Ever After (East Raven Academy Book 1)(34)

ME: He doesn’t. We’re friends, though. So we hang out.





BROOKS: Should I be jealous?





ME: Nah. Like I said, I’ve been avoiding him, so you definitely shouldn’t be jealous. I talk to you every single day.





BROOKS: If you didn’t, I would sneak on campus and force you to talk to me :P





ME: Am I going to have to get a restraining order?





BROOKS: Only if you suddenly stop texting me.





ME: Not gonna happen.





“Phoenix, what do you think?” Teagan asks.

I look up and see that all four of the girls are watching me.

“Um... what do I think about what?” I ask.

“Who are you texting?” Zoey asks.

I lock my phone. “Just my cousin.”

Lie.

Uh, why don’t I just tell them the truth? Has this whole experience just numbed my conscience? I now just lie without even thinking about it. I don’t want to be a liar. I’m about to open my mouth and just tell them the truth, when the crowd starts cheering loudly again. I look out on the field and see that Estaine has the ball again. He gets tackled to the ground, but everybody still seems happy.

I so do not understand this game.

And really, who are we cheering for? Both sides are East Raven Academy.

My phone vibrates in my hand, so I look at the screen, expecting a text from Brooks, but it’s not. It’s from Charlie.





CHARLIE: Holly and Frank are here. KILL. ME.





I laugh out loud, making all four girls look at me.

“Sorry. It’s my…” brother… “cousin. He just sent something funny.”

I text him back.





ME: This is the first time I’ve been genuinely happy to be nowhere near you.





Holly and Frank Bennett are Charlie’s grandparents. They’re my stepdad’s parents.

And they are cruel.

Oh, not to Charlie. They love Charlie. And they love Rick. It’s me and my mom that they despise. They treat us like absolute garbage, for no reason, and I have to resist the urge to smack them across the face every time they visit.

Really, I’m not a violent person, but these people bring out a violent side of me that I never knew existed.





CHARLIE: Your mom bailed a few hours ago. She went out to get milk. I don’t think she’ll be coming back home until they leave.





Good for Mom.

Mom has tried so hard to impress her in-laws since she and Rick got married, but it’s all been in vain.

“Phoenix, who do you think is cuter—Dawson Rowland or Austin Vanderbilt?” Zoey asks.

“Who are they?” I ask.

Zoey’s mouth falls open. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Austin is number 83,” Teagan says, pointing to the football field.

I look and immediately recognize the guy. He’s the head prefect I met on the first day here.

“Ah, red Converse guy,” I say. “Yeah, I know him. He seems nice.”

“And Dawson is number 37,” Penelope says.

I look out on the field to try and spot number 37. I find him just as Sebastian’s team makes a touchdown. It’s obvious that Dawson is upset. He yanks his helmet off and throws it.

“Dawson looks like he’s got a temper problem,” I say, as his coach yells at him. After a few seconds, he jogs over to his helmet and gets back in the game.

“He does tend to get angry when playing football,” Zoey says. “But he’s really hot.”

“I would never date a guy who gets angry like that,” I say. “If he gets that angry over a game of football, what else does he get mad over? I’m not about to become somebody’s punching bag.”

“I didn’t think of it like that before,” Zoey says, but she, Penelope, and Samantha all look like they’re thinking about what I said.

Good.

“Where is Emma?” I ask Teagan.

By the way she rolls her eyes, I’m not sure I want to hear the answer.

“She and Bryce are fighting again. She made the dance team and apparently he’s changed his mind about supporting her,” Teagan says. “She is currently in her room crying, while Bryce is playing football.”

“I really can’t stand him,” I say.

“You and me both,” she says.

Penelope, Zoey, and Samantha all stand up, announce that they’re going to get some snacks, and then walk down the bleachers. Teagan scoots closer to me in their absence.

“So, you’re really going to talk to Estaine tonight, right?” she asks.

“Yes,” I answer. “I’m tired of avoiding him.”

“Good,” she says. “I really do think you two will make a good couple. You’re ridiculously perfect for each other.”

I should tell her about Brooks now.

And I plan to do so.

But, then I think about how Estaine and Jason reacted when I told them that I had talked to Brooks at the bonfire, and I just can’t handle somebody else telling me that I shouldn’t date Brooks. At least, not without them giving me a valid reason for it. So I don’t tell her. I just let her think that Estaine and I would make the perfect couple, because that’s better. Besides, no matter what she thinks, Estaine is not interested in me. Like, at all. We’re friends.