Ace of Spades Sneak Peek(14)

Her head cocks to the side. “It’s probably just about the Jamie thing.”

I close my locker and look her dead in her cold green eyes.

“What Jamie thing?” I ask. It could be anything …

Her smile widens. “Everyone’s saying he rejected you yesterday at lunch.”

Oh.

“Well, you heard wrong, Rubes,” I say, giving her a tight smile.

Her red-stained lips make an O shape.

“It must be people telling fibs,” she says with a shrug.

My eyebrows furrow together. “Who?” I ask, because she clearly knows more than she’s letting on.

“Well, you didn’t hear this from me, but”—she leans in—“Ava’s been telling people you thought he’d ask you out even though everyone knows he’s dating Belle now. Of course, I told people that it’s just a rumor…”

Ava listened to me talk about Jamie while knowing all along he was dating Belle? I should have known better than to talk to anyone about anything personal. I feel really out of the loop, like there’s so much going on that I should know about but don’t. This past summer, I was so caught up with Yale prep, I must’ve missed this. I must’ve missed everything.

“Did you know he was dating Belle?” I ask.

Ruby’s smile fades a little. “Just found out.”

I nod. Ruby’s always been a terrible liar.

“Thank you, Ruby. I can always count on you,” I say, thinking of ways to get back at Ava.

“You know I’ll always have your back, Chi.”

These girls are as loyal as scorpions. As I glance up, I see Ava walking toward us. She looks as white as a sheet, fear written all over her features. Sometimes the lingering threat of plotting to get someone back is better than actually carrying anything out. I smile at her and wave.

“Hi, Chi—” Ava starts, but I cut her off.

“Tell Sam I say hi,” I sneer, before marching down the hallway toward Jamie’s locker.

Ava has problems trusting her boyfriend, Sam, to keep his dick in his pants. Not only that, she’s always been wary of the fact that Sam and I hooked up during freshman year, way before they started dating. I told her it was meaningless, but I know me bringing up Sam will eat away at her. I might even text him, knowing she’ll be checking his phone all day now. It’s not nice, but she tried to make me look desperate in front of everyone. So it’s only fair.

“Hey, Jamie.” I reach his locker as he turns around, revealing Belle behind him. They’re holding hands.

“Hey, Chi.”

My eyes linger on her. Her beauty is like a punch to the gut. I’ve seen her in some of my classes before, but never really looked at her …

I blink, crossing her out and ignoring the fact that she’s here, with him.

“Why do people think I got rejected by you?” I throw in a playful smile, letting everyone listening in around us know I don’t care and that I definitely wasn’t rejected by anyone.

Jamie looks a bit confused, but I’m hoping he reads my mind through the best-friend telepathy channel and plays along. He’s good at burying secrets, so what’s one more to add to the pile?

“That anonymous texter, Aces, they … said you were,” Belle answers.

Aces? The person who sent those messages about Devon and Scotty?

I stare at Belle again—blond hair held back by a blue headband that coordinates with our uniform, clear bright skin, pink lips. I hate how perfect she is, and how she’s apparently the One.

“Oh … well, it’s a lie—isn’t it, Jamie?”

“Yeah,” Jamie confirms, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

“I’m sure it’s just some lowlifes making up stories,” Belle adds with a smile. I mentally roll my eyes at her. I don’t need her input.

I wonder who this anonymous person—or people—is, sending messages to everyone. If they’re smart, they won’t say anything else about me.

“Hi, Chi,” a girl says, holding out a tall Starbucks cup. “Here’s your cinnamon latte.” It’s the sophomore from yesterday again.

“Thank you, Miranda,” I say, bringing the drink up to my lips. She opens her mouth, then closes it like a fish. I almost feel bad for not letting her know that all of this—the kissing up, getting me coffee before school—is worthless. If you want to be known, you have to claw your own way up, not get people cold lattes every morning.

But who am I to turn down a cup of coffee? Especially after the stressful morning I’ve had.

The sophomore leaves just as the first warning bell sounds. Jamie leans in and kisses Belle. I look away; even if it makes me look like I do like him, I don’t care.

“I’ll see you later?” Jamie says to Belle.

“See you,” she says softly, before leaving his side.

I force a smile, nudging him. “Someone’s in like.”

“I’m so much in like!” he shouts. I shush him, and he zips his mouth but grins.

“Let’s go to class, boy in like.”

I’ve always been great at playing the role of best friend: I pull on my clothes; I give him a smile; I leave his bedroom, his house; and I come to school the next day and pretend with him. That was always my role. The best friend who pretends.