The Way to Game the Walk of Shame(68)

I still didn’t move. “Are you sure your mom won’t mind?”

“Doesn’t matter. She’d probably let you in herself, anyway,” Taylor muttered under her breath.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s fine.” She took my arm and pulled me inside. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something, too. Let me just tell Mom that you’re here first.”

“Okay.” I went into the living room to wait for her. Oreo was already lying on the rug, and he let out an excited bark when he spotted me. He didn’t get up, but he did roll over so I could scratch him. I stood and rubbed his belly with my foot.

As I waited for Taylor to come back, I picked up a pink daisy that was sitting on the coffee table. It was lying on top of a couple of calculus worksheets with today’s date on them. That seemed weird. Taylor hadn’t gone to school today—how did she get the assignment already?

Taylor came into the room just as I picked up one of the sheets. “Did Carly drop these off for you?”

“Uh, no, not really.” My eyes took in every detail of her. She looked tired but still beautiful, with her dark hair pulled back from her face. She sat down next to me. Not as close as I would have liked, but it was probably better this way. I didn’t want to get another ass kicking from her dad. “So, what did you want to tell me?”

My leg bounced up and down, already anticipating the excitement my announcement would get from Taylor. Oreo flopped back and forth at the frantic movement. “Why don’t you go first? My news is really important, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to blow yours out of the water.”

She gave me a half smile. “I don’t know about that. I have some big news, too.”

“Is it good news?”

Her smile faded a tiny bit, and her eyes flickered to the flower in my hand. “Not all of it.”

I looked from the pink daisy to the calculus work on the coffee table. Something clicked in my mind, and I could feel my good mood fading. Damn. Dad and college blended to the background as I stared at her, hoping I was wrong. “Who brought you this homework?”

Taylor swallowed loudly before answering. “Brian. He came over this morning.”

“And the flower?”

This time she didn’t answer. She just nodded.

Brian was here. She didn’t call me or text me, but he came over. Here, alone. So much for me being the only guy to visit this house. Although he probably got a real invitation from her. Which meant …

I dropped the flower on the coffee table. My hands clenched together as I leaned back onto the couch, moving away from Taylor now. Already distancing myself from what I knew was coming. “Does your news have something to do with him?”

“Yes.” She sucked in a deep breath before continuing. Her fingers gripped the pillow on the sofa between us. The words poured out of her like a waterfall. “The other day, before you took me to the aquarium, Brian told me he liked me, and then we kissed. I’m sorry. It was totally unexpected and I didn’t know what to do. I never thought he felt that way—”

I barely heard the rest of her story. Only a few words stuck in my mind. Other day. Brian liked her. And then they kissed.

That wasn’t really a surprise. I’d watched them hang out together. Each time she smiled at him. Every time he looked at her. Brian was Mr. Perfect. Just like Taylor was Ms. Perfect. Literally. Those were the class titles they had won, along with Most Likely to Succeed. They belonged together. All I’d won was the Class Troublemaker title. And Most Attractive. Brian probably couldn’t wait to march over and introduce himself to Mr. Simmons as the new boyfriend. The ass.

Even though I had been expecting it, the pain still hit me like a crashing wave. You can see it coming. You can even prepare yourself for the impact, but it can still flip you over on your board. The shock of the cold and the sting of the salt in your sinuses. Over and over again. The thought of Taylor and Brian officially being together made me sick. “You know what? I have to go.”

Taylor grabbed my hand. “No, Evan, you have to understand! Kissing Brian made me realize my true feelings. I finally know now—”

I pushed her away before she could finish her sentence. I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to hear anything about it. All I wanted to do was get out of here. “I get it. You’re sorry. Apology accepted.” It only took a couple of strides to get out of the house.

“But—”

As quickly as I’d driven to Taylor’s house earlier, I must have beat the record by half just getting out of there. I could hear Taylor calling my name, asking me to listen, but I didn’t turn back. I just jumped into my car and sped off.

Images of Taylor and Brian kissing and laughing kept running through my head like a damn video on repeat. Of them holding hands and going to college together and living happily ever after like the freaking perfect couple that they were.

On an impulse, I yanked my phone from my pocket and dialed. “Hey, Lauren, are you free right now?”

*

She slid into the front seat with a grin. “It’s about time I got you all to myself.” Lauren threw her purse in the backseat and curled her legs beneath her before turning to face me. “I even considered pretending to be a damsel in distress to get your attention. I know how you can’t resist a girl in need.”