Page 55 of Don't Love the Boy Next Door
I’m so darn confused, I don’t know what to think.
He stares at me and I stare at him, and the breeze brushes my hair in my face and his bangs out of his eyes.
“I’m…him,” he finally says.
I blink repeatedly, not sure I heard right. The wind’s gotten so strong. “What?”
He clears his throat, pulling his hands from his pockets and slipping them back in. “I’m Liam. I’m sorry I lied to you, Phoenix. Really, really sorry.”
My head spins as I gape at him. “What are you talking about?”
He steps toward me, and I stumble back. The umbrella is getting a bit sweaty in my grasp, but I’m not letting go.
“I made the fake profile,” he says, voice low and soft. “I stood up to the bullies. I gamed with you.”
His words aren’t entering my head. Because it’s impossible. No way in heck is Ethan LiamC.No way.
He lifts a brow. “You don’t believe me?” He whips out his phone and holds it out to me. “See for yourself.”
I don’t take my eyes off his. It’s like time has frozen, or like I’m in some crazy dream and I’m waiting for my alarm to pull me out.
Ethan holds my gaze, urging me to look at the phone. I break out of whatever trance I’m in, taking it from him and looking at the screen. All the texts LiamC and I have exchanged the past few days are there.
“I used an old number,” he explains. “I don’t know how else to say I’m sorry. I really am.”
My mind floats away, like it doesn’t want to believe—to accept—that the guy standing before me, who I thought was my enemy, is my online friend. The person I thought I might possibly have something with one day. No, it can’t be. Liam is in Kansas, waiting to game with me right now.
“Say something, Phoenix.”
I blink, snapping back to reality. No matter how much I try to convince myself he’s not him, the texts reveal the truth.
Forcing my eyes to meet his, I narrow them. “How could you?” I slam the phone to his chest. He doesn’t even react, just stares into my eyes. “All this time…you’re a bigger jerk than I thought you were.”
He steps closer. “Phoenix.”
I flinch back. “Stay away from me.”
“Please—”
“I don’t want to ever,everlook at you again.”
Whirling on my heels, I stomp into the house and slam the door behind me, so hard I swear the walls crack. I can’t believe this. A guy who I thought was so sweet and nice and perfect doesn’t exist. Of course not. There’s no such thing as a perfect guy. I should have known it was too good to be true.
Plopping down on the living room couch, I cross my arms over my chest and heave.
This was probably all a big joke to him. Pretend to be interested in me, make me feel…special and important, then throw it in my face.
I thought I hated him before, but that was child’s play. I hate,hatehim now. So much I wish I could announce to the whole world—the whole universe—what a big jerk he is.
I can’t believe I was so bothered that I was rude to him the last few days when he was playing me like that. How could he sit there and listen to me apologize when he was laughing behind my back?
Jerk.
Jerk.
Jerk.
“Oh, there you are,” Katie says as she enters the living room. Her eyes widen. “Whoa. Why do you look like you want to kill someone?”
