Page 69 of Don't Love the Boy Next Door
I lift a brow. “Yeah,hated, not liked. Last I checked, those two are antonyms.”
“But you’ve heard of people who like each other pretend to hate each other because they’re scared to face their feelings.”
I frown at her. “That’s totallynotthe case here. And Phoenix isn’t scared of anything.”
She doesn’t say anything as her eyes flit in the direction of the center table. Ethan is sitting with his friends and the cheerleaders like usual. “Maybe I’m crazy, but it doesn’t look like he wants to be there.”
I glance in his direction. He’s laughing along with the others, but his smile doesn’t reach his eyes. And he’s barely touched his food.
“Whatever,” I mumble.
She pries her gaze away, focusing on me. “You know, Liamdoesexist. Sure he might have a different name, but it’s still the same guy.”
I’m about to say something, but she continues, “And you had a good time with him.”
I lean back in my seat. “That’s what he said.”
“See. Maybe he was pretending to be someone else, but you were talking to someone, gaming with him, having fun with him.”
“But he’s a jerk.”
She lifts a brow. “Is he? Maybe Liam’s the real Ethan and the guy you’ve hated since the start of school is a fake. Maybe he puts up a front, or maybe you guys just had the wrong impression of each other.”
I rub my chin as I think it over. I mean, shedoeshave a point. People could be fake behind the screen, but at the same time, they could be more real than they would be face to face. And I can’t forget the times he saved me—virtually and in real life.
I turn back to his table and find his eyes on mine. I quickly twist away. “But Katie, heliedto me. Tricked me. Am I just supposed to forgive him like nothing happened?”
She holds out her hands helplessly. “I’m not saying you should forgive him yet, but you should at least give him a chance to show you he’s a good person.”
But I kind of know he is. It was important for him to come clean, to apologize…that says something about him, doesn’t it?
Still, I can’t ignore the fact that he fooled me. But maybe Katie’s right. Maybe I should give him a chance. That doesn’t mean we’ll be best friends or anything, but I can at least be decent around him…I guess?
And if he hurts me or tricks me or upsets me one more time, I’m done with him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Katie
“Hey, Katie,” Eric says as he opens the basement door, his guitar slung over his back.
“Hey,” I say, trying to sound cool and confident. But I know I’m failing miserably. Just the sight of him sends my blood into frenzy. His hair falls over his faceperfectly, and his eyes are bright with so many positive emotions. That’s one thing I really like about Eric—he always tries to be positive.
He’s standing so close I feel his body heat, and he smells so good.
“Cody hasn’t arrived yet,” he says.
“Oh.”
We stand there awkwardly.
“Do you want something to drink?” he asks as he leads me to the band room, where Ethan’s playing with his phone. He looks up at me and waves.
“Katie, drink?” Eric asks from where he stands at the snack table, holding up a can of Coke.
“Oh. Thanks.” I take it from him, my hand brushing his. An electric jolt sparks through me. Phoenix would call it chemistry. I don’t know if he felt it, because he smiles and chugs down his own Coke. He doesn’t seem to be freaking out inside like I am. Does that mean hedoesn’thave a crush on me? Because I’m pretty sure my best friend is putting all these thoughts in my head because she desperately wants me to be happy. IknowEric doesn’t think about me like that. We’re just good friends.
“What?” he asks.
