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She nods, thanks the attendants, and grabs a ball from a fancy dispenser next to the entrance of the court. Bouncing it, she flashes a wicked grin in my direction. “Ready?”
Oh, I am so totally fucked.
“Come on, is that all you’ve got!?” Melody screams at me as she scores yet another point.
I thought I was playing pretty well until I realized she was going easy on me, but all bets were off when the courtson either side of us filled up. “I thought you said you’d be nice!”
“I’m encouraging you,” she says, serving the ball. It sails in my direction, and I move up and smack it back.
My legs and boobs are pissed at me. I’m covered in sweat. My skin is tight. It’s ridiculously hot, and furthermore, compared to Melody, I’m not even close to being good at tennis. There’s a reason I prefer swimming. When she hits it back, I’m not fast enough to get to it. She whoops in excitement, and I stop, placing my hands on my thighs and sucking in a heavy breath.
Melody’s white sneakers stop before me. “Maybe we should take a break?”
Tipping my head up, I squint at her. “You think?”
She laughs. “Aw, come on. Wasn’t that fun?”
“I think you’re a sadist.”
Adalie snickers. “You should see her try to flirt. She can be mean.”
“Yeah, well, sometimes men deserve it.” Melody pats me on the back. Maybe a consolation for how much I suck? “Thirsty?”
Straightening, I smooth my sweat-soaked bangs away from my face and nod. “I need an IV.” With Melody being so intense to play against, I didn’t have time to focus on our surroundings, but as we exit the court, I glance to the left and immediately regret it.
Dread drops into the pit of my stomach. Ellen and Bethany are sneering at me, whispering to one another. High school is well behind us, but I guess some things never change.
Melody and Adalie are chatting, and I pull my gaze away from the jerks who used to make my life hell, trying tofocus on the present, but my chest tightens anyway, warning me of the danger nearby.
I take a seat at the table by our court, grab the water, and guzzle it.
“I ordered some snacks,” Adalie says. “Oh, and Mace texted me. He told me to tell you that you’re in trouble.”
Scoffing, I set the glass bottle down and roll my eyes. “You can tell him that I said?—”
“Hey, Cassia,” Bethany cuts me off. The annoying high pitch of her voice is like nails scraping across my skin.
Jaw clenching, I turn. “Hi.”
She hasn’t changed much. Her bleach blonde hair is piled in a sleek bun and her French-manicured nails rest on her hips. Ellen, her best friend and sometimes worst enemy, stands beside her, also blonde but more strawberry than white.
“You’re looking...” Bethany trails off with a nose wrinkle. “Well, anyway, we heard you managed to finally find a sugar daddy.”
I tip my head. “And I heard you still can’t keep a boyfriend and that Ellen slept with the last one.”
Bethany sucks in a breath and narrows her eyes, avoiding looking at her friend, who glares at me.
“How’s your husband?” Ellen asks with a vicious smile. “I tried to call him, but?—”
Adalie, the person I least expected to confront someone, bolts out of her seat. “I know you two are not stupid enough to come over here and try to start shit.”
A mean smile slashes across Melody’s face, and she stands too. “And as for my brother, we all know he wouldn’t come near you, even if you were the last woman on Earth.” She looks Ellen up and down in a way that makes the woman’s face turn bright red.
“You two should know better than to let a woman likeherdig her nails into your brother.” Bethany shakes her head, a flush crawling up her neck. “She’s obviously only with him for the money.”
Melody scoffs. “Oh, come off it,Beth.” She practically growls her name. “We both know you begged your daddy to talk to ours...didn’t you just file for bankruptcy?”
“Huh,” Adalie says. “Is that why you were so desperate to marry Mace?”