Page 21 of Sweet and Sinful (Ian Crawford 3)

I smiled. Couldn’t blame the girl for asking. “Good. Really good.”

“You’re so lucky,” she sighed dreamily. “I’ve had a crush on him since the first day. Most of us have. He is so hot.”

I nodded.

“Everyone is talking about it,” she continued.

At that moment, Lena sat down on the other side of Jill. “Everyone’s talking about what? Ian and Alexis?”

“It’s the campus gossip.”

“Well someone isn’t too happy with Mini-me,” Melissa interrupted. She was slumped in her chair and staring straight forward. I turned in my seat to follow her gaze and my breath hitched. Vanessa was sitting two tables over. I smiled at her but she looked away.

My cheeks heated as I turned back around. There it was again: the guilt.

“Yeah pretty shitty deal for her,” Melissa said. “Sucks to have those rumors spread about you and then on top of it, the guy goes and dates someone else.”

I swallowed hard and stared at my food.

“It’s not Alexis’s fault Ian didn’t like Vanessa,” Lena said.

“No. I just don’t get why Alexis likes Ian.”

My head snapped up. “What do you mean?”

Melissa shrugged, and the hairs on my neck instantly stood on edge. I knew she was about to say something I wasn’t going to like. “I just don’t think it’s very cool you started dating that jerk. Especially after what he did to Vanessa.”

“What?” I looked to Carly and back at Melissa again. “Melissa the entire first month of school you were calling her ‘Blowjob Girl’ and talking about how stupid she was for putting herself in that position.”

“Now I think it was his fault.” She crossed one leg over the other and crossed her arms, evidently getting ready for a show down. “I also think you’re stupid for putting yourself in that position, and I’m not the only one that feels that way. Do you know how many girls Ian Crawford has gotten with? Carly was telling me just how big a player he is the other day, weren’t you, Carly?”

Carly’s face turned bright red. She looked like she wanted to crawl under the table.

Melissa turned back to me, smiling smugly. “We were saying he might be hot, but he isn’t interested in actually dating a girl.”

I raised my chin. “He’s dating me.”

If possible her eyes narrowed even more until they were angry slits. I could feel the resentment coming off her in waves. “For now. Until he gets tired of you.”

“Hey,” Lena cut in. “That’s not cool.”

“He won’t,” I said.

Melissa snorted. “What makes you so special?”

I ignored her comment both because I didn’t have an answer for it and because I knew if I focused on it for even a second longer, I might cry. As it was I felt my resolve breaking. “You used to like him. I think you just have a problem with me dating him.”

She rolled her eyes. “His ego is already rubbing off on you.”

I stood and shoved my chair back. My hands were shaking so hard, I knew I wouldn’t be able to carry my tray. So I just left it. I turned and stormed out of the cafeteria knowing full well it looked like I was throwing a fit, but knowing the alternative was worse. There was no way I was going to break down and cry in front of a hall full of people.

Outside I heard Lena calling my name and I stopped by a tree to wait for her. Somehow I felt more hidden there. People walked past, glancing at me questioningly or trying not to look at me at all.

“Are you okay?” Lena asked, catching up with me.

“I’ll be fine,” I muttered, wiping the tears from my eyes. “It wasn’t like Melissa and I were good friends or anything.”

“Don’t let it bother you. Vanessa is in the past.”

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