Diamonds (All that Glitters #1)(8)

Avery and Tara were already supposed to be getting ready at school. Bryna usually strolled in right on time, looking as glamorous as ever, but she had been rushed out of the house and hadn’t had the time to finish off her glamorous look, so she would have to do it in the car. She hadn’t realized that stepping away from her hard shell would make it so hard to draw it back up again. She couldn’t afford to be off her game today.

Before entering the building, she quickly applied a fresh coat of makeup, readjusted her ponytail, and added the signature red bow. When she went inside, she wanted them to see her as they always had.

Perfect. Queen.

Only Jude had noticed what was really stirring inside of her, and she preferred to keep it that way.

Bryna ignored the surprised stares from the rest of the team as she walked into the building early and straight to the back of the room. She tossed her bag down next to her chair and took a seat.

Avery and Tara skittered over, their brunette ponytails swishing as they moved.

“Bri!” Avery cried. “You’re early.”

“So observant, A,” Bryna responded sarcastically.

“But, Bri, you’re never early,” Tara peeped.

“Why are you hovering?”

Avery and Tara immediately took a step back and started apologizing. Bryna swallowed down her frustration. She placed an amused smile on her face as they tripped over themselves to make it right.

“It’s fine.” Bryna held up her hand.

“So, where were you last night?” Avery asked. Her big brown doe eyes expectantly stared at her. “We waited for you at Luxe for, like, ever.”

“Avery made out with Brian Blackwell,” Tara rushed out.

Bryna questioningly raised her eyebrows. “You what?”

Avery flushed. “Tara is exaggerating. It was just one kiss. No big deal. It would never be serious with Brian. He’s an underclassman.”

“You had your tongue down his throat,” Tara said.

Bryna turned her attention to Tara. “She knows her place. You can chill with the third degree.”

Tara backed up another step and looked embarrassed from being called out.

Bryna’s head was starting to pound. Why do I have to deal with this petty bullshit right now? She should have stayed in Jude’s apartment and skipped the game. That sounded like heaven right about now.

“So, where were you then?” Avery repeated.

Bryna smiled up at them. She felt a victory in her hands even before she spoke the words. This was going to tighten the reins that had been slipping through her fingers ever since her father remarried.

“If you must know, I broke up with Gates last night.”

Avery and Tara wore equally horrified faces.

“You did what?” Tara asked.

She stood and sighed. “I can do better.”

“Better than Gates Hartman?” Avery asked.

Do I detect disbelief in my friend’s voice?

“Don’t you think so?” Bryna fixed them with a glare that made any response other than yes seem unacceptable.

“Um…yeah. Yes,” Avery said.

“Of course,” Tara peeped.

Bryna nodded in agreement. “I’m over the whole movie-star thing. I’d rather shop around for better merchandise.”

Avery and Tara slowly bobbed their heads.

“Wow,” Tara said. “You’re so right. You can do better than that.”

“I know.”

They smiled and exchanged glances before heading back to their seats. She knew that, in a matter of minutes, the news would spread to everyone at Harmony. She tried to ignore her already beeping phone and pretended to freshen up until it was time to leave. Just as she’d expected, the whispers behind her back escalated the closer it came to departure.

Avery and Tara followed behind her as she strolled over to the state-of-the-art travel buses that would take them upstate. Before she reached the cheer bus, Pace stepped in front of them.

She could hear Avery and Tara oohing and aahing. She was going to have to knock some sense into them if they kept this up.

First, Brian, and now, Pace? Horrible, horrible taste.

“Bri, can I speak with you for a minute?” Pace asked.

She reeled in her original reaction to slap him across the face and call him out in front of everyone in the school. It wouldn’t help her present situation.

“Sure, Pace. Give us a minute, girls.”

They scurried onto the bus, leaving her alone with her stepbrother.

“What do you want?” she asked, dropping the act.

“You broke up with Gates?”

“What does it matter to you?”

“Sounds like some stupid rumor. Is it true?”

Breathe in. Breathe out. “Good news travels fast. Yes, I broke up with Gates last night. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

She went to pass him, but he grabbed her arm.

“Is that why you were out last night?”

“Pace, if I wanted you to keep tabs on my whereabouts, I’d let you know. Until then, you can go f*ck yourself.” She wrenched her arm away from him. “Get out of my way.”

As she was trying to leave, some of the guys from the football team barreled past them.

She pointed at his teammates. “You have a bus to catch, Pace.”