Page 29 of The Monster I Am
Rylan glances over with raised eyebrows. “Tell her not to take it personally. You couldn’t pay me enough to hang with them.”
“Funny,” Hunter murmurs from his left. “Ironic, really.”
Thankfully, H shuts his mouth after Ry shoots him a death glare. Probably best not to bring Liv—Rylan’s former situationship—to Bexley’s attention right now.
Archer sits down next to Bexley, sending a wave of envy through me. The asshole is encroaching on my territory. I don’t care if they’ve been friends for years. She’s mine.
“So,” Bexley starts, glancing around at all of us. “I’ve decided we need to go back to Cedar Heights.”
Hunter snidely snorts. “Agreed.”
She smiles sweetly at him. Yeah—sweet as a man-eating shark. “No, Lannister. I mean, we’re going to Cedar Heights to search the building again. Tomorrow night.”
Chapter nine
Bexley
Ry:I thought you’d appreciate an update. My little wildcat has grown heaps.
When the picture loads on my screen revealing Rylan’s furry miniature twin, a guttural, unhuman-like laugh rips from my throat. So much has changed since then, but I still get an absolute kick out of it regardless of how I feel about him now. Definitely some of my finest work to date. And let’s not forget the booty shorts situation.
Occasionally, Soph loves to reminisce as well, texting me photos of the loving memory. And speaking of the devil…
“What the hell wasthatnoise?”
I glance over at Soph, her eyes quickly darting back to the road. The three of us—me, Soph, and Abby—very excitedly realized we all had the last class free and decided to escape the pristine walls of hell and head to the mall.
For once, I’ve been blessed with the role of passenger princess. My ass is enjoying her plushy seats a little too much while Abs hangs in the back, her head buried suspiciously in her phone.
“That was my mating call,” I answer. “Do you like it? Did it work?”
Soph smirks, giving me a shady side-eye. “Are you trying to seduce a moose?”
I don’t know how she does it so fast, but right on cue,moose screamsbellow from Abby’s phone in the back. The car jerks forward as Soph bursts out laughing, blindly waving her arm toward the backseat to fist bump the only loveable cheerleader. Though, right now, that’s at risk.
“You’re lucky I’m not driving,” I say to them both. “I’d kidnap you for that and take you somewhere horrible. Somewhere crowded withlotssssof people.”
Soph’s nose crinkles up. “No, thanks. But since I’m the one driving and having to listen to horny moose cries, the very least you could do is fill us in on whatever dirty, little secret you have there.”
“It’s no secret,” I answer happily. “Rylan sent me a picture of his wildcat. You know, the one he generously adopted. His little baby has grown so much. He’s a proud papa.”
“I want to see!” Abby gushes, leaning forward as much as the seatbelt will allow. “Aww! It’s adorable. Wow—they kind of have the same eyes.”
I bob my head in agreement. “Thus, my adorable sounds of nature’s lovemaking. See…” Turning the screen to face Soph as we stop at a red light, she grins.
“It’s much cuter than Rylan. Now I understand the animal noises.”
Clicking the button to close the screen, I wiggle back in my seat to sink further into the plush. Did I mention her seats are heated?!
Yes—I know it’s ridiculously warm today. But glutes have no limitations when it comes to heat therapy. Plus, Soph is blasting the AC, so it balances out. Girl math. Or temperature math—whatever backs me up.
Maybe I was a lizard in my past life. Summer I can handle, but winter? Absolutely not. I suppose it could be true. More times than I can count, Willowbrook people have called me a snake. But I’m cute—like a yellow python called Banana.
“Well, he’s not horrible looking,” Abby says politely. “He’s no Sagg, but I’d say Bex has done pretty well for herself.”
I’m not sure whether to take it as a compliment or an insult at this point. Sure, I’ve come to some realization and acceptance of peace that I’m a walking, glorified hot mess, but in the back of my mind, I still question my sanity at times. Just a tiny bit.
Soph laughs softly. “Still one of my favorite plot twists to date. Man, I’ll never forget the look on Liv’s face when you smooched him right there in the hallway.” Lowering her voice a little, she continues, “Sometimes, when I’m feeling cranky at the world, I picture that moment. It’s my therapy.”
