But I'm not that girl anymore. I'm a fighter now.
That's why I walked into class and told them both to shut up. Then I offered to meet Nate so he could check and see that I'm not a virgin anymore. He was shocked and didn't believe me initially, but then he asked me to come to the Harrithon tonight.
Zac heard everything, and he said that Tyler would kill us both. I said I didn't care, and Nate pretended he wasn’t afraid either, although I saw how terrified he looked.
Nate was always jealous of Ty. He envied Ty's fame, his ability to swim better than anyone, and the effect he has on girls.
And I knew that perfectly. I thought Nate would chicken out and cancel our date, but he didn't.
Then I hoped Tyler would somehow find out about it and intervene.
But none of that happened, and now I'm here at the hotel, because at the very last minute Nate left me a message that he'd meet me here. When I refused to come, he told me that it's crucial, and he wants to talk to me about Tyler.
No, I won't sleep with Nate today, not ever. I hate him. He's arrogant, stupid, and simply gross.
But I do wanna know what he's up to; I also really want to see the hotel I've always dreamed of visiting.
Of course, I wasn't expecting he would rent a penthouse suite. I have no idea why Nate had spent so much money on me, even after telling him we wouldn't have sex today.
The elevator doors open, and I walk into the suite.
I can't believe how huge this place is, which I imagined when I watched the movie.
Of course, the design has changed a lot, but somehow it still has the same vibe as it used to have when Julia Roberts walked this corridor.
"Nate? Are you here?" I ask as I walk through the living room to the balcony and see no one here.
"He couldn't come," someone says from behind me with a steel voice.
I would recognize that voice from a thousand others. I shudder a little and swallow before I force myself to turn around and look into his eyes.
His sad deep brown eyes seem darker in the light of this room.
Ty looks really upset, and when he takes a step closer, I see a small bruise on his face.
Was he hurt in swim practice?
"How could you do this?" he continues, and I can see clearly that he's not only upset, but he also looks angry, more furious than I've ever seen him before.
"I tried to cancel." I make excuses because I know exactly what he is talking about.
"How could you agree to do this from the very beginning? How could you even think about it?" He raises his voice and takes a couple of steps closer, and now we're two feet apart.
I feel goosebumps cover my skin, and I'm not sure why. Am I scared of him, or is his jealousy turning me on?
"Who hurt you?" I ask, trying to change the subject although I know that it won't work.
"Nate tried when I was punching him before he pretended to pass out."
"He passed out?" I ask, terrified. "But if you hurt Nate that much, the coach can suspend you."
"You should have thought about that before!" He roars, taking one more step and standing against me. "I would've killed him, Kylie, if he took your virginity, and you know that."
I swallow. The blood rushes in my veins so intently that I almost can't breathe.
"Ty, I'm sorry, I shouldn't..." I stop, looking up at him.
I don't know what to say because there's nothing I can say to change what I did.