“W-what?” I stammer, furrowing my brows.
“She…s-she took pictures of you a-and Noah at Grey’s birthday party,” he explains, stuttering over nearly every word.
I burst into laughter because I have no idea what he’s talking about. He looks at me weirdly, and I pout, stifling laughter.
“Rose? Sabotage Grey and me? What? How?” I shake my head because the thought of sweet Rose doing such a thing is unconceivable.
“You don’t remember anything from that night, right?” I slowly shake my head. “She…she drugged a drink she gave you and then after that separated you from Grey and got Noah and you in your room. She…a-and I—I helped…w-we got you both undressed and made it seem you h-had sex…b-but you didn’t! I swear!”
“What?” I feel so cold despite the warm air passing by me. “No…no! Y-you wouldn’t do that to me. She wouldn’t…no! Mason, fuck, no! No, Mason!” I push him, and he stumbles back, tears leaving his eyes as my own pour down my face. “Mason!” I scream, throat tight and heart beating fast.
He nods his head and whimpers, “I am so sorry. I didn’t…s-she made me promise her.”
“Mason, no.” My voice is small as my thoughts race and my stomach churns. This isn’t happening. This is not fucking happening! Not to me. Not on behalf of one of my best fucking friends and a girl I actually trusted. Not like this!
“I am so sorry, Liv,” he cries. I hold my hand up when he takes a step toward me.
“What did you promise her?” My voice is thick with heartbreak and dreaded anticipation.
“I—I promised I would help hurt Grey. S-she said that he hurt her so bad, and he did, Liv. So fucking bad. I wanted to hurt him the moment she told me she had the abortion and lost everything. And I mean everything,” he wheezes, and my heart twists. “She said that if she ever came into contact with him ever again, she’d hurt him a million times worse than he hurt her…no matter what.” His eyes take in my flushed face and shaking hands. “S-she, she’s in there right now,” he whispers, and my eyes widen.
“I can’t—I can’t believe this. I thought you were my friend!” I don’t believe this is the same Mason who saved me from that football my first day at college. The same Mason I gossiped with over cartons of Chinese food. The same fucking Mason I got matching friendship bracelets with.
“I am your friend,” he falsely promises, taking another step forward.
“No, you are not!” I scream on the top of my lungs and push him away from me. He lands in the fence behind him and grunts, staring at me wide-eyed like I’m the one who betrayed him. “A friend would have warned me about his fucking insane sister! Not help her tear me and my boyfriend, the love of my life, apart! After all I have been through, I would have thought you’d be there for me.”
“I am so sorry,” is all he can murmur.
“You better be.” I take off the stupid bracelet and throw it at his chest. He catches it with a fallen expression. “I am fucking through with you! I’m done!”
“Liv,” he whines and reaches a hand out to me.
I walk away from him and feel everything crash down on my chest. I feel like I’m going to implode on the spot. I have never felt so much betrayal in my life. I feel like I’ve been chewed up but never spat out. I just keep tumbling and getting speared by spiky teeth by a monster that goes by the name of Mason.
“Grey!” I scream his name as loud as I can. I rush to where I last saw him but come up empty. “Grey, where are you? Please, where are you? Grey—?”
“Looking for someone?” a familiar sweet voice drawls behind me.
I whirl around and find Rose smirking at me, arms crossed. “How could you?” My voice is low, and fresh tears are now falling down my face.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you. You were just in the way—a casualty.” She shrugs her shoulders and looks me up and down. “I got what I wanted, though. Grey’s all wrecked and pissed at you for cheating. Must suck to be you guys.” She winks at me. She taps my nose before brushing past me, and something inside of me unleashes. I have only dealt with the force in me with one other person. One other bitch.
“Hey, Rose,” I say before I slowly turn around.
“What?” She sounds annoyed as she spins on her heels.
“I didn’t get what I wanted,” I say with a sarcastic smile.
Then I throw my balled-up fist into her nose. She screams and scrambles back. But before she can go down, I drag her by her dress, hear the cheap red fabric rip, and pull her back up. Her mouth meets my fist. I kick her in the chin before throwing my fist across her jaw, hearing a sickening crunch. I let her go and finally hear the yelling and cheering behind me.
She’s unconscious, bloody, and bruised.
“Now I got it,” I hiss through gritted teeth. I watch as Mason runs to her side and stares up at me, regret and despair sprawled across his face. “You two deserve each other.”
“Wait,” Mason pleads.
“What!” I snap.
He holds out his hand, and I recoil. “No, look…” He opens his fist and cries, “I took it—as a little kick to hurt you…Rose’s idea.” My charm. Grey’s charm!
“You are such a puppet, I can’t believe it.” I snatch the charm from him, and he cries more.
I walk away and look for Grey but come up empty once again. My fist is stinging like a bitch, but it doesn’t matter. I can handle the pain. But what I can’t handle is Grey thinking that something actually went down between Noah and me. I may have been extremely drugged and don’t remember much from that night, but I do know that I would never do something with Noah. I like him as a friend, but that’s it.
I find Jake leaving the party and run up to him.
“Jake!” I scream his name, pulling him from entering a car with two other guys.
“Yeah?” He faces me with a relaxed smile, but he sees my bloody fist and looks shocked. “What the hell—?”
“Are you going to the tournament?” I am out of breath since I’ve been running around like a chicken without a head.
“Yes…”
“Take me, please.” I swallow the lump in my throat.
He nods to the car. “Get in.” His normally playful tone is switched out for a more serious one. I nod and slide into the backseat, giving an acknowledged nod to the tall guys next to me.
Hang on, Grey. I’m coming for you.