afterward.When I’d called her the next day, she’d been embarrassed and mortified that she’d given meonenight, and she’d made it as clear as day she hadn’t wanted a repeat.So I’d bounced, respecting her wishes.

Except then she’d started being all bitchy to me in class, tossing snide little comments in my direction every chance she got.I was pretty good at being able to brush them off and ignore her, but still… What the hell had I done?

The mystery of it picked at me.

So when she muttered, “What put you in such a good mood?Run over a baby puppy on the way to class?”I couldn’t hold back.

“Three of them, actually,” I answered with a mocking grin.“There was the cutest, little chocolate lab, a pug, and some half-breed I couldn’t figure out, but it was still adorable as shit.They were all curled up in this basket together in the middle of the road.”Swiping out my hand, I added, “And I smoked all three of them—wham—flatter than a pancake.”

Amelia sent me a look of such loathing I’m pretty sure a piece of her heart shriveled in her chest, shrinking it at least three sizes.“You’re disgusting.”

I laughed and shook my head.“You’re the one who started the whole puppy-murder bit, darlin’.I was just following through.”

“Well, next time keep your damn mouth shut, alright?”she advised and returned her attention to the front of class, her jaw tight with annoyance.

I blinked at her, feeling almost sorry for her.It would suck to be filled with such bitter resentment all the time.

“You know what you need,” I said suddenly.

She cast me such an icy glare that I pulled back in my chair to avoid the chill wafting off it.“If you say sex—” she warned.

I only laughed.“Yeah right.The thought didn’t even cross my mind.”I shuddered.“You’d freeze the poor guy’s pecker right off him.”

When her eyes narrowed into ominous slits, I lifted my hands.“I was going to say you need to let it go.”

Amelia blinked as if I’d slapped her.

So I leaned in, taking advantage of her surprise, and I whispered, “It was one night over a year ago.We both had fun.I backed off when you told me to get lost.I didn’t spread any nasty rumors about you.Hell, I didn’t even tell my closest friends about it.And nobody died.Why the fuck are you still holding on to it and hating me like something awful happened?”

Again, Amelia seemed unable to answer as she blinked at me.

At the front of the room, the professor started class.But I was still watching Amelia with lifted eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

Flushing slightly, she mumbled, “I liked you.”

My eyebrows furrowed.“I’m sorry,what?”Keeping my voice low so the teacher wouldn’t hear me, I leaned in even closer because I hadn’t needed her to repeat herself, and I asked, “Then why the hell did you tell me to get lost?”

“Because…” Irritation frosted her features.“I heard about how much you got around and knew you’d never get serious with anyone.”

I snorted.“Well then, the joke’s on you, sweetheart.It turns out, Icanget serious with someone.I’m with this girl right now, and I make a damn fine boyfriend if I do say so myself.Not only am I monogamous and completely faithful, but I’m attentive and I spoil the shit out of her.I’m so crazy for her, I’d burn down the fucking world to make her happy.So seriously…” Pointing at Amelia, I lifted my brows for sincerity.“The next time you like a guy, maybe don’t treat him like shit and fucking just tell him, alright?Because you never know how much he might actually be willing to change for you.”

Her mouth fell open, and she blinked at me in astonishment, just as I heard the professor claim, “…guest speaker for the day.Everyone, please welcome Ms.Katherine Breeker.”

Wait, what?

I jerked my gaze to the front of the class, bowled over to find Waverly’s mom standing next to the professor.

“What the hell?”I whispered under my breath.

She stared stonily at me as the professor explained, “She works as a counselor with troubled youth at one of the high schools in town, and she’s going to talk to us today about the mental health of our future patients.”

Glancing briefly toward Amelia, Ms.B sent me a knowing little sneer and faced the rest of the class.

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath and sank lower in my seat, fully aware of how intimate my conversation had probably looked to her when I’d been turned toward Amelia in such a private way.She was no doubt assuring herself I was still the skirt-chasing whore I’d always been.

Wishing I could just dosomethingto finally change her mind about me, I plopped my elbows on my desk and interlaced my fingers in front of my mouth, stewing badly.

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