Sweet Retribution (Rydeville High Elite #3)(116)
“In your dreams, loser.” I nudge him in the ribs. “And you’d better stay on my good side if you’re looking to be fed.”
He straightens up, saluting me. “Yes, ma’am.”
I snort while carefully removing the hot plate from the microwave and placing it on the countertop. “Man, you are such a loser.” I cut another piece of lasagna and place it in the microwave. “Heads up, De—” I’m interrupted before I can finish my sentence when Devin strolls into the kitchen, talking over me.
“Are you trying to …” He stops talking the instant he spots Ayden.
Ayden’s playful persona is shelved, and he folds his arms sternly across his chest. “What are you doing here?” His tone is clipped.
“Same thing you are, no doubt.” Devin returns Ayden’s hostile glare.
“No chicks lined up tonight?” Ayden asks in a derogatory tone. Tension cuts through the air, and my shoulder muscles stiffen while I add salad to Devin’s plate. I silently count to ten in my head. “Surprised you remember how to get here.”
Devin sends Ayden a filthy look, and that same unspoken truth flits between them. “Funny,” Devin drawls, fisting his hands at his sides. “Considering I live right next door. And I’d hardly forget where my favorite girl lives.” He plonks himself onto a stool, continuing to shoot daggers in Ayd’s direction as I slide the steaming plate in front of him.
“That’s a fucking joke,” Ayden retorts, cracking his knuckles. “You barely give her the time of day anymore unless you want something.”
Devin’s mouth twists into a snarl, and he looks ready to swing for him. “Really? Screw you, asshole. Saintly Ayden who barely looks sideways at any other girl. Want to tell us what that’s all about?”
“I don’t have to explain anything to you, jerkoff. Why are you even bothering? Have you finally run out of girls to bone and Lina’s a last resort?”
Everything locks up inside me at the insult, and I’m glad I have my back to them so they can’t see how devastated I am by Ayden’s comment. The microwave pings and I reach for it as if on autopilot. My whole body is shaking internally and there’s a lump the size of a bus wedged in my throat.
The stool screeches as Devin stands up. “Don’t you fucking dare disrespect Ange like that,” he yells. “Take that back or you and I are done. Completely.”
Ayden rushes to my side, taking my hands in his. “Lina, I didn’t mean any disrespect to you. You know how I feel about you. How important you are.” I can’t keep the hurt off my face this time, and he curses, squeezing my hands tighter. “This isn’t about you at all. This is between me and him.”
I shove his hands away. Anger is a low burn in my veins. “That is bullshit and you know it. You are both shutting me out again and I’m sick of it. We can’t even be in the same room without you two bickering about stuff I know nothing about!” My gaze bounces between them. “Was it a conscious decision to keep me in the dark?”
Devin sits back down. “If you needed to know, we’d tell you, baby doll, I promise.”
“Do not fucking call her that! She is not one of your whores,” Ayden roars, and I just want this night to be over.
“Stop.” I rub a tense spot between my brows. “Please, just stop it. For the first time in forever, we are all together on a Saturday night. I’m begging you to call a truce. Even if it’s only for tonight. Let’s forget all this crap and just hang out like we used to.”
My plea falls on deaf ears—scrap that, make it arrogant, pigheaded, idiotic ears. The guys continue to face off, and this is easily the singular most awful moment of my life. My two best friends have been at odds for the last three months, and I can’t bear it. I can’t bear to lose our awesome-threesome. To see everything fall apart because they are too stubborn or too stupid to talk things out. I want to scream in frustration. Either that or bash their obstinate heads together.
Can’t they see they are ruining everything?
Devin lowers his chin and starts wolfing his food. Ayden continues glowering at the back of his head, and I lose my cool. Yanking Ayden’s lasagna from the microwave, I slap it onto a plate and shove it in his chest. “Okay, fine. Have it your way. You are both complete and utter assholes. Finish your food and get the hell out of my house.”
Then I storm out of the kitchen without a backward glance.
End of Sample
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis writes emotionally intense young adult and new adult fiction with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime! She is the author of the bestselling True Calling, Saven, and Kennedy Boys series.
Siobhan’s family will tell you she’s a little bit obsessive when it comes to reading and writing, and they aren’t wrong. She can rarely be found without her trusty Kindle, a paperback book, or her laptop somewhere close at hand.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.
She resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.