Avoiding Responsibility (Avoiding #2)(94)

He sat down next to her. "I just didn't know how you would react."

"Perhaps next time, you can let me react before making assumptions," she said with a shrug.

After a second, he said, "You're right." He backed out of the driveway and made his way out towards the highway.

"Thanks for taking me," she murmured to break the silence.

"Of course. I know how much Chyna means to you."

"Ramsey," she stammered out, "can I ask you a question?"

"Sure what's up?" he asked merging into traffic.

"Were you and Parker ever...uh...together?" she asked turning to face him in the car. "I mean I know you said that you never had a girlfriend, but you guys looked...comfortable together. And Jessie said..."

"Jessie?" he snapped. "What did Jessie say?"

Lexi paused gauging his reaction. "She didn't say anything. Just that you two were cute together."

"Are you sure that's all?" he asked clenching the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

"Should she have said more?" she asked staring at him intently.

"No," he said taking a deep breath and releasing his firm grip on the wheel. "She just has a tendency to blab fallacies with the turn of the wind."

"Well she didn't say anything to me. But told me to ask you and trust whatever you told me," she said eager to get the truth out of him.

Ramsey shrugged. "All of that was a long time ago."

"All of what?" she asked curiously.

"Parker and I weren't together...not like we are at least."

Lexi gulped thinking of her relationship with Jack. Had he had something like that going on? She hadn't thought it possible for someone else to have a relationship anything like theirs, but anything was possible after all.

"You remember that time I told you about the dare at the bonfire after prom?" he asked.

She wasn't sure what that conversation had to do with anything. Of course, she remembered it very clearly. It wasn't everyday that someone told you they slept with someone in front of a group of people after prom. She had just filed that piece of information away in her mind hoping never have to bring it back up.

"Well...Parker is that girl."

Lexi's mouth dropped open. "What?" she cried suddenly jumping in her seat.

He sighed and glanced into her brown eyes. "I told you it was a long time ago."

"Yeah but Ramsey, you slept with her...in front of all of those people?" she asked unsure as to why she needed an answer, but realizing she did.

"A long time ago Lexi. It's been forever since I've even seen her. We were only actually together...like that," he told her.

"But she looks like me," she sputtered.

He cringed at the admittance. "Yeah, I guess she kind of does."

"Did you only like me because I look like her?" she asked her eyes narrowed looking for any signs of deceit.

"No! Never. Sure I saw the resemblance but you guys are completely different people. I would never think of comparing you Lexi...with anyone. You can't be compared. I've known Parker for a long time, and we just ended up in bed together a lot. Nothing more...nothing less," he said grasping for her hand to reassure her.

She let him lace his fingers through her own. His thumb came up and rubbed light circles into her skin. She let her breath slow and her heart return to a normal speed. His confession that he had been with Parker at one point just confirmed her thoughts. She hadn't put two and two together about his prom date, and finding out that tidbit had set her backwards a few steps. But she shouldn't let herself waver so easily. She knew that whatever had been with Parker wasn't happening now. But still she had to be sure. She couldn't keep wondering. "Promise?" she finally asked after a long pause.

He smiled down at her. "Yes Lexi. I promise."

* * *

K.A. Linde

Rules of the Game

Some sort of comfort in your pain

I can't help from taking

No matter how I change

There will be no escaping

I say I'm chasing time but you know I've been

Running away from, running away from you

- Mike Posner "Save Your Goodbye"

* * *

Chapter 15: Present

Now Lexi swore she wasn't going to go. She had told Ramsey she wasn't going to go. He had unwittingly agreed…smart boy. She had even got up the nerve to call Bekah and tell her personally that she would have to decline the invitation to fill in at the bachelorette party. There was absolutely no way she would get dragged into another stupid night out. She had the worst luck with these types of events, and she was sure that this one wouldn't be any better. Bekah always had an angle. She always had a motive behind her actions. She didn't just invite someone to a bachelorette party for no good reason especially when you despised the girl. Lexi was sure there was something more to the event.

But then it had happened. It all changed. She wasn't sure if Bekah had known from the beginning that Lexi would change her mind. She was never sure of Bekah. But then she had come out and said it. They were going to her alma mater. She hadn't been there but one time since she had moved to New York. She just didn't have the money to make the flights down for football games or any other events.