Page 38 of Jerk
Like he knows I’m watching him, he looks up, right in my direction. And smirks.
My next puff of smoke clouds my view as another couple of girls walk by. They whisper too. When they notice me looking, they giggle to each other.
“What the hell does everyone keep giggling about?” I mutter, bringing my cigarette to my lips.
“Really?” Ember asks. My gaze moves to her. Did I miss something? How is she the one who knows something before I do? She winces. “To be honest, I thought you were standing here gearing up to face the music.”
“Why would I begearingup?”
Ember reaches for her phone in her canvas tote. She swipes her thumb up her screen before she stops, wincing again. “It might be best you don’t know. You already look so tired.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“No, I just mean, maybe, for now, it’s best you—” Grabbing the phone stops her babbling, but she’s right.
This makes my morning much worse.
It’s a photo. One where I’m tied to that throne, my legs spread, my cheeks flushed. It’s the same one he sent this morning, except it’s on Ryung’s QuickGram and there’s a whole caption.
“Encore @ The Crimson Lake House. Tonight.”
Mother.Fucker.
My hand tightens around the phone, my eyes moving back to him. He still stares at me, like a fucking psychopath.
“Hey, so, there’s already a resident at the gallery.” Ember pries her phone from my hands. “But you can crash at Mac’s. We won’t be there tonight, so he won’t stop you.”
“Wait, you’re going to this?”
Ember’s shoulders drop. “Mac and I are in a really good place, Han.” I don’t miss the shortening of my name, like we really are friends. But it makes her next words land harder. “And the Crowns are like my brothers now.”
“I get it,” I groan. The one friend I have, and Rye knows how to get that too. My eyes move back to Krystal, soaking up the spot I worked so hard for. “Is she going to be there?”
“Most people will be.” Ember’s being honest, but I want to strangle her. “It doesn’t matter. You need rest."
“Thanks, but I don’t need Mac’s place.”
“Then where will you go?”
Rising from the steps, I narrow my eyes at Rye. He smirks. “I’ll see you all tonight.”
FOURTEEN
RYE
“Rowen?”
An annoying voice comes from beside me, the pulsing bass doing nothing to drown it out.
“You looking at that pervy porn site again?” Vince asks. “You’ve been staring at your phone all night.”
“There are too many girls here for you to be talking to me, Vince.” My eyes stay on that cherry-cheeked face on my screen.
We blurred out a lot, but this photo still got thousands of likes and piqued the interest of students in neighbouring schools. The plan wasn't to make Hannah a model. Far from that. I want her off her golden pedestal, and I’m almost there. She looked so good spreading those legs for me. The shake in her voice. The dampness on her skin. Taking her crown wasn’t supposed to be this fun.
“Well?” Vince’s voice cuts off my thoughts. “Is that website back?” He leans over, but I’m quick to lock my screen. We're standing by the bar.Hannah'sbar, our backs against it.
“Go away.” I bring my drink to my lips, not even looking at him.
