Broken Trust: A Dark High School Romance(70)

Catherine. I should have shot her that day. Something I’d regretted many times over the past few weeks.

Eddy looked between the three of us with confusion, and I realized we’d just openly talked about Delta business in front of her, but she was smart enough not to ask questions. Eddy definitely knew more than she let on … more than she should.

The four of us remained there, silent and somber.

“We should head upstairs,” Eddy finally said, and no one disagreed.

I followed along, Beck at my side, and as I turned back for one last look at my butterfly, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Pulling it out, there was a text.

Dante: Will be there tonight, Riles. Wouldn’t miss your birthday.

Normally that would have made me happy as fuck. He was visiting. I’d have my best friend by my side on my birthday. But now I was filled with doubt and worry. Could Dante know more than he was saying? Had he known about this Delta bullshit before my parents died? I mean, he’d never kept it a secret that he was interested in Militant Delta and their rise to riches, but I’d thought that was more along the lines of “I watched a Netflix documentary and now think I’m an expert,” not an actual real life connection.

I was so lost in thought that when I walked into my apartment, I missed the initial “surprise!” shouted at me, and it wasn’t until Jasper lifted me off my feet and twirled me around in a hug that I noticed the room.

It was full of balloons, hundreds of them, floating across the ceiling, in a wash of gold, silver and pink. My dining table was set up beautifully— on top of the gold tablecloth there was a huge white cake, covered in blue butterflies. Jasper let me down and I stumbled closer, my chest tight and shit.

Fuck. I had no idea they had been planning this.

“Happy birthday, Riley,” Evan said from close by. I spun to him and wrapped my arms around his broad frame. “Thank you,” I murmured back.

The cake wasn’t the only thing they had. There was expensive champagne, to get the pre-party started, as Eddy put it. “We wanted to celebrate here with you first,” Dylan said, smiling broadly for once. “Before we head out to the party tonight.”

Eddy pushed the guys aside and thrust a brightly wrapped package at me. “Best friends first,” she declared before glaring at Beck and Dylan. “I’m already mad at you two fuckers for beating me to this.”

I snorted before I ripped open the package to find a pair of heels that exactly matched the bag Dylan had given me. “This designer doesn’t normally do heels,” she said, leaning closer. “But I convinced him to make you a pair specially. You can’t have that fucking stunning bag, without the matching shoes.”

The jewels were embedded across the round, enclosed toe, in the same formation as the knuckle duster bag. There were other similarities, and I immediately fell in love with the dark vibe of this brand. Designer. Jesus. How my life had changed since my last birthday.

Jasper was next, and I was slightly nervous to open it, expecting to find something vaguely inappropriate and embarrassing inside. Only he surprised me. It was a framed photo, one I hadn’t even known had been taken, when I was driving his Lambo. The black and white still showcased my face the moment I crossed the finish line first, and there was a unique blend of pride and joy written across my features.

“Jasper,” I breathed, staring down at it. “I … thank you.”

He shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal. “One of my friends snapped this on his phone and sent it to me, and with a little help, I turned it into something for you to keep.”

I brushed my fingertip across the black and white image. “This was the moment I found some of myself again. You know, after losing my parents.” I sniffled. “That first race, I froze up and lost control, because all I could think about was the crash. All I could remember was the screeching sound and the dread in my gut. But when I raced for you…” I lifted my head. “…it was as if some of the old Riley appeared again.”

He’d probably never know how much this image meant to me.

Evan made a low rumbling sound. “I can’t believe I have to go last after all of you fuckers were so sentimental.”

I laughed, shaking my head and turning to him. “I will love whatever you’ve given me,” I said. “Even if it’s just a hug.”

Evan rolled his eyes before turning away to grab a small bag off the table. I took it, marveling at how expensive the bag looked. It was one of those off white, thick embossed bags. It was only small, and when I reached in and pulled out the small white box, I was almost certain that this was jewelry.

I kind of wanted to joke about him proposing, but when I looked up, it was to find his nervous expression on mine, and I shut my mouth. This was no time to joke. He’d tried to find me something special and now he was worried it wouldn’t measure up to everyone else’s.

Slowly, I opened the box and stared down at the piece nestled there in a red velvet. It was a necklace, a thick gold chain, and there was a word that joined the ends together. It said “Bulma.”

I snorted and my eyes watered at the same time. I immediately knew what this necklace meant. Evan was reminding me of two things … one, our moment bonding over Dragon Ball Z, which was something I also cherished, and two, Bulma was married to Vegeta. We’d both eventually agreed that Beck was Vegeta. So this meant even more to me.