Page 83 of A Hurt So Good

“Is it that important to you guys?” I nod my head, and I watch as the smile tugs across her face. “Then I’ll go with whatever you guys choose.”

“That’s our girl,” I say as I move closer and brush my lips over hers. I kiss her softly, deeply, and passionately. I let her know through my kiss just what she means to all of us.

Arya pulls back and groans a little as I look at her.

“I’m sore,” she whispers.

“We’re not going to do anything,” I inform her. She smiles and presses her lips against mine once more before snuggling into my chest. Her breath fans against my bare chest, and I find it soothing, so I wrap her in my arms and pull her as close as I can get her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before we both fall back asleep.

Chapter 33

Arya

The guys were gone this morning when I got up. I couldn’t believe I slept as late as I did, either. I don’t usually sleep in, but apparently, my body needed it today.

I got up, took a shower, and did some work, but my phone has done nothing but chime with messages for the past hour. Most I just ignored but now I’m getting pictures and not just any pictures. It’s pictures of the guys with other girls. A part of me wants to get angry, but part of me wants to know what the hell is going on. After the times we’ve spent together, I didn’t think that they’d do this, but apparently, I was wrong. And the fact I’m pretty sure these are coming from Rachel pisses me off more.

I scroll through the pictures for one last time before the fury in me wins. I throw my legs over the side of the bed and stand, heading to the closet to grab my boots. I pull them on quickly before grabbing my phone off my bed and calling a cab. I’ve been drinking a little today after the messages started coming in, and I sure as hell don’t want a DUI on top of it.

I head downstairs when the phone chimes again. I take a breath, unsure if I want to see what it is, yet I open it anyway.

Unknown: You should have known you couldn’t keep them all.

It’s her. It has to be Rachel. As I walk toward the door, I think better of taking my phone with me. They can track me, and I don’t want them knowing shit.

My cab pulls up, and I rush outside and climb in, rattling off Denz’s address on the other side of town.

Anger bubbles up inside of me the closer we get to Denz’s house. Would they do this to me? After all the bullshit they put me through to make sure I don’t talk to any other man, and they’re out with other women? No. I can’t see them doing that, but there’s the proof on my phone. There are even dates, for fuck’s sake.

I try to calm the rising storm in me, but it does no good. I’m pissed, hurt, angry. Why would they do this to me? Why would they put me in this position? Was it all just a game to them? Let’s see who can fuck Arya and ruin her life? After Jason, I should have known better. I should have kept my distance, but I liked the games we played. I liked the chase and loved it when I was captured.

And now I look like a fool. They played me. They made me think they actually cared when they didn’t. And my heart sinks in my chest at the thought of that. Maybe I didn’t know them as well as I thought I did. And the fact I gave them pieces of me. Pieces I can never get back, pieces I didn’t really want to give and yet I did.

Tears burn the back of my eyes, but I won’t let them fall. I won’t cry for them. I can’t. They’ve destroyed me. They’ve broken a part of me I didn’t think could ever be broken again.

My chest aches as the cab pulls up in front of Denz’s house. I climb out, but I don’t see the SUV parked out front like it usually is. I glance at his house before walking down the street to Rachel’s house. I’m so angry that I’m ready to burst.

My hands ball into fists as a man walks up next to me.

“You looking for Denz?” I nod, not sure who he is. “He’s at Rachel’s,” he informs me before walking off. I continue my walk to Rachel’s, ready to beat the shit out of both of them. I storm up her steps and beat on the front door. The door flies open, and Rachel stands there staring at me before a sick smirk crosses her face.

“Where the fuck is he?” I growl at her. She laughs, throwing her head back before shoving her door open and calling for someone, but it isn’t Denz. I watch as more girls filter out of the house as I back down the steps.

“Denz isn’t here right now,” Rachel says with a smile. “But my girls are.” I count them in my head, taking each one in. There are seven of them and one of me. Fuck. That doesn’t mean I’ll go down without a fight.

“And your point is?” I ask her, not at all afraid of what’s about to happen. It’s not like I’ve never been on the receiving end of some bullshit before.

“I warned you away from Denz more than once, and you don’t seem to listen. Where are the guys when you need them?” She taunts as they all come down the stairs and straight toward me. I could run. I could scream for help that no one would hear. No. I’m not a runner. I won’t run from them.

“They sure as hell aren’t here with you,” I smart off to her. That’s about all it takes for her to lunge at me. I easily side-step, and she stumbles and falls to the ground. Her girls don’t make a move to help her, though.

She stands up and comes back at me, but I land a punch to her cheek, stopping her. That’s when she gets pissed and calls her girls in.

It all happens so damn fast that I barely see it all coming. I swing, probably hitting a few, but they have me outnumbered.

The hits come, and they come hard and fast before I’m knocked to the ground. I do my best to cover my face and protect my head, but it does little good. My ears are ringing, my face scratching across the pavement. I don’t know how long this goes on before I hear them all laughing and walking away from me.

It takes me a good minute to get off the ground and to my feet. Once I’m up, I try not to fall as I stumble down the road toward Denz’s house. I think about knocking to see if Sasha is home, but I don’t want her involved in this. In fact, I don’t want Denz involved in this either. Fuck them. All of them.

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