The Stand-In Boyfriend (Grove Valley High #1)(63)

Jessie: Wasn’t invited.

Huh? It was a victory party—everyone was invited. I saw people there that I know for a fact don’t speak to Chase or anyone from the team. It was an open house, and the best friend of the game winner was definitely invited.

Me: What are you talking about?

Jessie: Your boyfriend told me not to bother coming.

The text is still flashing through my brain as I storm over to Chase.

“Did you tell Jessie not to come out and celebrate with us after my game?” I demand the minute I reach him.

Aaron and Jackson immediately fall silent. Their eyes dart back and forth between us as they murmur their excuses and quickly disappear. I glance around quickly, grateful the parking lot is relatively quiet, and see Sophie waiting for me by my car, her eyes fixed on us. I turn back to Chase expectantly, but he doesn’t say a word.

“Well?” I ask again, my voice sharp. “Did you?”

“I told him we were going to party at my house.” He doesn’t sound even remotely sorry.

“Right, and that he wasn’t invited?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But it was implied, right?”

Chase shrugs, like he has no clue what I’m talking about, and it makes me want to punch him.

I suck in air through my teeth, making a satisfying hissing sound. How dare he? How dare he decide who can come celebrate with me and my team after our win?

“It didn’t occur to you that I might want my best friend there to celebrate with me?”

Chase scoffs. “Celebrate? Or be there so you could stare at him all night and then get upset when he hooks up with Courtney—again?”

My jaw falls open.

Chase rolls his eyes at the expression on my face. “I didn’t tell him not to come.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Chase screws his face up. “Look, I wanted you to have a good night, okay? After everything you’ve gone through to be a state champion, I wanted you to have fun and not worry about him. He had Courtney all over him after the game, and I knew it would upset you if they were there together.”

That makes my stomach turn, especially if he was all over her after our kiss. “That’s not your choice to make. I wanted him there—I’ll always want him to be there.”

“We had fun without him, didn’t we?”

I don’t say anything, but he doesn’t let me get away with that.

“Didn’t we, Liv? We had fun.”

“It was fine,” I bite out.

“Well it definitely felt like we were having fun when you had your legs wrapped around me.”

Asshole. He’s not wrong, but still, he’s an asshole.

I don’t say anything, even though I can feel my face burning, and he sighs and looks away. He knows that was a low shot. Eventually, he turns back to me.

“You shouldn’t have made Jessie feel like he couldn’t come.”

His jaw tenses. “I did you a favor.”

“Well don’t do me any more okay? The whole point of this thing between us is to get him to notice me, right?”

“I think we can safely say we’ve managed that, Liv.”

I’m so worked up, I don’t even acknowledge that he’s spoken, much less what he’s said. “You telling him not to come to a party I’m going to be at is not exactly sticking to the plan!”

“Well you know what?” His voice is rising now, and his calm demeanor is starting to slip. “Maybe I don’t want Jessie Stephenson at my house.”

“What the hell is your problem with him? He’s always been nothing but nice to you.”

“What’s my problem?”

“Yes! He’s always been friendly to you.” Well, he was before we started pretending to date anyway. “Always tried to get involved and hang out with you, and you’ve always been a total asshole to him.”

“I’ve been an asshole?”

“Yes.”

“To him?”

“Yes!”

He starts to laugh, a cruel, almost mocking laugh as he throws his head back and looks up at the sky. Disbelief is written all over his face. “THE GUY TREATS YOU LIKE SHIT!”

I’m stunned into silence. Chase just stares back at me, breathing heavily. He doesn’t say anything for so long, I think he’s going to leave it. He doesn’t.

“He makes you do his homework for him.”

“I help him,” I grit out.

“He never thinks about your feelings.”

“You don’t even know him.”

“He shoves girls in your face all the time. If it’s not Courtney it’s Melissa Bell from junior year, or Renee McLeo from sophomore year.”

My eyes flash to his. I had no idea he was so well informed about Jessie’s love life. I didn’t think Jessie had even appeared on his radar until recently.

“He doesn’t give a crap that he’s with them in front of you.”

“He doesn’t know how I feel,” I manage to force out.

“Well it’s pretty damn obvious if you care enough to look.”

It’s like he’s slapped me, and I’m horrified to feel tears gathering behind my eyelids. I blink rapidly, determined not to cry in front of Chase.