Love Me (14 page)

“He wants to get back together with you?”

“He just wants to graduate and go to college.”

“I just don’t want him with Whitney. We can’t let her get her claws back in him.”

“I know what really happened with you two. How you slept with her and dumped her. How she settled for your brother. How he has no idea you were her first.”

The line goes completely silent. I can’t even hear him breathe. I think I lost the connection until he sucks in a breath and says, “You knew all that, but didn’t tell him the truth when she texted him?”

“I couldn’t. I didn’t want to hurt him. Do you know how badly that would’ve hurt him?”

“Most girls would have told him to keep him.”

“I’m not most girls.”

“I’m starting to realize that.” He pauses for a moment. “It’s more than that though. While they were dating, and even now, she texts me. Almost stalks me. Sends me naked pictures. Tells me what I’m missing.”

“Why didn’t you tell Dawson? He’s your brother. How could you let him keep dating her?”

“I wanted to tell him so many times. But I didn’t want to hurt him either. I kept hoping they would break up. That it wouldn’t last. But then, the longer I didn’t tell him, the worse it would’ve been. I kept a file though.”

“A file?”

“Yeah. All her texts. Naked pictures. Stuff she said about him.”

“Why?”

“In case he ever wanted to marry her, I was going to tell him the truth. I needed proof. Here, I just sent you an example.”

“An example! I don’t want to see Whitney naked!”

“Just look at it. You need to know what you’re up against.”

“I’m not up against her. I have no fight with her.”

“She sent me this last night.”

Whitney:  You may not have been jealous of Dawson, but I don’t care anymore. There’s a hot new teacher at school. Peyton thinks she’s going to get him, but she can’t have everything. I won’t let her. And he’s so much more of a man than you are. This is what you missed out on. This is where I’m going to do him.

Following is a photo of Whitney, mostly naked, lying on Cooper Steele’s new desk. 

“What the hell? How did she get in his office?”

“I don’t know, but she’s losing it. She and Peyton are in some kind of war.”

“Peyton is tired of her shit.”

“I’m sure she is. She’s put up with it for too long, but I’m worried about her.”

“I heard your breakup was really bad.”

“Yeah, I was young and dumb. But we’re friends now. That’s why I’m worried.”

“Have you told her this?”

“Of course. She won’t listen. She has some plan. Thinks she’s going to destroy Whitney and win some stupid contest in the process. What she doesn’t get is that she won’t. Whitney is a devious, scheming bitch, and Peyton is no match for her. She’s too nice.”

“So, I’m supposed to keep Dawson away from Whitney and keep Whitney from destroying Peyton. Anything else I can do for you?” I laugh. 

“Actually, yes. I also hear you’re Braxton’s date tonight for a party after curfew. Don’t get the boy kicked out before he even starts.”

“That’s exactly why he’s my date. I’m going to keep an eye on him. You know, he would’ve snuck out anyway. He wants to be just like you.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Probably because wanting to be like me already got one brother kicked out of school.”

“Maybe you should reform your bad boy ways. Set a better example.”

He laughs. “Ha! I don’t think so. Not until I find a girl worthy of that. Let’s talk about Riley.”

“When did I become the Johnson brothers’ keeper?”

“I’m not sure, but Riley loves you.”

“I love Riley too. He’s my best friend. I got really drunk after Dawson and I broke up. He took care of me. I don’t remember much, but I think that’s because I knew I was safe with him.”

“You may be the only drunk girl safe with Riley,” he laughs. “He’s pretty protective of you.”

“I know. It’s sweet.”

“I think he has a crush.”

“Naw. He knows I crush on his brother.”

“Me?”

“Nope, Braxton. He’s the best of all of you. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

“Keatyn, if you need anything—seriously, if there’s anything I can ever do for you—let me know.”

“Thanks, Cam. I appreciate that.”

I decide to text Aiden. We’re supposed to hang out today, and I need to find out if he still wants to. I’m also dying to know if he was with Chelsea last night.

Me:  Thanks for the advice last night. I went to the sing-a-long with my friends and had fun.

Hottie God:  I’m glad. It wasn’t as lame as I thought it would be. We had fun too.

Me:  Yeah, I suppose when you’re surrounded by cheerleaders it’s hard not to have fun.

Hottie God:  You’re mine today, still, right?

Me:  I guess.

Hottie God:  I need some luck to win the competition. I also need a partner for the lawn games. You any good at the wheelbarrow race?

Me:  Probably not as good as a cheerleader. 

Hottie God:  I didn’t ask a cheerleader. I asked you. Meet me outside your dorm at eleven.

Now, I’m lazily sprawled out on my stomach across Dallas’ bed. He’s sitting on the floor in front of me, and I’m running my hands through his hair, giving him a scalp massage.

The way he’s groaning, you’d think I was massaging something else.

Riley barrels through the door, laden with bags and a tray of coffee drinks. It smells wonderful, especially since all the boys’ rooms seem to smell like an oddly compelling combination of cologne and dirty socks. 

“I’m next in the massage chair,” he says as he sets down the tray. 

“I want a massage too,” I say.

Riley raises his eyebrows at me. “Yeah, that’s what we want to hear about. Who’s been massaging you?”

I throw a napkin at him, but it falls shamefully to the floor in front of him. He bounds across the bed on top of me and starts tickling me. Holding my arms down, tickling my sides. I’m laughing and screaming at the same time. “Stop, stop. I give up.”

“If only Ariela were that easy,” he comments as he rolls off me.

Dallas laughs.

“So, Dallas apparently has a secret hot date tonight and everyone knows who you’re dating, seeing as it’s tattooed across your chest.”

“They’re all gone, but I’m thinking about asking her out. What do you think?”

Dallas says, “She’s cute. Seems to be pretty into you. I mean, except for the whole not-getting-any thing. But if you’re going to keep dating her, you might as well. Maybe that will open the gates.”

I swat Dallas’ head. “Stop that. They don’t need to have sex. And, Riley, I think you should ask her out. Are you going to do anything special?”

“Well, I’m competing in the Gods of Olympus competition. I’ll be shirtless all day.” He flexes a bicep at us. “She’ll be impressed.”

I laugh at his confidence. “Yes, she will be impressed. But since her lips have already been all over your chest, I think you might need something more.”

Riley lowers his head slightly. “She kinda has a thing for Hello Kitty, so I got her something to give to her when I ask.”

“Really? Oh my gosh! I love Hello Kitty too! What’d you get?”

“Don’t laugh,” he says, as he pulls a Swarovski crystal box out of his drawer and opens it up. 

Inside is an adorable hot pink domed ring with large random crystals on it and a Hello Kitty face. 

“Oh. My. Gosh! Why haven’t I seen this before?! I love it. I want it. She’ll love it! She’s going to go crazy with loving it.”

Riley smiles probably the biggest smile I’ve ever seen from him. “You really think she’ll like it?”

“Yeah, Riley, I do. You did really good.”

“So what about you, baby? You into my brother or Aiden today?”

“Both,” Dallas replies for me.

“How’s that working out?”

I eye Dallas.

He gives me a big eye roll back. “I’m sorry about the panties.”

“What panties? What did I miss?” Riley asks.

Dallas reiterates what happened last night in the café. 

“Busted,” Riley says with a laugh.

“Nothing happened with Aiden at the Cave. I mean, we kissed.” I roll my eyes. “Still no tongue. Dawson didn’t believe me at first, but we talked and we’re good. Although he also told me that he can’t wait to go to college.”

“Everyone can’t wait to go to college,” Riley says.

“He meant without me.”

“So you’re going to like Aiden?”

I sigh. “I’m pretty sure he hooked up with Chelsea last night. I heard her tell him that she wasn’t taking no for an answer.”

“That doesn’t mean he did,” Riley says. “Most everyone knows I like Ariela, but there are still plenty of girls that tell me we’re going to hook up.”

“Do you want to?”

“No. I forward them to Dallas.”

“And I hook up with them,” Dallas says. “It’s brilliant. And . . . I happen to know that Aiden didn’t hook up with Chelsea last night.”

“How could you know that?”

Dallas smiles broadly. “Because I did.”

I can’t help it. My heart soars. “Do you know why? Did Aiden turn her down?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care. We had fun. She has the most perfect body. As a matter of fact, we’re hanging out today.”

“So, Dallas, you’re supposed to be practically psychic, what’s gonna happen?”

“It doesn’t really matter,” Riley says, wrapping his arm around me. “As long as we stay close. The three of us.”

I think having good friends in your life is an important piece of loving yourself.

It should be illegal.

11am

“Look at you in your bright gold Nikes,” I say to Aiden when I walk out of my dorm to meet him.

“Thanks. I had them sent from home. They’re sort of a collector’s edition. And look at you. Gold shorts, gold gladiator sandals.” 

I hold up the gold bracelet with love notes written across it. 

“And love on your arm,” he says as he lays his hand across my chest. “Hopefully, eventually, the love will be here and not on your arm.”

Write love on your heart. 

Yes. I’m swooning. And I really want to tell him it sorta already is written on my heart. 

It’s like a song you’ve always known the words to. A lullaby you’ll never forget.

But I don’t want to sound like I have a crush on a love god. 

He looks me over again, taking in my adorable outfit.

He looks puzzled then hooks my hair behind my ear. “You’re wearing just one feather earring, huh?”

I laugh. “Well, I used to have two but now I only have one.”

He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a box. “I found these. Thought you might like them.” He opens the lid and nestled in cotton are golden feather earrings. 

“They’re so pretty! Did you get these from Barneys? I’ve seen them there.”

He nods. “Real swan feathers dipped in gold. Made in Paris.”

“They’re beautiful, Aiden. Really. But they were expensive. I can’t . . .”

He interrupts me. “They’re a bribe.”

“A bribe?”

“Yes, I’m hoping I can exchange these for the other feather.”

I gulp. “Why?”

“Let’s just say I’m going to be needing them both.”

“Oh,” I say, taking in his fiery eyes and imaging feathers all over my naked body. “Your mom was right. You’re impossible to say no to.”

What I say hangs there. 

Aiden licks his lips. 

God, I want that tongue. 

Really, he shouldn’t be allowed to lick his lips. It should be illegal. 

Like a bait and switch advertisement. They promise you everything but don’t follow through. If he’s not gonna use it, he shouldn’t be allowed to show it.

“The answer is yes. You have a deal,” I agree. Whole-freaking-heartedly.

“There’s more,” he says. “The weekend after the play, you’re going to take me to your loft. I mean, you already invited me.”

“You invited yourself.”

“Do we have a deal?”

I squint my eyes at him. “I have one stipulation.”

“No way. It’s beyond a fair trade.”

“Then I’m keeping my feather. And it’s not like you can’t go buy your own. Feather earrings are cheap.”

“I’ve looked online and can’t find one to match.”

“I have one stipulation or no deal. The feather can only be used on me.”

“Hmm. I can probably agree to that. But what if I wanted to share? One feather for each of us.”

My eyes get big imagining the feather touching Aiden in places I’m dying to see. 

“Uh, yeah, I, um, suppose I could agree to that,” I say, fumbling through the words breathlessly as I put on my new feather earrings.

He takes my hand and says, “Let’s go kick some butt in the field games.”

First, we compete in the wheelbarrow race with me doing the handstand part. Turns out, I’m not that good with my hands. And although I can dance, I failed at gymnastics as a child. I’m pretty sure it was an embarrassing moment for my parents when the teacher told them I should be in dance instead. Something about having the attention span of a gnat. 

Of course, who wins? Chelsea and Dallas. 

Is it bad I hate her? I don’t even know her and I hate her. 

And my competitive spirit has gotten the best of me. I want to win. I need for Aiden and I to win. 

“You have good hands, right?” I ask Aiden.

“Uh, yeah, I guess.”

“So you be on the ground this time and I’ll hold your legs. I’m strong. Can you do a handstand?”

Instead of answering, he drops to the ground, throws his legs into the air, and then walks around on his hands. 

“I hate you.”

He flips back upright and pulls me into his arms. “You sure about that?”

“Actually, yes. But I don’t care. I just want to beat Dallas this next round.”

Aiden glances over at Dallas and Chelsea. Her curvy body is leaned tightly against his and she’s rubbing his arm the same way she did Aiden’s yesterday.