Page 4 of Chasing Hope
“You fucking manipulative bitch!” I shriek as I take the bat to her headlights.
I’m lifting my arms to swing again, another string of curses at the ready, when a pair of sneakers come into my line of sight. Turning my head, I stumble, the bat still over my head as I lock on the pair of forest-green eyes I always seek in a room full of people.
The breath rushes from me. The pain coursing through me stops, the fire that was burning like an inferno evaporating.
“Matteo?”
I’m blessed with one of his rare smiles, but it’s full of sadness as he drawls, “Hi, Dove.”
“What are you doing here?”
That’s when he lifts the object in his hand. My eyes widen as his smile turns from sad to mischievous. Swinging the crowbar around his hand, he lifts his chin to the damaged cars beside me. “To help, of course.”
Sputtering out a shocked laugh, I ask, “You’re going to smash his car?”
“Gladly.” He quirks a brow, pointing to the red Honda Civic I began destroying. “I take it this is his coworker’s car?”
My head rears back. “How did you know about the coworker?”
A flash of something flickers in his eyes before the telltale Matteo Valenti wall slams up, the impenetrable fortress I’ve been trying to conquer since I met him at five years old securely clicking in place. He waves the crowbar in the direction of the cars. “Caleb told me. If it’s not the coworker, then who the fuck is it?”
“Felicity,” I spit, my rage rushing back tenfold.
Matteo’s shoulders tighten, his green eyes flicking to the elevator behind me and back to the car. “Felicity? As in?—”
“My supposed best friend? Yep, the one and only.” I can’t help but snort. “Honestly, who knew she had it in her? I sure as fuck didn’t.”
Matteo stares at me, clearly feeling as dumbfounded and shocked as I did when I saw her limp, dark-brown hair fanned out acrossmypillow.
Felicity is the type of girl you can’t disagree with. It’s her way or the highway. She’ll ruthlessly snap at you to respect her boundaries but turn around and walk all over yours. She’ll disregard your feelings in favor of what she wants, flinging back-handed compliments at you with a smile on her face, and yet you won’t notice until you’re seven years into a friendship and she’s fucking your boyfriend.
She’s the type of girl that’s so manipulative she haseveryonewrapped around her finger.
And apparently, I was one of them.
She is many things, but I never thought she would stoop this low. If I had, I never would have told her everything I have.
Matteo shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose before pulling in a deep breath and rolling his shoulders back. “Fuck this.”
Before I can blink, Matteo smashes the crowbar down on thehood of Felicity’s car, leaving a much bigger dent than I ever could have accomplished. He peers at me over his shoulder. “Well, Dove, am I the only one that’s going to be arrested tonight for vandalism?”
Dove.
The name he’s called me since we were little, the one he refuses to explain and the one that, despite the current situation, my heart still skips a beat at.
“You’d willingly get arrested for me?”
In answer, Matteo also brings the crowbar down on Carter’s car.
Waving off my question, I snort. “You’re right. Fuck it.” Matteo is a big boy; he can make his own decisions. If he wants to do this with me, that’s his prerogative.
Pointing the bat at Felicity’s car, I hiss, “This is for being a controlling bitch.” I crack the headlight, the sound of shattering glass music to my ears. “This is for betraying me at my lowest.” This hit is harder than the last, breaking the windshield into tiny spiderweb-like cracks. “And this, my dear bestie, is for fucking my scum-of-the-earth boyfriend.” I smash the driver-side window, whooping with joy as the glass explodes, most of it covering her seat.
I sound bonkers. I can hear the hysteria in my laugh and yet I can’t find a single fuck to give about it.
“Try sitting down now, you bitch!” I declare triumphantly.
I wipe the tears that are rolling down my cheeks, expecting to find Matteo watching my breakdown, but he’s nowhere to be seen.
