Page 53 of Inseparable
“The only liar, the only cheat, around here is you.” He stabs a finger in front of her face. “You’re a despicable, pathetic excuse for a human being, and I wish I could lobotomize myself to wipe all memory of you from my mind. I have never met anyone with such a poisoned mind, and, one day, hopefully soon, you’ll get what’s coming to you. Until then,” he says, slinging his bag over one shoulder, “stay the hell away from me.” His eyes lock on mine momentarily. “And if you ever so much as look funny at Ange, I will take that personally and come after you with everything I’ve got. I’ve never hit a woman before, but, by God, I think I’d make an exception for you.”
Shocked gasps greet his words, but my heart is galloping around my chest throwing cartwheels.
“Screw you, Dev. You were a fucking lousy boyfriend anyway.” She slams into his shoulder as she moves away, narrowing her eyes at me. “You’re welcome to my sloppy seconds. Good luck slumming it.” Her expression turns to disgust as she rakes her gaze over me. “Not that you’ll have to lower your standards much.”
Ayden reaches my side before I can respond. “Fuck off, Becky. Everyone knows Lina is worth a million of you.” He loyally laces his fingers in mine. She flips him the middle finger before flouncing off, her minions scurrying after her like the pathetic idiots they are. The crowd disperses, until there’s only a handful of people left.
Devin is rooted to the spot, staring at Ayden and me. A muscle ticks in Ayd’s jaw. “Get your stuff,” he tells me, never taking his eyes off his former best friend.
I scramble to my locker, pulling out the books I need and stuffing them into my bag. Mariah is quiet at my side as I close my locker and turn back around. The guys are still in a silent standoff. I shuffle anxiously on my feet. Ayd reaches out, tucking me into his side. Devin’s chest rises and falls, but he still says nothing. I trade looks with Mariah, and Ayd tightens his hold on me. “This changes nothing,” he finally says, breaking the tense faceoff. “I’m glad you ditched the bitch, but Lina and I are still dead to you.”
I open my mouth to interject, but Ayd cuts me off with a penetrating stare.
Dev’s jaw tenses, pulsing in and out, his gaze bouncing between us. Slowly, he nods. Gripping the straps of his bag, he takes off, his long strides echoing through the eerily quiet hallway. Mariah chews anxiously on the corner of her lip. “You go ahead,” I tell her. “I’m going to ride with Ayd.”
She gives me a quick one-armed hug. “Okay. Call me later.”
We walk in silence to Ayd’s Jeep, and my emotions are ricocheting all over the place. Ayden thrusts the engine into gear and the car glides smoothly out onto the road. “I think you were a little harsh,” I admit, breaking the silence first.
“Was I?” he hisses.
“Yes.”
He snorts. “Is this the part where you waltz into his arms now he’s a free agent again?”
My spine stiffens. “Excuse me?” I turn the full strength of my glare on him. “That is not what I meant and you know it. I’m with you, and I’ve no plans to change that. I just think we could all try to be friends again now.”
“Grow up, Lina.”
His tone and his words piss me off. “Me grow up? How about you give yourself that little pep talk.”
“Have you forgotten what he did to you?” I fold my arms across my chest and stare out the window. “Well, have you?” he demands again.
“Of course, I haven’t,” I retort.
“Good. Because you’d do well to remember that Devin is on a one-way path to nothing, and I’m not letting him take you down with him.”
“How can you talk about him like that?” I swivel in my seat, drilling a hole in the side of his face as I speak. “And you don’t get to make decisions for me. You’re my boyfriend, not my freaking father.”
“You’re fucking unbelievable, do you know that?” He turns his head, ensuring I see the full extent of his disappointment. “I actually thought you loved me, but I’ve only ever been the backup plan.”
“That’s not fair,” I cry out. “I do love you, and you weren’t some consolation prize, so stop making out like you are.”
“If that’s true, then why has anything changed just because he tossed Becky aside?”
My protest withers up and dies. Ayden’s right. This doesn’t change the past or eradicate how much Devin has hurt me.
Devin breaking up with her changes absolutely nothing.
Another week passes by, and another wall has gone up between Ayden and me. Devin is like the invisible obstacle in our path. That and whatever Ayden is keeping from me. For the first time in forever, he fails to turn up Saturday night after work to pick me up, and his cell is switched off when I try to call him. Mariah shows up ten minutes later, and I jump in her car. “Thanks for coming to get me.”
“No problem. I can’t believe he stood you up.”
“I know. It’s not like him, but he hasn’t been himself lately. I don’t know what’s up with him.”
She wets her lips, looking at me anxiously. I lean forward in my seat. “If you know something, spit it out.”
“I wasn’t sure whether to say anything or not, but Cody says he’s getting into trouble with the coach and he’s skipped a couple of practice sessions and turned up half-drunk at a few others.”
