Page 13 of Shadowing Charlotte
My entire body felt liked I'd been dropped in a lake of lava. I stared at the photo, jealousy writhing in my stomach like a living creature with a mind of its own.
I had no fucking self-control. Flicking back to our messages, I tapped the little phone icon and let it ring.
"You know, you should really get a hobby and stop obsessing over me," Lex said over the line, his tone teasing. I could imagine him wearing that fucking grin that made me want to smack him. Fuck, he was right. I was acting like… well, like him.
"Who is she?"
"Who?" he asked, sounding confused.
"The blonde girl…" I replied bluntly, flicking back to the picture.
"Blonde—" His question died, morphing into a cackle of amusement. "The girl in the red dress?" he clarified, still laughing.
"Yes," I glared down at the phone, my cheeks searingly hot.
"My friend's little sister," he finally answered. I didn't say anything else, my blood boiling. I felt stupid and psychotic, stalking his profile like an obsessed teen girl. Why the fuck did I care, anyway? He wasn't my boyfriend. He wasn't my, well… myanything. "Charlotte, look at the fucking date." he chuckled.
I couldn't help but comply. June 13th, 2018. The photo was over two years old. "You're really fucking adorable, you know that?" he asked. My grip on the phone tightened, my hand shaking with anger and humiliation. Before he had a chance to tease me further, I hung up.
Chapter twelve
Alexander
"You're really fucking adorable, you know that?" I grinned like an idiot. Charlotte was jealous, and she had no reason to be. I'd been following her around for two years, for fuck's sake.
The line went dead before I could say anything else, but the smile remained on my face. I glanced down at our messages again. She'd sent fourteen of them, only minutes between each. When I told her she needed to get a hobby, I imagined her freckled face turning furiously red. Oh, the incredible irony. She was just as fucking obsessed with me as I was with her.
Fourteen fucking messages. A friend request. I woke at three in the morning to find the notifications. It was something I hadn't expected of her. That was what I liked the most about Charlotte. After two fucking years of watching her, she still surprised me at every turn.
You're so fucking cute when you're pissed off.
Her name is Jessica, btw. And she's gay.
I closed the app, ignoring the ding that notified me of her response. I'd let the information marinate. It was incredibly addictive, knowing that I could get under her skin, the way she had burrowed her way beneath mine and never fucking left.
The phone rang again; this time it wasn't Charlotte.
"What do you want?" I snarled into the speaker.
"I'm just checking in, bud. It's been a while," my dad replied warily.
"Yeah, there's a fucking reason for that," I snapped. Just hearing his voice left a bitter taste in my mouth. It only reminded me of what we'd lost, what he'd ruined.
"Are you going to hate me forever?"
"Probably." I answered bluntly.
"Look, bud, I tried." Bill sighed. "Your mom was just—"
"Don't you dare fucking talk about her." My anger ignited in an instant, morphing into a seething rage in a matter of seconds. "You lost that right when you couldn't keep your cock in your jeans."
"That's not fair…" he replied anxiously. He sounded like a petulant child.
"Life isn't fucking fair, Bill. Get the fuck over it." I hung up. It had been ten years since he'd admitted my mom into Meadowview, and I still hadn't forgiven him. I didn't imagine I ever would.
Opening my contacts, I made another call.
"Zane, what are you doing tonight?" I asked the minute he answered.
