Broken Hill High (Broken Hill High #1)(33)

Chapter 11


Loud noises in the hallway startle me out of my sleep. I fly up until I’m sitting when I truly start to listen. The music is still blaring downstairs so the voices are extra loud. It doesn’t take me long to work out that it’s not just a loud conversation but a fight.

I don’t recognize the female’s voice very well but the male is as clear as day. After all, it’s the voice that has yelled and taunted me so many times before. “You’re such a dick,” the girl snaps at him. “How many times are you going to cheat on me before I get smart enough to leave your sorry ass?”

And it all makes sense.

It’s Ashley screaming at Nate, clearly pissed off about me being in his bed. Obviously, she thinks he’s been cheating on her with me, unless she caught him doing something else during the party, though, I wouldn’t be surprised.

“For fuck’s sake, Ashley,” he says back to her with a deep groan. “How many times do I need to tell you? You’re not my girlfriend. I can’t cheat on a girl who’s not my girlfriend.”

Oh… that gets my attention.

“Nate,” she demands. “Don’t do this again.”

“I told you from the start,” he says. “I don’t do the girlfriend/boyfriend shit. You’ve never been my girlfriend nor will you ever be. You agreed that you were cool with that. That’s the only reason we’re even doing this.”

“But… I thought…”

“What? You thought what?” he scoffs. “That’d I’d change my mind and fall madly in love you?”

“Well…”

“Never going to happen, babe,” he laughs.

Ooooh, ouch. This shit is juicy… and brutal.

“No, Nate. Please,” she says. “Please. I promise. I’ll stop calling you my boyfriend.”

“Nah, sorry, babe. I’m done with this shit. You’re too much drama.”

“Nate,” she calls as the door to the room is barged open.

I gasp at the sudden intrusion as he slams the door closed behind him and turns on the light before flicking the lock. “Shit,” he says as he looks down at me sitting in his bed. “I forgot you were in here.”

“Ahhh… yeah,” I say, wrapping my arms around myself to try and keep warm. His eyes linger on me and it almost looks as though he’s enjoying the sight of me in his bed, wearing his shirt.

The thought is ripped away by a loud banging on the door followed by Ashley’s screams. “Nate. Open the damn door. I’m not done with you.”

“Well, I’m done with you,” he calls back with a smirk on his handsome face and an attitude so sharp it could cut through metal. He turns back to me with a cringe. “I, um… I suppose you heard all that.”

“How could I not? My parents probably heard it in Australia,” I say. “That was harsh, though. It was like one hell of a mad dumping.”

“No,” he corrects. “I thought you could hear it. It’s not dumping when you were never together,” he explains before cringing when Ashley bangs on the door again. “She deserved it,” he says as an afterthought.

“Shit, I’d hate to see what it’s like for the poor girl who actually gets dumped by you,” I say as I rub my hands over my eyes and yawn.

“Did we wake you?” he questions with concern as Ashley tries again before jiggling the locked door handle.

“What do you think?” I grunt before laying back down and curling into his bed.

He crosses the room and rifles through his closet before pulling out a blanket and tossing it over the top of me. “Do you mind if I chill out for a bit?” he questions. “You know, only until she pisses off.”

“It’s your room,” I say with a shrug.

He nods his head and takes a seat on top of his desk which is when it gets awkward. I mean, what the hell are we supposed to talk about?

“You still owe me an apology, you know?” I tell him.

He scoffs as he looks at me with a sparkle in his dark eyes. “What for?” he questions.

“Where do I start?” I smirk. “First up, for scaring the shit out of me at that race last night and not letting me out of the car. Secondly, for kidnapping me… twice now. And third, how about for the past five years of being an asshat.”

“An asshat?” he questions.

“Yes, an asshat,” I say with a raised, impatient eyebrow.

He watches me for a moment before grinning. “Never going to happen.”

I let out a huff. I knew it was a long shot but it was worth a try. “What time is it?” I question when the silence begins to slowly kill me.

“After four,” he says. “We’ll start kicking people out soon.”

“Ok,” I mumble into his pillow.

A smirk slowly begins to creep across his face as he watches me and I worry that something awful is about to come flying from his lips. “It never used to be this awkward between us,” he says, shocking the absolute hell out of me.

“Yeah,” I agree with a laugh. “That’s because you turned into an asshole.” He lets out a sigh and leans forward onto his knees. “Is it…?” cringe, “did I...?” I let out a sigh, giving up as I’m simply unable to get the question out.