Page 103 of Filthy Rich Boys (Rich Boys Of Burberry Prep 1)
“Marnye,” Lizzie begins, drawing my attention around to her. It occurs to me then that she knew exactly who I was when she came to the party a few months ago. She looked across that room and she knew exactly what she’d done to me. That was the ‘connection’ that she’d felt between us. “I really do like you, and I meant it when I said I wanted to be friends.”
I stand up, but my knees almost give out, and Tristan grabs me around the waist to keep me from falling.
“Please,” Zack starts, but I'm already shaking my head.
“I just …” Tristan lets me go, and I manage to keep my feet, but my gaze keeps bouncing between Zack and Lizzie. I feel betrayed from both sides, from my past and from my future. Now it all makes sense, why Zack started picking on me for no reason. All for some stupid club. Years and years of pain …
It makes even more sense why he didn't want to tell anyone that we were dating back then. And Lizzie … I feel like my whole friendship with her is a sham.
“I just want to be left alone,” I blurt, pushing past them all and heading down the hallway. I end up in the bathroom with the door closed, and I turn the hot water on in the shower, climbing in and huddling underneath it with my hands over my ears.
When someone knocks, I don't answer, I just sit there until the hot waters run cold and my teeth are chattering. Then I climb out, grab a towel, and step into the hallway where Zayd is waiting.
He doesn’t say anything, just leads me into one of the guest rooms and tucks me in the bed. He gets on top of the covers, curls around me and holds me there for the rest of the night.Finding out that I was just a bet to Zack is … well, it’s devastating. I’m a zombie for weeks, going through the motions, focusing on my schoolwork and my harp. Nothing else matters. It hurts too much to think about what he did to me. What Lizzie did to me.
And the Idols … they’re still being nice to me, still acting like they want me, but … they had to know how much that revelation would hurt, right? Yet, they did it anyway.
Still, it's hard to stay mad at them. Zayd is always charming, popping into my room at random times, flopping down on my bed and joining me for TV night without ever saying a word.
My tutoring sessions with Creed are tense, but in a good way. That spark between us burns hot, whether we’re doing math, or working on essays side by side. Every time he touches me, I can feel it, a rush of heat that infuses every molecule in my body.
Tristan … he's a lot harder to get a read on. But he does sometimes sit in on my orchestra practice, watching me play the harp with those blade gray eyes of his. I always play better when he's in the room, like just knowing that he's listening is a boon to my creativity.
Miranda and Andrew definitely notice the change in my behavior, and call me out on it.
“Are you sure you know what you're doing?” Miranda asks as the three of us sit together in The Mess eating yet another meal I can't pronounce. It's good, it's just … in a language I definitely don't speak. This week's menu is food from around the world. It's educational, at the very least.
“I don't know what you're talking about,” I say as I pick at my food with my fork and then glance up to see the two of them staring at me skeptically. “What? I'm not doing anything but hanging out with them.” And wearing an eighty-thousand dollar necklace, and skinny dipping, and making out, and—
“The Idols don't just hang out,” Andrew says, sighing. “They divide and they conquer. The fact that they've all set their sights on you worries me. If you ask me, they’re up to no good.” He exchanges a look with Miranda that I can't read, and the mystery of what they're up to together starts to get to me. So much so that the next time they try to sneak off together, I follow them.
I don't intend on doing any true sleuthing, I don't have to. Just keeping a safe distance behind them as they walk through the rear courtyard and meet up with some friends in the trees is enough.
The first thing I notice is that Miranda and her new girlfriend take off in one direction, while Andrew and his male friend go the other way.
I decide to stick with Miranda.
What I don't expect to see when I round the corner of the hedges is the two of them lip-locked, their arms around each other, fingers grasping. They're both panting, kissing like they can't get enough of each other, and it all clicks in the place.
