Page 8 of Love is a Game

Hot fury surged through her body as the memories of high school came back in full force. She rushed forward and slapped her hand against the desk between them. “You rigged that election, and we both know it!”

He bent down so his face was level with hers and asked quietly, “Was it rigged? Or did everyone just like me better than you?”

The words stung, even all these years later. Andrew was just as ambitious as she was, just as competitive, just as devoted to his grades, and he spent just as much time studying as she did, yet somehow all of the things that made it so hard for her to have a social life hadn’t impeded him at all. She was seen as a high-strung overachiever. Meanwhile, he dated a cheerleader and was elected student-body president. Still, she might have had a chance at winning if her campaign hadn’t been plagued with unexplained problems.

“It was rigged,” she insisted. “I don’t know how, but you cheated. Do you really think anyone believed it was an accident that my mic kept cutting out during the debate?”

“Are you questioning the integrity of the AV club?” he asked.

“The AV club that was made up of your little nerd friends? You bet I am.” She crossed her arms as all of the old resentment rose to the surface. “You even had your stupid girlfriend tear down all of my campaign signs in the girls’ bathrooms!”

A laugh burst out of him. “That was me,” he confessed.

Her mouth dropped open in surprise. “What?”

“Carly was at cheer practice. I ripped down your posters.”

“B-but they were in the girls’ bathrooms!” Sadie sputtered.

“That was the genius of it. I left up all the rest so no one would believe it was me. I can’t believe you didn’t know that.”

The revelation left her speechless. She should have known. She should have known there was no level Andrew Price wouldn’t stoop to in order to beat her. He had always seemed to enjoy nothing more than riling her up, and clearly that hadn’t changed. If only she had known he was back in town, she could have avoided him. She never would have come here if . . .

Her eyes widened as the realization hit her. “Wait, you’re working here? You’re the librarian?”

He nodded.

“You’re the one I’m supposed to talk to about the hotel?”

She thought she saw something flicker across his face, an uncertainty maybe, but it passed quickly. “Why, you want to help me? I could use an assistant.”

“Assistant?” she cried. “Absolutely not.”

“Come on, Sadie. Let bygones be bygones,” he said with a wink that made her blood boil.

“I don’t need this.” She shook her head, trying to clear the old, familiar frustration that he always brought out in her. “I came here for information, but I don’t need it from the likes of you.”

“Don’t be like that,” he said, grabbing a bright orange flyer from the counter and handing it to her. She saw the words Preserve the Cypress Hotel in big letters across the top. “We used to make a pretty good team.”

“Ha!” She laughed, brushing the paper aside. “What I remember is that I would do all the work, and you would take the credit. Well, not this time. I’ll save the Cypress on my own, thank you very much.”

He put the flyer back on its stack and slipped his hands into his pockets. “I doubt it. Don’t worry though. I’ll be here when you change your mind.”

Sadie clenched her fists and tried to come up with some witty comeback, but when she couldn’t think of anything, she settled for knocking over his pencil holder and then stormed out of the library. There had to be another way. She would figure out how to reach out to Robby directly. Anything would be better than working with Andrew Price.

___________

Andrew watched her march through the doors and disappear around the corner of the building. He let out a breath and dropped into his chair, rubbing a hand over his face in frustration.

“Well done, doofus,” he muttered as he set his pencil cup back up on the desk.

That hadn’t gone well, and he knew it was partially his fault.

Partially.

It was such a childish thing to do, riling her up like that, but he couldn’t help it. Old habits die hard. If she hadn’t been so angry right off the bat, they could have at least been civil to each other. They were adults now, weren’t they?

It wasn’t her anger that had done it though. She’d looked at him with such disgust, like she was disappointed somehow. He tugged at his sweatshirt, checking to make sure it didn’t have any stains. His outfit wasn’t exactly professional, but no one else seemed to mind. This was Briar Cove. If anything, she was overdressed in her blazer and pumps. Although, he had to admit, it was a good look on her.

---