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I feel my cheeks flush. “Get fucked, Chad.” I say through gritted teeth.
“No, no. I believe that was what they were doing to you.” He shakes his head. “Oh, Phoenix, Little bird. How naive you are to think they gave two shits about you.”
My body instantly freezes at his words.Little bird. No. There’s no way he could have been sending me that stuff.
“It’s you,” I whisper.
“Me? What’s me?” He tilts his head in confusion.
“You sent the notes. Why? Why are you doing this?” I yell at him, my fists clenched at my sides.
“I have no idea what you are talking about. What notes?”
“The phoenix, the box …”
He shakes his head. “Wasn’t me.” His lips tilt up.
“What’s that?” He points to the three black roses I hold in the clear plastic container. He pulls me from my mind, distracting me from wondering if he’s lying about the notes. He cackles with laughter when he realizes what they are. “Are you serious? Did you really get them flowers? Black roses?” He curls over in a fit of laughter as I feel the heat creep up from my neck.
I suddenly take a look around and see that we have drawn a crowd of people around us. People are staring and pointing. Some have their cameras out, no doubt getting ready to throw this on social media.
Chad continues to laugh. “You got them death? A rose that means death? Wow, you’re all sorts of fucked up.”
“It also means new beginnings, fucker.” I narrow my eyes at him and do everything I can to keep from smashing the container with roses in my hand. I have no idea why I’m trying to explain myself to him.
“New beginnings? Aw, how sweet. Except, there’s no beginning with them, Phoenix. They dipped their dicks in your trash pussy and they have had their fill. I mean, how come they didn’t pick you up? Or walk into the dance with you? If they weren’t embarrassed by you, they would want to be seen with you.” His voice gets low so that only I can hear. “You were just a pawn in their game. Congratulations, Phoenix. You fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker.”
Without another word he strolls towards the limo waiting for him with his other friends.
But they asked me. They wanted me. I was the one who said it was a bad idea. Maybe that’s what they wanted? That it was my idea that I show up alone? Was this all a fucking mind game?
I feel a hand wrapped around my wrist, and I turn to see Liz mouthing something. Except, I can’t hear a thing but the blood rushing in my ears.
My stomach drops, and I try to keep down the bile that’s rising. My heart twists, and I feel on the verge of tears. They have been pretty much ignoring me all week.
Did I fall for their game? Was this all a joke?
Fuck.
* * *
The entire ride to the hotel, my mind is lost as I replay every action that I had with the kings. I try to search for clues that would make anything Chad said true. And I have to take what he says with a grain of salt, but still. He knew I slept with them all, and that bothers me more than anything.
They talked about it with the guys in the locker room. Daxon and Mason shared something intimate between us with their football team. The same people who bully me, who push me around and make my life miserable.
I feel so nauseous.
If Chad knows, they all know.
And then he called me “Little bird.” I shiver at the thought that he’s the one sending me those notes. I mean, they didn’t show up until after his party. But how did he get into my room? Even the thought that he has been in my room make me want to vomit. He says he didn’t do it, but he knows too much, and he would do something like this. It has to be him. Fuck, I need to let the guys know.
“Hey, are you okay? You look extremely pale.” Liz scoots closer to me.
I nod slowly. “Yeah. I just don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“Look, if they didn’t want you, they wouldn’t have had you meet them here. And you said it was becauseyouwere worried about what would happen with the queens. It wasn’t their idea.” She rubs my back. “They protected you, they took care of you when you were hurt. You don’t fake that.”
“But it could still be all a game.” I bite my lip. I haven’t really talked to them all week. I haven’t seen them either. That alone worries me.