“Saturday?” Ollie’s casual tone hit my ears, and I froze.
Hayley raised her eyebrows at me. “Is Saturday good for you?”
Then, before I even had a chance to speak, Ollie came into my line of sight. He moved beside Hayley and smirked at me, but it wasn’t playful by any means. His chiseled jaw was set firm as his lip curled upward. His blue eyes squinted, waiting for my answer. Ollie was mad at me, and that didn’t sit well.
I felt my face getting hot. “Yep, that works. I’ll see you at lunch. I have to go to the bathroom.”
I quickly walked past my group of friends and acted casual as I found the door for the bathroom. The second I was inside, my eyes grew blurry. What did I get myself into? I took a deep breath. And why do I even care that Ollie is upset with me? I’m supposed to hate him! Short gasps of air were clawing to get out of my chest, and I tried to do anything but think of the reality of the situation. Take a deep breath, Piper. Stop crying.
“Move.”
My head snapped up, and I was met with blonde hair and a catty expression. Madeline’s perfect, dainty nose was upturned in my direction, and I wanted to lash out. I wanted to smack her so I could put forth all the emotion that was trying to escape into her. Instead, I took another calming breath and squared my shoulders, staring her dead in the eye. A year ago, I would have instantly backed down and moved out of her way. But now? No. Madeline was mean and callous, but I wasn’t afraid of her anymore. I mean, just two nights ago, I was face to face with a guy who said he was basically going to murder my brother, so this was nothing.
Plus, Madeline was a pariah now. Christian made that very clear the second Madeline did him dirty. She had no upper hand. Hayley took her place as queen in the school, and Madeline suffered every day.
“You don’t scare me, Madeline. You move.”
“I should scare you, Piper.”
A laugh was seconds from coming out of my mouth, but Madeline’s expression changed from angry to conniving in three seconds flat, and it had me wavering.
She flipped her long hair behind her shoulder as the first bell rang above our heads. “So, are you switching back and forth between them or...?”
What? My eyebrows folded.
“Which is better? Cole? Or Ollie?”
My heartbeat thumped in my ears. “What?”
The only reason she would say something like that was if she…
“I saw you with them at the races.”
My mouth fell open as the bathroom door swung behind me.
“Piper?” Hayley paused with the door half open, allowing everyone to see into the girl’s bathroom. “Are you—” Hayley paused. “What the hell are you doing, Madeline? Still trying to torment people? Do we need to revisit the conversation we had the last time we were in this bathroom?”
Madeline’s eyes darted for a moment before they landed on Hayley briefly, then she looked at me. One of her mascara-clad eyes closed in a wink before she pushed past me and stood in front of Hayley standing half in front of the door. “I was just complimenting Piper on her taste in men.” She glanced back at me once more before sighing happily. “Toodles, girls.”
Then, she left, and Hayley stared after her, dumbfounded. “What the hell was that about?”
I pulled my books closer to my chest. “Just Madeline being Madeline.” Hayley and I exited the bathroom, walking toward our classes before the tardy bell rang. I had to force myself to take even breaths with every step.
We stopped in front of Hayley’s class, Christian standing by the door, waiting for her. He gave me a tip of his chin and walked inside. I made myself keep my eyes on Hayley and not inside the classroom where I knew Ollie was. “What were you doing? Looking for me?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah, Ollie said you looked like you were about to cry, so I came to check on you. You’re okay, right?”
I brushed it off quickly, laughing. “I’m fine! I wasn’t crying.” Lie.
“I didn’t think so, but Ollie was so sure you were crying that he actually bet me. He’s so dumb sometimes.”
I swallowed, inching my way toward my class before I was late. “Why did he say I was crying?”
She shrugged, looking confused. “He made up a stupid excuse, saying that he made you cry with his good looks…that some girls just couldn’t handle them.” She chuckled. “But I could tell he was lying. He seriously thought you were crying.”
I rolled my eyes, pretending I wasn’t angry beyond belief. He knew I was panicking, and he sent her in there for what? So I’d spill and tell her? Or did he send her in there because he was actually concerned that I was upset? Either way, I was mad. I swore, Ollie could make me smile in one breath, and in the next, he could make me so incredibly angry. It was infuriating!
But two could play that game.