Page 58 of When Wrecked Meets Ruined
Leah glanced at me. “Chad told everyone she was just a jealous psycho.”
“It wasn’t only Chad,” Kelsey said.
“No. It was Ainsley too. She was crushing on him so hard. It nearly destroyed her when he went for Evie, so she started the rumors.”
Kelsey gave her a pointed look. “Actually, most of the girls on the cheering squad believed it because Chad could pretty much have had any girl he wanted.”
“Except one,” Leah said. “Evie Bellamy wouldn’t give him the time of day. She always flipped him off.”
With every word, my blood pressure rose until it spiked through the fucking roof. Pretty sure I was two seconds away from a heart attack. I took some deep breaths and counted to ten.
“So you and Evie….” Kelsey started.
“There is no me and Evie.” Lies. There hadalwaysbeen me and Evie. Right from the very first day I ever laid eyes on her.
Now I knew why it had been hate at first sight for her.
She thought I was just another Chad Miller.
“Huh,” Kelsey said. “You never would have guessed that by the way you acted tonight. You went insane, Ridge.”
Couldn’t deny that. I lost my fucking mind. My busted knuckles were proof of that. Driving my fist through the living room wall was not the action of a sane man. “I would have done the same thing if I heard it was you or Leah or just about any girl.” Except for Ainsley. She was at the top of my shitlist.
Kelsey nodded. “Maybe. But I don’t think it would have upset you as much. If it’s any consolation, she destroyed his car.”
That didn’t surprise me. Evie was tough, and she was strong. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. But destroying his car wasn’t nearly enough compared to what he allegedly did to her. I say allegedly because nobody sitting on my porch had witnessed it firsthand.
“I didn’t even know she was on the cheering squad.” It was a stupid thing to dwell on, but I couldn’t even picture it. Evie didn’t seem like the type of girl who participated in group sports. But then again, a lot of people said the same about me being on the football team.
Kelsey nodded. “Just for freshman year. She got kicked off… or maybe she quit, I don’t know. She was good, though. We took dance classes together for a few years. We were never really friends but only because….” Kelsey shrugged. “I’m not even sure why. All the other girls called her a bitch or a snob, but I never got that vibe. She’s just… always been reserved, I guess? Guys saw that as a challenge. Girls were intimidated. Especially Ainsley Thorpe. But I think Ainsley was jealous because her mom paid Evie so much attention. Annabel Thorpe owned the dance studio.”
It all made sense now. That’s why Ainsley had accused her of stealing. “She sleeps with guys for money.”
“Let me guess… your friends made a bet that I’d sleep with you. How much do you stand to win?”
Because Chad Fucking Miller had won a bet.
My hands curled into fists. That motherfucker. I wanted to beat the shit out of him all over again.
Troy stood up and stretched, yawning. “Sorry to cut this party short, but I need to get out of here before I pass out. If you girls want a ride home, I’m leaving now.”
Kelsey and Leah stood up, and I got to my feet, my ribs screaming in protest. Kelsey shook her head and sighed as I walked her to the door. I didn’t even have to look in the mirror to know I looked like shit.
Walker and Leah were deep in conversation next to Troy’s car while he waited patiently behind the wheel, and Kelsey stayed on the porch with me to give them some space. “If only Evie knew you were her knight in shining armor tonight.”
That wasn’t entirely accurate. I hadn’t been fighting for her, but I would have if I’d known.
Last week I’d stuck my nose in her business, attempting to be her knight in shining armor, but look where that had gotten me. She wouldn’t even answer my calls. “She’d be pissed as hell. Evie likes to take care of everything on her own.”
She smiled a little. “Maybe. But you should try harder. I think she needs a good guy.”
“Nobody’s ever accused me of that before.”
“Stop fishing for compliments. My ego is still bruised from that brush-off.”
Shit. Talking to Kelsey about another girl was an all-time low. Another one for the record books. “It’s not you. It’s me.”
She huffed out a laugh. “That’s the oldest line in the book, but I’m going to choose to believe it.”
