Page 64 of Things I Wish I Said
She sobs again, and I wince at the sound.
Guilt roils in my gut.
What if Grayson feels the same for this girl, but my presence here is getting in the way? What if she thinks we’re actually together?
If anyone was watching us, it would be a fair assumption to make after our little display on the dance floor.
“And now he’s here with that girl. The one from his baseball game, and I know they’re together. They have to be,” she wails. “You should’ve heard all the jokes she was cracking at my expense.”
“Oh, Hannah. You’re so much better than this.”
Hannah—the girl from the baseball game.
Shit.
My stomach sinks while I contemplate my next move.
This wish is a means to an end for me, but this is also Grayson’s life. He deserves more than a fake relationship, and I refuse to stand in the way just because I need something from him in return.
I quickly rise to my feet, stumbling past the partition before I can second-guess myself.
The girls scream when they see me, jumping about ten feet in the air. “Holy shit!” Hannah screams while her friend, a brunette, gapes.
“Um, sorry.” I raise my hands up as if to show them I come in peace. “Hannah, right?” I ask, with a tentative smile.
The brunette glances between us, her eyes darting nervously. “Who are you?”
“Sorry.” I hook a thumb toward the toilet, ignoring her. “I heard you come in, but you were upset, and it felt like a bad time to let you know I was in here. Then you started talking about Grayson and it really felt like poor timing.” I give a little laugh, but Hannah just stares at me, her mouth a firm line.
“I’m sure my crying over him amused you.” She sniffs and wipes her damp cheeks with the back of her hand, and I feel a pang of sympathy for her. “No need to rub it in my face. You win.”
I shake my head and step forward. Her tone might be bitchy, but I don’t blame her. After all, I did just sit in silence and listen to their conversation.
“That’s not what I’m doing,” I say. “You have it all wrong.”
“I do?” she asks, uncertainty coloring her tone.
I nod. “Grayson and I are not together.”
She shifts on her feet, her cheeks coloring. “So, you’re just sleeping with him?”
“Oh no!” I wave a hand out in front of myself, a flush creeping up my neck. “Oh, God, no. We’re not together like that, either. We’re just friends. Good friends. He’s helping me out with something right now.”
“But I saw you dancing, and you said all that stuff the other day at the game . . .”
I know what dancing with Grayson felt like, so I can only imagine what it looked like, and I’m sure all my jokes the other day didn’t help.
I offer her a sheepish smile. “Yeah. I admit, we got carried away for a second, but I swear, we’re just friends. So, if you guys have something, you should go for it.”
Hannah swallows, glancing at her friend as if to confirm she’s not hearing things. “You’re sure?”
“Positive,” I say, relieved I could at least do this one thing for Grayson, even if it makes me feel a little sick inside.
After all, he’s doing a lot more for me.
Hannah cocks her head. “What’s your name again?”
“Ryleigh.”
