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“Daxon, please tell me this isn’t true,” I beg. I look at him and he shrugs.
“Sorry, Spitfire. We got tired. You were too easy. We bet at least November before you put out for all three of us. Didn’t we, Mason?”
Mason nods. “Way too easy.” Colton stands there with his lips pursed tight.
It’s that exact moment that my heart, the pieces that were slowly being put back together by all of them, went up in flames.
I back up slowly, hoping and waiting for them to tell me this was a joke. But they don’t break. They just stare at me, waiting to see what I do. So, I do what anyone would. I run.
I run out of the room and to the nearest bathroom. Where I let every single tear fall from my eyes. Every ounce of pain. Every bone in me is enraged. I punch the wall next to me and scream. Pain from the hit surges through me.
It’s not a dream. I felt that.
How could this happen? How did I let this happen?
Engaged?
How? When?
My stomach rolls, and I feel like I’m about to throw up. I fell for it. They made a fool of me. I trusted them and all along it was nothing but a game to them.
I was nothing to them.
I’m an idiot for falling for it. And I did. Fast. I let them into my life without second guessing their motives more carefully. I let my walls down. They worked their charm on me, and I bought into it. They had a bet. They bet on me. And it turns out I’m more of a whore than I thought.
I stare at myself in the mirror. My makeup is mostly intact because Liz used waterproof eye makeup. I grab a paper towel and dab under my eyes, trying not to smear or ruin the rest. My lips tremble as I try to hold back more tears.
Steadying my breath, I grip the counters and try to talk myself into a state of calmness. The door opens, and I turn to see Liz slowly walking towards me.
“Hey, how are you doing?” she says carefully.
I shake my head. “I’m fine. Or at least that’s what I’m going to tell myself.”
“I’m so sorry, Phoenix. I … I can’t believe what just happened! If you want to go, we can go.” She places a hand on my shoulder. “You know what, we should go. Let’s just go home and eat ice cream in our dresses.”
“No,” I say firmly. I turn and look at her. “They will not get rid of me that easy. They can make fun of me, they can pretend to like me and then hate me. But they will not win. I won’t let them win. They have taken enough from me. So, let’s go back, we’ll dance and have fun. Fuck the kings.”
A small cautious smile appears on her face. “Okay. Let’s go out there and show them we don’t care.”
Arm and arm we head out of the bathroom and into the ballroom. We start to make our way over to the table when the lights go out.
“Ah, there she is. Ladies and gentleman, the woman of the hour, Miss Phoenix Hayes.” Bianca’s now standing on the stage in front of the dance floor with her two dogs in tow.
A spotlight shines on me, and I stand there frozen yet again, unsure of what I just walked into. I turn to see all eyes on me. There are whispers, but I can’t make out what they are saying. I swallow the lump in my throat.
I should’ve never come back.
thirty-three
PHOENIX
“Wow,I’m surprised you came back. Well, a little. You seem to not want to give up. You’re an annoying little gnat that just won’t go away.” Bianca smiles, a wicked curl to her lips.
A voice in the back of my head tells me to run. But I’m frozen solid where I stand, as if the beam of light has locked me in place. I look around at the faces that go from her to me. I notice the chaperones have all huddled against the wall with their back turned to us.
“The kings played their silly little games on you. And I have to say, I did enjoy playing. Watching you as you had to clean out your locker, the dryer incident. I mean, I really pulled out some great ones. Hell, pushing you into the pool didn’t even get you to leave. And you almost drowned!” She slaps her leg and laughs. “You play a good game. But I think that’s about to come to an end for you. I mean here you are, pining for the kings when all along they were going to be married to us.” She flashes her hand again.
The crowd starts to murmur, and some whistle and cheer for that revelation. A revelation that makes me sick to my stomach. Spinning my head, I see people pointing and laughing at me. I bite the inside of my cheek to try to keep myself grounded. Looking around, I don’t even see the kings.