Rolling my eyes, I throw my bag onto the bench and begin stripping out of my clothes. She continues her story, but I’m too zoned out to listen, still playing Tim’s message over and over in my head.
Why now?
After all this time?
Their dulcet tones blend into white noise until a name catches my attention.
Cole.
“Come on M, you can tell us what happened,” Lylah teases, but it isn’t playful. It’s vicious in intent. “Did you ride Jagger like the slut we all know you are?”
My blood boils, and my fingers tighten around the Seahawk emblazoned tank top in my hand.
“You’re just jealous, Ly,” Marissa shoots back.
I can’t resist peeking over them. Marissa wears a knowing smirk, and I want nothing more than to storm over there and slap it right off her pretty face.
“Well, yeah. That boy is fine, and something tells me he’s bad. Oh, so bad.” Lylah’s eyes flare with lust.
God, they talk about him like he’s a piece of meat. It makes me sick.
“Give us something... anything...” Lylah pouts.
“Okay, okay, fine.” Marissa beckons them closer, and all I catch of her whispered words is, “piercing.”
Their eyes widen with surprise and they fall about in a fit of giggles.
“Lucky bitch,” Lylah grumbles, her words drenched in jealousy.
“I’m hoping for round two,” Marissa says. “We have unfinished business, if you know what I’m saying.”
I think I’m going to puke.
A storm wells inside me, stealing the air from my lungs.
I hate that she’s talking about Cole like that, intimately and with ownership.
But most of all, I hate that there’s some truth to her story.
Damn you, Cole Jagger.
It only reaffirms my decision to put some space between us. I’m already in over my head, and now I know how good he feels moving above me, inside me, I want more.
I want everything.
But I can’t lose myself to a boy.
Not again.
Not when it ended so badly the first time.
And Cole has the power to destroy me. I felt it the first time he kissed me, and he confirmed it when he slammed inside me and fucked me until I was a boneless, breathless mess.
“Hadley?” someone hisses, and my head whips around to find Lylah glaring at me. “I said are you almost done? We’re waiting.”
“Yeah... I... I’ll be right there.”
“God, she’s a fucking weirdo.” She marches out of the locker room with the rest of the girls following her.