Page 36 of Wicked Little Game
“Really?”
“At least carry me upstairs if you’re not going to fuck me,” she says while she waits for me to pick her up. I don’t have the energy to do more than sigh at her words.
Ruby Barron is one of the most annoying, nerve-grating people on earth I have ever encountered, but something about her is so alluring, so effortlessly cute and attractive that it makes my head spin. Even now, while she looks a bit like a rockstar after a rough night. She’s going to ruin her bedsheets.
Not my problem. Not my problem. Not my problem.
I should tattoo that on my forehead to remind me of the fact that none of her antics are my problem. Despite that, I find myself with her in my arms, carrying her upstairs. She nuzzles against me, complaining as I walk past her bed and straight to her bathroom.
“Wash your face,” I instruct as I put her down.
“No, gonna do that tomorrow.” She yawns and tries to get past me to walk toward her bed.
“You don’t want me to do it, trust me.”
“Fine, fine,” she says, reluctantly washing her face. Now she looks like a panda but at least I can say that I tried.
I maneuver her to her bed, tucking her in while she drunkenly smiles up at me.
“Can you stay here tonight?”
“Hell no,” I say as I walk over to close her window that’s still open. I should really talk to Mr. Barron about those locks.
“Sam?”
“What now?”
“Did you make up your mind about the bracelet?”
She plays with the one that’s supposed to be mine. She’s tired, that obvious in her voice, but there’s also something else. Not the usual mischief, but it’s probably just the alcohol. I already know that she’s going to feel horrible tomorrow. Deserved.
Something about her tone of voice keeps me from saying something mean. Maybe it’s that, or the way she looks snuggled up in her oversized bed. I don’t want to hurt her feelings right now, which is just as weird as the rest of this night.
“I don’t want—I can’t wear it, darling.”
The silence that follows is the most uncomfortable thing that I had to endure tonight, and that means something.
“Okay,” she mumbles quietly, turning the other way. “Night, Sam.”
15
RUBY
My head hurts, albeit less than I had expected. My ass also stings slightly, and as I roll over in my bed, I think back to the events of last night.
Oh God.
I’m still wearing my outfit from last night, minus my shoes, and it is pretty obvious that Samuel did not spend the night in my bed. Frustrated, I look down at the bracelets on my wrist. He didn’t want it, not even after he was so sweet to me and I wish I knew why this hurts.
The stupid bracelets were supposed to be a joke, something to provoke him, which is exactly what I archived as I showed them to him. He was never supposed to actually wear them. I shot myself in the foot with the damn things.
I thought going out would distract me, that it would take my mind off of the whole situation with Sam. Instead, I feel like I caused an even bigger mess. And to top that mountain of misery, I now have the confirmation that Sarah was probably never a real friend and that I’ve wasted over two years of my life by being in a relationship with Brian.
Karma really bites my ass right now, because as I pull outmy phone, the first thing I see is a post from Sarah. She’s sitting on Brian's lap, kissing him.
Good for them, they made it official;I think as I block her and delete her number. It was long overdue.
It must be nice to have real friends. Or a family, someone you can talk to. Jonah is probably still asleep after his shift, and I don’t want to annoy poor Richard with my drama. Instead, I scroll through my contacts. My phone is filled to the brim with numbers. People I talked to once or twice until I realized I shouldn’t expect more than mundane small talk from them.
