Broken Hill High (Broken Hill High #1)(54)

“Hey,” she mimics with an annoyed tone. “Where the hell have you been? The party started ages ago.”

“I was at Nate’s race,” I explain as her eyes narrow on me.

“Huh?” Maxen grunts, leaning forward to see me around Brooke. “What do you mean you were at his race? Who’d you stay with? We were all here.”

“What are you talking about?” I question as Brooke continues watching me.

“Me, Parker, Ty, and Jesse. We were all here while the race was on so he must have left you with someone.”

“No,” I say shaking my head. “I was with him.”

“During the race?”

“Yes,” I say, completely confused.

“Whoa,” he says, sitting back with a look of astonishment on his face.

Brooke turns around and fixes him with a hard stare. “You better start explaining yourself or you can go find someone else to screw tonight.”

He gives her a fond smile before turning back to me. “Nate doesn’t race with anyone. It’s like his golden rule. None of us boys have even been in the car with him while he raced, not even Jess.”

“Really?” I grunt. “Because he did it last week as well. Though that was because he was trying to scare the shit out of me, which it worked by the way, I nearly crapped myself. Do you have any idea how fast he goes?”

Maxen nods his head before a knowing grin comes over his face. “Yeah,” he laughs. “I’ve seen it.”

Brooke gets up off his lap and looks down at me. “We need to talk,” she demands before reaching down and grabbing my hand. She hoists me up out of my seat and pulls me along behind her. She drags me over to the massive staircase and turns to face me. “Spill it,” she says. “What the hell is going on between you and Nate?”

“Nothing’s going on,” I lie, hating how easily the lie came out of my lips. “We just live together. I was more than happy to stay home tonight, but the boys demanded I get ready and leave. I didn’t even know there was a race on until two minutes before we left.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” she says with a crease between her eyebrows, letting me know she’s pissed. “Something’s going on between you two. He hasn’t made snide comments to you in two weeks, I catch you smiling at them all the time, Jesse is suddenly your new BFF, and Nate’s driving you around all the time even though you know how to drive your own car now,” she points out. “You’re my best friend, Tora. You have been for years which is how I know you’re lying to me.”

“There’s not,” I argue as I look around and find him. “Look,” I say, pointing him out. She spins around to find him to see the same gut-wrenching scene that I do. Nate Ryder with a girl pressed up against his chest and his arm wrapped around her body. “If something were going on between us, that’d be me, but it’s not.”

She narrows her eyes on me again and I see the moment she decides not to believe me. “You’re an idiot to get involved with him,” she tells me. “Or have you forgotten how he treated you over the last five years? Because I sure as hell haven’t. I was the one who had to put you back together each time.”

“Brooke. There’s nothing going on,” I tell her. “He’s just being nice because we have to live together.”

She presses her lips together as she considers me and is about to say something when we hear someone calling out. “You,” a screechy voice yells.

We turn and find Ashley storming up towards me with her finger pointed right at me. My eyes flick across to Nate who I notice is watching the show with interest.

Ashley storms right up into me and presses her finger into my chest. “You’re a slut,” she yells for everyone to hear. “What do you think you’re doing with him? He’s mine.”

I step back away from her but she follows right along. “You go and act all innocent like you’re this precious little angel, but we all know the truth. You’re a boyfriend stealing whore. You were in his bed last week and all over him tonight. Don’t act like I didn’t see you together in his car, rubbing yourself all over him. He’s going to come crawling straight back once he realizes you’re nothing.”

My eyes cut across to Brooke who looks at me with absolute betrayal and my heart breaks. She presses her lips into a hard line before turning on her heel and disappearing, leaving me to deal with Ashley.

I can’t help but push her back a step. I don’t know what it is but living with the Ryder brothers has me growing a new backbone. Last week it was Elle and now Ashley. “Don’t you dare come and get up in my face like that,” I tell her as I push her back again. “Nate doesn’t want you. He never did. You weren’t his girlfriend, remember? You were nothing but an easy screw to him. You were convenient and you ruined a good thing by running your mouth.”

Her face flames, but I’m not quite done. I’ve got the knife in, but now I need to twist it. “I wonder, Ash. Did he ever race with you? Did he ever let you in like that?” I get in nice and close and whisper just for her to hear. “Because he lets me in like that all the damn time.”

A scowl fixes across her face and she gives me a hard stare before pushing me back. I laugh as I go flying back a few steps but she doesn’t come after me, so I keep going. “So, what if I was all over him at the race?” I tell her. “I’ll probably be all over him again later, and then probably tomorrow, and the next day, and then the next. And you know what’s better?” I question. “He doesn’t have to pretend with me.”