Amazed (Tempted Book 3) (7 page)

Talon was standing in front of the class rambling on about something. I wasn’t listening but not because of the awkwardness between Talon and I. No, it was because my boyfriend never called, never showed up, and he was back to sitting with his football friends. Oh and let’s not forget the mindless cheerleaders.

From the seat next to me Holland squeezed my hand letting my hand know she was there for me. I already knew that but that didn’t mean I didn’t appreciate it.

“Alright, you guys can leave now. Don’t forget your papers are due Friday,” Talon called out as everyone was exiting from their seats.

Walking past Talon, I couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t look at me not even in a student teacher way but he looked at everyone else.

He’ll probably fail me. Great, just great.

Walking into the dining hall, I got my food and sat at a vacant table with Holland by my side.

“Are you okay?” Holland asked, eating her fruit salad.

“Not in the least bit,” I answered just as Ethan walked in and sat at the table across from us with a girl sitting on his lap.

“I don’t know what happened? Did I do something?” I asked Holland, looking at my tears falling in puddles on the table.

“No, sweetheart, you didn’t do anything. Boys are assholes, trust me, I should know,” she said, leaning down and wiping my eyes with a napkin.

“Why doesn’t he want me?”

“Because he’s an idiot.”

I was sad and hurt but the more I sat there I started to feel angry.

I had to know what was going on because not knowing was driving me crazy. Gathering all of the courage in my body, I pushed my chair out and walked over to where Ethan was sitting.

“What’s going on with you? You never showed up last night and you didn’t bother to call, so I waited all night,” I asked, looking him right in the eye.

He turned his eyes to the girl sitting on his lap and he pretended like I wasn’t standing there talking to him. He was acting as if I was invisible. Feeling a surge of fury hit me, I picked up the cup full of drink and poured it all over him and his latest conquest.

Gasps and hushed whispering could be heard from every direction.

“What’s your problem?” he asked, jumping up and knocking the girl on his lap off of him in the process.

I would have laughed but I was in no mood

“My problem? My problem is you! You’re treating me like I meant nothing to, like what we had meant nothing to you!”

“Maybe it didn’t. Did you stop to think about that?”

“You don’t mean that,” I whispered, hoping that this was all a bad dream I was going to wake up from.

“Yes, I do. Come on, guys. Let’s get out of here,” Ethan said, walking past me.

That’s it, I was officially done with Ethan Charles. He had hurt me for the last time. But then it hit me, I could act tough but I didn’t know if I could keep that promise to myself. I didn’t know if I could ever be finished with Ethan Charles.

“Let’s go home, Gracie. I got you,” Holland said, gripping my arm and leading me out of the dining hall.

We spent the rest of the day scarfing down ice cream and watching reality TV. As much as I tried to get my mind off of everything I couldn’t help but think about him. He had broken up with me and I didn’t know how long it was going to take until I got over him. If I ever could.

Holland called it a night and that’s how I found myself sitting on the couch wide awake in the middle of the night. I was usually afraid of the dark but not that night. No, that night I was hurting.

I could care less if a monster made its way out of the dark and sat beside me at the point.

Sobbing, I tried to go over what I did wrong in my head but nothing immediately came to mind. Was I too clingy? Did he wake up and realize he wasn’t attracted to me anymore?

I knew I sounded pathetic but I know every girl has been there. Every girl has questioned their self-worth when the only person who had the power to break them did just that. It makes you question everything and it eats away at your confidence. I knew all of that but I couldn’t stop myself from feeling that way.

Everything was going great and then all of a sudden that was ripped from me. I was left picking up the pieces and I didn’t know why.

I think that was what hurt the most, not knowing. It let my mind come up with all of these insane scenarios.

At some point I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember was waking up on the couch to the smell of Holland making breakfast and familiar voice.

“West, what are you doing here?” I asked sleepily, rubbing my eyes.

“You look hung over,” he said through a mouthful of bacon.

“Gee, thanks. You’re such a great friend,” I told him, flicking him off.

Why was he even here?

“You’re so not a morning person,” he said, sitting at the dining room table.

“I’m not a West person. There’s a difference.”

“Impossible. Everyone’s a West person.”

“Where’s your better half?”

“Parking the car,” he said with a serious expression.

“West! You made her park the car alone? You’re a horrible husband,” I exclaimed, walking to the table and taking a seat.

“I’m kidding. She’s in the bathroom.”

As if on cue Maddie walked into the dining room and joined us.

“Good Morning, Grace. You okay?”

So, that was the reason for their visit they had heard the news and they came to check on me.

”No, I’m not. What time is it? I’m going to be late for class,” I asked, forcing myself off of the chair.

“No, you’re not. I called in sick for you and told them I had to take care of you,” Holland said, placing the food she had prepared on the table.

“I love you,’ I told, reclaiming my chair again.

“I know,” she replied, winking at me.

She was a godsend.

“So, Holland, did know that Luca wants you,” West said, smirking.

“Who told you that?” she inquired, trying to cover up her smile with a shocked expression.

“I heard it through the grapevine.”

Everyone laughed except me. I couldn’t because I felt numb. I felt used but worse than that I felt heartbroken.

Without Ethan everything was black and white. I needed some color.

I loved color and I loved Ethan Charles. He was my color.

I loved him but I had to face the facts that he didn’t love me.

I was nothing to me and he was everything to me.

Everything.

I loved kids and that’s why I chose to get a job at the local daycare with Emma. But after everything that had happened with Ethan I wasn’t my usual peppy self and the kids and my boss could tell it. That’s why I got fired. The punches just kept coming.

My life was going through the domino effect and I sat there and watched helplessly. There was absolutely nothing I could do to stop it. Nothing.

“What did she say?” Holland asked, sipping on her tea.

I called her after I got the news and asked her to meet me at Jitterbugs. Being Holland she immediately agreed.

“She said to work with kids I had to keep my head up no matter what came my way. And she said I obviously wasn’t capable of that. So, she basically told me I was pathetic and to kick rocks,” I told her, sipping my coffee and burning the roof of mouth.

Life’s a bitch. Even my coffee hated me.

“You are not pathetic and you’ll find a better job. Don’t let her get you down,” she said, giving me her attempt at a pep talk.

“She couldn’t get me down if she tried.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Give the girl some pompoms.

“Because I couldn’t get any lower.”

“Gracie, don’t say that,” she said, her eyes jumping to the door,” and also don’t look behind you.”

That sounded like a line from a horror movie but I knew who was behind me. And I would have rather ran into Freddy Kruger.

“That wasn’t ominous at all, Holl. Who’s with him?”

She scanned his table to see and the whole time I kept praying that it wasn’t a girl.

Please be a bunch of dudes and no girls.

“West and Roman,” she said, picking at her croissant.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I turned to steal a glance at him. His eyes met mine like he could feel me staring at him. I wasn’t looking that hard.
Okay, maybe I was.

Quickly turning my head, I picked up my phone and tried to look busy. I wanted him to look at me and think I was doing fine. Not that he cared but still.

“Is he still looking?”

“Nope, West is making them all take selfies and now they’re doing the duck face,” she said, giggling.

Leave it to West to take the attention from me. In that moment I was thankful for his drag queen personality because maybe, just maybe, I could slip out without having to talk to him.

“Let’s go,” I whisper yelled to Holland.

Nodding, she got up from her chair and I followed her. The door was in plain sight. I could make it.

“Grace and Holland, rude much?” West’s voice boomed through the restaurant.

I couldn’t make it. Pushing Holland in front of me, I walked over to the table.

“Hey, guys. How’s it going?” Holland asked, smiling at everyone but Ethan.

“Good,” they all answered in unison.

“Lovely. Can we go now?” I asked, making sure not to make eye contact with Ethan.

Hearing footsteps behind me, I turned around and saw Luca smiling down at me.

“Why are you smiling at me?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest.

“I heard you lost your job. I’m just trying to cheer you up,” he said loud enough for the whole town to hear.

“You lost your job?” Ethan asked with concern dripping from his voice.

Ignoring him, I turned on my heels and walked to the door. Hearing him calling my name only made me go faster. I had plenty to say to him but I didn’t trust myself to not cry when I looked at him.

“Grace, stop!” Ethan’s voice boomed through the crowded parking lot.

“What, Ethan? What could possibly want to say to me?” I asked, stopping and turning to face him.

I was shaking from anger and sadness. I was overcome with emotion and none of them were good.

“Why did you lose your job?” he demanded.

His eyes seemed genuine like he truly cared about me. It made the butterflies in my stomach flutter but I told them to settle down and not to get too excited just yet.

I debated walking away but I knew that would only cause him to chase me and I didn’t want to be caught. I wanted to get it over with.

“Because of you, Ethan,” I told him, holding back the sobs that were trying to escape.

“How did I cause you to lose your job?” he asked, looking at me with concern.

“Because ever since you changed your mind about us I’ve been in a funk and I can’t get out of it,” I said, looking anywhere but at him.

“Grace, we weren’t serious. I’m young I don’t want to be tied down to one woman. It was fun but it’s time to get over it,” he said and his eyes hardened.

It was like he was two different people. The caring Ethan that I was talking too only moments ago was replaced by an egotistical man whore.

“Whatever, Ethan,” I said, storming off.

Getting in my car, I locked all of the doors and sped away leaving him in my dust.

He was lying to me. He had to be because what we had was definitely real, I felt it and I knew he had felt it too. He just wanted to push me away. I wasn’t sure why but he did a pretty job of doing it.

Thinking about the kisses I wasted on him made my stomach turn. I hated him but what I hated most about him was that I loved him.

My heart ached for him, my body trembled for him, my lips wanted to feel his lips, and my hand wanted to hold his. We were perfect. At least to me we were perfect but to him we were nothing. Nothing at all.

After getting home and slipping on my pajamas I worked on my paper and waited for Holland to arrive.

Hearing the door open, I turned around and saw Holland walking in.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked with a look of sympathy overtaking her kind face.

I was getting asked that a lot lately and I always had the same answer.

“Not really.”

“Go to your room and get ready we’re going out,” she said, picking up pillow and smacking me across the head with it.

“Um, no we’re not. I have to work on my paper and if I’m not mistaking so do you,” I said, raising an eyebrow to her.

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll get right on that right after we get back tonight,” she said, kicking off her shoes.

Rolling my eyes, I swore to myself that I was not going out. I wasn’t in the mood.

Hours later I found myself standing in a sea of people at the old race track. It was like Holland had super powers because she could make you do anything she wanted.

“Why are we here again?” I yelled over the blaring music.

“Luca told me about it. He said I should stop by,” she answered, dodging eye contact with me.

“He’s a really bad person, Holl.”

“He’s been really sweet to me,” she defended him.

“You don’t know him,” I warned.

“Maybe it’s you that doesn’t know him,” she said, locking eyes with me.

What was with her? Eventually she would see his true colors because he was Luca Davis. He could only play nice for so long.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realized that you liked him.”

“Well, I do. Ethan’s here,” she said, changing the subject.

Shit.

“Is he like Mr. Party now or something?”

“We can leave if you want,” she said but I could tell she wanted to stay.

“No, this town is too small to avoid him completely. I’ve got to learn to deal with that.”

She hugged me and ran off probably to dance with Luca. At least I hoped that’s what they were doing.

Please let that be all their doing.

Looking down at my shoes, I tried to tell myself to enjoy myself even if Ethan was there.

“Ethan, stop it!” I heard a girl’s voice shriek.

My head snapped up and my eyes landed on Ethan. Brie Alexander looked as if she was surgically attached to him.
Whore.

Wait, that was mean. She was actually a really nice girl. I was just mad because of the way he was looking at her and because he had this huge smile on his face. Not too long ago he was looking at me like that.

Hearing a familiar voice, I looked up and saw Holland headed my way. And she had Luca with her.

“Hey, Gracie, you thirsty?” Holland asked, holding out a red solo cup for me to take.

“Yeah, actually I am,” I said, grabbing the cup.

“Do you want me to tell Ethan to get out of here?” Luca asked, surprising me by seeming like an actual human being.

“No, I’m fine. I need to get over it,” I said, watching Ethan and Brie flit shamelessly.

Was he only being nice to me in front of Holland? Or was she right and he was actually a good person?

“Just let me know,” he said, smiling.

Was I being punked? Where was the hidden cameras?

Ethan and Brie danced the night away while I looked on. My heart hurt and I didn’t know when it would stop hurting.

If it would ever stop hurting. But I knew one thing it wasn’t looking good.