Kiss and Break Up (Magnolia Cove, #1)(48)

Torture.

The wondering, the hoping, the freefalling on my own—it was nothing but torture.





The crowd parted in whispers and laughter. All the usual bullshit for the Monday morning soundtrack.

My eyes looked for Peggy, but she wasn’t at her locker and neither was Byron. I’d gotten here just in time for the bell, so I continued to my own, unlocking it and changing out my books before dragging my feet to class.

I whipped out my phone as the teacher chatted with another teacher in the doorway, and for the first time since Friday, I logged into Facebook.

I wasn’t a big fan of it, but just like most people who weren’t, I still used it when I could be fucked and had nothing better to do. Thumb scrolling, I felt the wind get knocked out of me when I saw someone had tagged Peggy in a passive-aggressive post about good girls going bad.

She hadn’t responded to it. Why didn’t she untag herself? I stared at it until a hand thumped on the desk, and Annika tipped back on her chair, smiling like she’d eaten rainbows and unicorns for breakfast.

“What?” I snapped when she didn’t say anything.

“Just trying to figure out if you know what our very own Peggy Sue got up to with a certain someone in a limo Friday night?”

My heart disintegrated, falling like ash into my stomach.

Annika pouted. “Guess not.” She lowered her voice to a whisper when the teacher backed into the room. “Let me be the bearer of such joyful news then. She fooled around with Byron. I hear he’s got expert fingers, and Peggy has terrible taste in panties.”

She turned around when I did nothing but stare at her, dumbfounded and drifting away.

The teacher called my name twice before I finally jerked my hand up. As soon as the bell sounded, I stormed out of there.

Being out in the hall surrounded by the gossiping student body wasn’t much better. The walls started to melt, lockers and doors looming closer with each step I took to the front entrance.

My heart was sinking with every lurching step, my hands trembling as I wiped drops of sweat from my hairline, shoving past a group of jocks.

“Hey, watch it, Thane.”

“Fuck you,” I spat.

Hennessy’s laughter bit at my skin. “You mad your little girlfriend got it good last Friday? Don’t be. She’s primed and ready for you now.”

The word primed did it.

I threw myself at him, pinning my arm against his bulky, roided neck. “You want to die?”

He sputtered, face growing a dull shade of red as he struggled to breathe. “Chill out. I was just m-messing with you.”

Hands tugged at my shirt, and I felt it tear as Lars and Raven pulled me back.

Hennessy shook out his shoulders, grinning even as he coughed. As if he hadn’t almost had his ass handed to him.

“Outside, man. Come on.” Lars jerked me toward the doors as students started heading to class.

I pulled away, my hands sinking into my hair as soon as we stepped into the crisp air. Walking over to the steps, I bent over. “Fuck.” The word dragged out of me on a hoarse groan.

It felt like my heart was stuck in a vise, squeezing and squeezing even though nothing was left. I’d been wrung dry, drained empty, and I couldn’t fucking breathe without feeling it with every rattling inhale.

“Want a joint? I’ve got some tucked away in my car,” Rave offered.

“Dude, he doesn’t need weed,” Jackson’s voice reached through the fog.

“Looks like he needs something.”

I groaned again and straightened. Fuck this.

Fuck this and fuck them.

Maybe it wasn’t even true. If it weren’t for all the practice we’d done, I’d most definitely not believe that shit. But that was what she’d wanted from me. It was the only thing she’d wanted from me.

Experience to use with him.

“You spoken to Peggy since Friday?” Lars asked.

“No,” I said, clearing my throat when the word came out as a husk. “I thought I’d give her some space. I told her …” I stopped. “I asked her to …” I stopped again, my eyes clouding with a haze of disbelief.

“You asked her to what?” Lars said.

I pushed my hand through my hair. “Doesn’t matter now.”

“I haven’t even seen her yet,” Raven said. “But if she’s here, go find her, dude. Just talk to her or something.”

“Don’t know if there’s anything to talk about anymore.” And I didn’t want to fucking talk about it with them or anyone for that matter.

I stalked back to the doors, then halted when I saw Peggy’s car pull into the lot.

The guys fell silent behind me as she took her time getting out, boots on, hair curled and bouncing around her shoulders.

She locked the car, her mustard leather bag hanging over her arm as she crossed the lawn.

Rage and betrayal brewed inside, creating a wildfire of heat that needed a way out. Silently, I begged for her to just look at me, lift her head and show me that what I’d heard wasn’t true.

When she reached the stairs, she glanced up, tilting as she almost tripped on the first step. I saw her chest heave as she inhaled, and then it happened. Tear soaked eyes searched mine, and I knew.

They weren’t gossiping for no reason. There was always a reason among the lies, and today’s reason was my best friend.