LINDSAY STEPS OUT of her house wearing a short yellow dress with the neon green strings of her bikini top tied around her neck and a beach bag slung over her shoulder. Her eyes are hidden behind a pair of oversized sunglasses that take up half of her small face and her long blonde hair is twisted into a side braid and draped over her right shoulder.
Behind the lenses of my own sunglasses, I scan over her features. Lindsay is cute in the whole girl-next-door kind of way and it makes me wonder what it is about her that attracted Grayson. He likes slutty girls, like Reagan. Lindsay is far from slutty.
She’s one of the good ones.
It’s too bad I’m not interested in her like that.
I’ve sort of been in a shitty mood all day. No, I’ve been in a shitty mood since last night after seeing my girl on the cover of a popular rock magazine.
But that’s not even what pissed me off.
What pissed me off is the hurt I felt.
The not knowing.
My heart still wants her.
I still want her.
I still love her.
But I can’t have her.
I PULL UP to Brad’s and park in my usual spot while Lindsay texts her friends. I pull off my t-shirt and sunglasses and toss them in the front seat before Lindsay and I make our way along the paved walkway and step through the gate that leads to the backyard and the beach. I bump fists with Joe, an old friend of the Mannings, who Brad pays big bucks to guard the gate, watch over things, and keep his mouth shut. I pass Joe my keys, which he tags before tossing them into a bucket with the rest.
Lindsay and I continue up the walkway, rounding the side of the house, and nearly collide into Reagan.
“What the hell?” I bark out.
“Zach, can I talk to you for a minute?” Her eyes flick between Lindsay and me.
“Stalk much,” Lindsay mumbles under her breath. Lindsay’s got a little fight in her. I like it.
“Jesus, Reagan, I just got here. What do you want?”
“I just need to talk to you for a second.” Her gaze moves to Lindsay. “Alone.”
Lindsay looks up at me and rolls her eyes. “Go ahead. Kristen just texted me that she’s inside. Come find me whenever you’re done.”
Lindsay walks off and Reagan watches her until she disappears into the sea of bodies before turning back to me with raised brows. “Lindsay Miller, really?” She puts her hands on her hips, cocking one hip to the side. “I always knew she wanted to bang you.”
This girl is certifiable. “So, what if she does? It’s none of your business. You’ve got some nerve talking shit about Lindsay when you’re the one who cheated on me with her boyfriend. If anything, you should be apologizing to her for what you did.”
“Ugh! Whatever.” She waves me off with a flick of her wrist. “Will you please talk to Lexi? I know she’s here somewhere and I don’t want to spend the entire day looking over my shoulder.”
I laugh. Go, Lexi. “You invited her boyfriend over to your house. What do you expect?”
“I didn’t mean to send that text to Evan. I swear.”
“You’re so full of shit. I know you’ve been texting my friends and if you’re doing it to make me jealous, you’re wasting your time. I don’t care who you bang, so get over yourself. If you get your ass kicked, it’s your own fault. Stop chasing after guys who aren’t available.”
Her jaw drops and eyes go wide. “Your friends are the ones texting me.”
“Really? Then show me the texts.” I hold out my hand. “Show me the texts and I’ll tell Lexi to leave you alone.”
“I don’t have my phone.”
“Mmhmm.” I’m calling bullshit.
“Zach,” she whines, stomping her foot like a toddler throwing a tantrum.
“Reagan,” I mimic.
“God, Zach, we’ve been broken up for three months. Get over it already. Believe me, if I could go back and change what happened, I would. We were together for nine months.”
I exhale a harsh laugh and shake my head. “Three months,” I correct, “and you cheated on me.”
“Maybe I wouldn’t have cheated if you hadn’t flown out to California to chase after some girl who didn’t even want you.”
What the hell? “What are you talking about?”
“The only reason you even asked me out was because your little girlfriend in California dropped you.” I flinch. Reagan notices and straightens her shoulders with a newfound confidence. “Chelsea told me you were using me and that you’d never date me seriously because you were in love with Cole’s cousin.”
What the fuck, Chelsea?
I make a mental note to call Chelsea later and rip her a new one. Chelsea and I aren’t exactly friends anymore, but back when we were, I finally broke down and confided in her about Jay. And if what Reagan is saying is true, then Chelsea is a deceitful bitch.
“I’m not doing this with you right now,” I say, sidestepping Reagan and heading over to my friends who are lounging around on the outdoor pool furniture, conveniently next to the keg. Pounding a few fists along the way, I step up beside Brad and Justin while Evan works the keg. Evan shakes his head and passes a Solo cup to me.
I huff out a laugh as I reach for it. “Thanks.”
Justin curls his arm around my neck. “Please tell me you’re not hooking up with that again. Because I’ll give you my hundred bucks to stay away from her.”
I shake my head. “Keep your money, dude. I’m not interested in going back there. Ever. Been there, fucked that and, apparently, so has everyone else.” I hold out my cup and gesture to Evan’s brother, Grayson, who’s sitting with my other teammates. “The T-shirts are on backorder.” Justin and Brad laugh and Evan just shakes his head.
Yeah, I know. That was a dick thing to say and my dad would probably kick my ass if he heard me disrespecting the judge’s daughter, but Reagan brought all of this on herself. “I’m gonna go find Lindsay.”