Page 69 of Loved By The Bad Boy

“Shut the fuck up! Shut up, okay? Stop lying.” We are still in April. It has been two months and a few days since the incident. She needs to own up to her sins. Glaring daggers at her, I wrap my hand around the steering because I might punch her, break her nose or worse if I don’t. We don’t need more drama in our lives. “I know life treated you badly, but what the fuck is your issue?”

A tear drops to her cheek. “I didn’t put up the video. Noah did.” Liar. Big, fat lies. She releases a shaky breath and wraps her arms around her belly. “Zoey and Charlotte knew, but they didn’t say anything.”

“Maybe they hated your guts and were just glad to see you take the heat.” Olivia shrugs. The air of pride that hangs over her head seems to have been replaced with an unfamiliar vulnerability. My eyes lower to my lap, and I whisper, “I’m sorry that happened with your mom’s boyfriend.”

Wiping the tears that appear, she says, “I’m sorry too. I know you told your mom.”

It’s my turn to shrug. If something is wrong in my life and Ben can’t help me, Mom is the next person I will tell. Olivia pats her hair. If I’ve learned anything from her, it’s how to look perfect on the outside.

“Thanks, I guess,” Olivia says. I laugh, and she chuckles. This is too weird. She stares down at me through the open window. Would we have hugged if I were beside her? “I’m sorry I was an ass to you.”

“Yeah, you’re an asshole. A pretty asshole.” Olivia laughs so hard, and I smile sadly. We could have been the three musketeers. Me, her, and Maria. Things won’t be the same between us. We will never be friends, but we are no longer enemies. “How do you know Noah put up the video?”

“It was easy to figure out after you left,” she says. A part of me is glad she found out after my departure. “There were only four of us that day, and he’s the only one with access to my phone.”

“Did you tell Ben?” Shaking her head, Olivia retrieves a compact mirror from her mini backpack to touch up her eye makeup. I like that some things haven’t changed about her. “Why not?”

“There was no need.” There was every need. Or not. Her words sink deeper. Ben was right all along. Olivia didn’t put up the video. I don’t feel bad for hitting her. I only feel bad for hitting her over the wrong thing. “The deed has been done. Noah was suspended anyway, so it’s fine.”

“I guess.” We exchange a glance, and she offers me another smile. It’s weird, but this whole meeting and conversation has been strange. I believe she kept the information about Noah to herself as a form of atonement. I am no longer mad at her. I don’t care anymore. “I have to go.”

I think she wants to say something, but when her mouth opens, she says, “Bye, Tessa.”

“Bye, Olivia.”

She continues waving until I am out of sight. I drive to the ice-cream spot with a smile on my face.

Twenty-Nine

BEN

I wake up alone.Realization hits me hard. Gracie left. My heart skips. She couldn’t have left me at this point, right? I put on the nearest item of clothing next to me and rush to the door. Wait. I turn slowly. Her luggage is still here. My legs remember how to function. I grab my phone and start for the door again. There are three messages from her. All of them are from two hours ago.

A relieved sound breaks free from my lips, and I slide down the door.

Gracie didn’t leave me.

She won’t leave me. We will be together forever. If anyone could see into my head, they might consider me a psychopath. But it’s how I feel about her. The pad of my thumb runs over her last text, and a grin falls to my lips. My love for her is more than an exponent; it multiplies daily.

A crash downstairs stops me from composing a reply to Gracie. I open the door, and the source of the noise becomes clearer. Mom and Josef. This is the first time they are raising their voices at each other since the day Asher questioned them. They haven’t argued since, but things have been awkward. It’s why me and Gracie stay indoors. I take slow steps downstairs to avoid alerting them of my presence. Mom is glaring at Josef. He is staring down at her with the same amount of annoyance. I haven’t seen them this way before, and it scares me. I don’t want them to break up.

“You need to do better,” Mom screams at him. I wince. If she’s raising her voice, then it’s bad. I don’t move an inch. Maybe they are arguing about something else, not my case. I doubt I’ll ever recover if they break up. Mom runs a hand through her messy hair and sighs. “I can’t do this.”

My hands clench. I take a silent step forward. She can’t do what? She can’t leave him. Asher will be broken. I might have hated them together, but I can’t bear to see them as anything other than a couple.

“Yes, you can, love,” Josef says. It’s sweet of him to have a pet name for Mom. She must think so because a smile flashes across her face. Josef takes advantage of that and continues. “I’m not angry at Ben. Don’t you get it? I’m angry with myself. Where did I go wrong as a parent for her to turn out that way?”

Mom never gets to reply. I step out of the shadows like a petrified cat. Yeah, I’m scared. “Please don’t fight again. Asher doesn’t like it. I don’t like it.” Josef runs a hand over his scalp, masking his surprise at my presence. “I don’t think both of you like it, and you look better when you’re smiling at each other instead of frowning like you’re doing now. So, please don’t fight again.”

None of them speak for a minute or two, then Mom moves. “Oh, Benny. We are not fighting. Well…” She glares at Josef and picks up the bouquet on the table. “Josef is trying to bribe me with flowers.”

“It was not a bribe. We were talking, Ben,” Josef protests. He is right beside her, trying to draw her in for a hug, but she slaps his arm. They have another long, heated stare. “Maddie, please.”

Josef throws me a pleading look. I’m also tired of their fight. “Mom, please let him hug you.” She scowls but allows him to pull her into his arms. Before they kiss, I murmur, “I’ll be in my room.”

Footsteps follow behind me. I look behind to see Josef tailing after me. We are both quiet as we enter my room and stand in the middle. With him here, the room seems to shrink in size. I shove my hands into my pockets without an idea how to strike up a conversation with him. The last time we had a heart-to-heart, I broke down.

“Can we talk?” Josef says.

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