Page 60 of Of Pranks and Passion

Yeah, that would’ve probably gotten him arrested. I liked his plan better. She probably wouldn’t question the authenticity, since it was Easton who gave it to her. Every time I saw her wear it, I would get to enjoy knowing it was fake while she acted like she had on something fancy.

“So what’s the plan, then?” Angel demanded. “She was trying to call your bluff by demanding to help plan the thing. This won’t work long term.”

“It will if we act like it’s real,” Easton shrugged. He gave them a quick rundown of the plan, and I felt my stomach flip when he reminded me we’d actually have a wedding. I kept mentally repeatingnot real, not real, not real,over and over because I couldn’t even say what kind of horrible thing I’d do for a chance to marry Easton for real.

“So… What you’re saying is, we’re going to throw a fucking wedding just to get Gary’s sister to back off?” Angel raised an eyebrow at him. “I know you’re a little coo-coo for cocoa puffs, but don’t you think this is going a little far? What will your family say?”

Easton’s expression said he didn’t care even a little bit. “They’ll probably be glad I’m not going to end up single and alone. They don’t need to know it’s not real.”

It hit me like a ton of bricks. If we went through with this plan, I’d have to meet Easton’s family. That idea would be daunting enough if he was just a regular guy, but now that I knew who his family was, it felt impossible. I wasn’t anyone special. I had to put off college for years because my parents manipulated me, and I didn’t have enough money to leave when I figured out they never truly planned on helping me. I wasn’t even a full semester into my college career, had only ever worked part time, had a bank account that consistently dipped into thered, and came from a family who couldn’t give a shit about me. I didn’t belong around rich people.

Angel must’ve seen my panicked expression, because he rubbed my back reassuringly. “Relax, Gary. Phantom’s family is nice. And he’s probably right. They’ll just be so excited he found someone, they won’t even question it. I still think this is going too far, but–”

“But we were all there at that party. She was pissed the second Gary arrived and tried to hurt him more than once. Unless he wants to change his name and flee the state, he needs to take a stand,” Coach said with a serious expression. “I also think we should start recording your interactions with her, Gary. She said she wants to call you more. Once you figure out how to fix your broken phone, we should set it up so you can record phone calls and remember to take screen shots whenever she messages you.”

“There’s nothing wrong with his phone,” Easton interrupted. When I looked up at him, confused, he looked a little ashamed when he admitted, “Remember when I overheard that conversation between you and your family not long after we met?”

I remembered him overhearing the conversation between me and my mom. I didn’t realize he’d also heard the conversation with Brienna. My face flushed when I remembered how she spoke to me and how I let her get away with it. It made me wonder why Easton stuck around when I came off as so pathetic and weak.

“I was pissed at the way they treated you, so while you were distracted with the food I brought you, I blocked them both. I thought if you stopped responding to them, they’d get bored eventually and leave you alone. I didn’t think I’d be making things worse.”

Horrified, I fumbled trying to get my phone out of my pocket. When I unblocked the numbers, I found myself thrown into a group chat I didn’t realize I was part of, going back weeks. Messages from my parents berating me for treating my sister so poorly, for refusing to help pay for her party. I would never have been able to afford it, but that wasn’t really important right now. My phone buzzed and a new message from Brienna popped up, like she knew I’d unblocked her and wanted to make sure I was aware of how deep in shit I really was.

Brienna:There’s no way a man like that would end up with someone as pathetic as you. He’ll drop you eventually. Just like Justin did. And I’ll be there to pick up the pieces. Then you’ll regret ignoring me when I take your dream guy.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

GARY

“That bitch.”Easton must have been reading over my shoulder, because he snatched my phone away with a growl.

“What? What happened?” Angel demanded, craning his neck and leaning over me to see what was on my phone. The position squashed me between him and Easton, but I didn’t mind it so much. I felt cold after that message from Brienna.

“She’s threatening him. Says she’ll steal me away. She’s fucking delusional,” Easton snapped.

“Yeah, well, maybe if you hadn’t been so convincing when you pretended she had a chance, she wouldn’t have latched on to the idea,” Angel accused with a scowl. He settled back in his seat, putting his arm around my shoulders. “You convinced all of us right along with her. What the hell even was that?”

Uh oh. If there was one thing guaranteed to piss Easton off, it was when it looked like anyone was going to get between me and him. The caveman thing was alive and well. He snatched me from Angel’s grasp, pulling me straight off the couch and onto his lap. I went willingly, but I didn't take part in the conversation. I was starting to feel a little numb. No matter whatI did, she kept taking away everything that made me happy. Maybe Coach was right. Fleeing the state and changing my name was starting to sound like a great idea. I heard Mexico was nice this time of year.

Easton and Angel continued to bicker, Easton arguing that he had to make it look like she had a shot so it’d hit harder when he proposed, and Angel saying he could’ve skipped that part and it still would’ve pissed her off and made her jealous to see her brother in a happy relationship with a well off guy.

Coach tried interrupting them, always the mediator, but they ignored him. My gaze flicked to Chuckles and Smiley. They must have been used to things like this, because they didn’t bat an eye. They passed a joint between each other, watching the drama unfold like a movie. When Chuckles noticed me watching them, he beckoned me with a wave of his hand.

Easton was more possessive when I was around Angel than anyone else, so he didn’t fight me when I left the circle of his arms. Chuckles patted the floor beside him where he was lounging, and when I sat cross-legged next to him, he handed me the joint.

“Try it. It helps.”

Pursing my lips, I considered refusing. They’d offered before, and I always said ‘no.’ But after that message from Brienna, plus the knowledge that I’d be accidentally ignoring her for weeks, I felt exposed and anxious. Maybe a little help to calm down wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Smiley was glued to the drama, and didn’t notice, but I didn't think he would care either way. He was the one who offered most often.

“How do I do it?”

“Inhale, hold it in your lungs for a second, then exhale,” he instructed. Then he showed me by taking a hit himself. It was just breathing. How hard could it be?

Harder than I thought, apparently. I coughed and choked, my eyes burned, and I seriously regretted my life choices for a minute. What was I thinking?

“Idiot,” Smiley grumbled, and I heard Chuckles yelp when he got smacked upside the head. Sliding off his seat and onto the floor in front of me, he rested his hands on my knees, waiting patiently for me to stop hacking up a lung before he took over instructions. “Not so deep. Small inhale, hold it for a while, longer than you probably think necessary. It works just the same as one big hit. And don’t take instructions from Chuckles.”

I felt a little queasy from the first time, so I almost backed out, but Angel and Easton were getting louder, and I just wanted a minute to relax. I followed Smiley’s instructions, inhaling when he did and holding it. My lungs burned with the effort not to cough, and I released the breath quicker than he did, but it wasn’t as bad as the first time. He took the joint from me and took his own hit before passing it to Chuckles. For a little while, as we passed the joint between each other, I thought it wasn’t going to work on me, I didn’t really feel anything other than uncomfortable from all the coughing. But then my head started to swim.

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