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“Says the girl dating Mason. And tell me a time when they ever played fair,” Ivy counters.
“Yeah, but it’s different now.”
Ava sighs, guilt rolling behind her brown eyes when she looks at me.
“Mason told me something a few years ago that you should probably know. I didn’t think it mattered because you weren’t around Damon and Ezra anymore, so I didn’t say anything. But if you really are starting something with them again, you should know the full story.”
That doesn’t sound good. I lift my brows waiting for her to continue.
She sighs again and runs her fingers through the length of her blond hair.
“I mean, it was high school, so I doubt it really matters anymore, but when the twins first started messing with you...”
She pauses, obviously not wanting to spit it out.
“They did it because Mason bet them they couldn’t get you in bed. He said you were frigid and boring, so the whole thing-“
Her voice trails off again, but that’s fine. It’s not like I can hear her over the shattering of my heart or the rush of fury in my head.
“I take it the twins won the bet?”
I don’t mean for the snap in my voice that makes her wince. It’s not Ava’s fault.
Voice softer, she meets my eyes when she says, “I think we all know how that turned out. Those two cared about you. I just worry that they’re still mad about you leaving them and are playing games again.”
Taking a few minutes to gather my thoughts, I understand why Ava told me about the bet, but I don’t believe the twins are playing games. Not with the pain I saw in Damon’s eyes or the cold rage I saw in Ezra’s.
Their hearts are still very much involved, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy to hear about how all of this started.
To be honest, it only pisses me off at Mason. Maybe that’s why he always looked at me with hatred behind his eyes when he saw me with them. Maybe he lost a lot of money.
“How much was I worth?” I ask.
Ava’s face pales. “It doesn’t matter.”
“How much?”
She takes a sip from her iced latte before answering, “Five bucks.”
Oh, God. That only makes it worse. The knife already stabbed in my heart is now twisting to shred the muscle. And it also means Mason’s anger with me had nothing to do with losing the bet.
“You’re right. It doesn’t matter,” I finally say, playing it off that I don’t care. “That was years ago, and I’m only having fun now. I’m not worried about it.”
Ivy and Ava both stare at me with concern in their expressions, but Ivy forces the subject aside when she says, “Let’s go try on clothes instead of talking about old shit that means nothing. I’m sure Emily is smart enough to use those boys for sex only and not worry about anything serious, right?”
Forcing a grin, I nod my head.
“Yep. Fun only.”
“Although I think you should choose just one,” she adds.
It’s a subject she doesn’t drop for the next few hours. And every time she brings it up, I toss Gabe in her face as a counter argument.
I want to tell Ivy the truth that I have no intention of sleeping with them again, and I want to tell her I’m being forced to be their friend. I also want to tell her about the other things I’m being forced to do, but I can’t mention any of it.
Instead, I play it off that I am sleeping with them, that it’s no big deal, and I’m not stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I’m lying to my friends all because I want to save them the headache of worrying about what I’m going through.