Page 48 of I Don't Need Your Love

“Take that back or it might come true!” I shake her harder.

“You’re shaking the whole bed,” Addie complains.

“Tell her to take it back, Addie!”

“Heck no. I agree with her.”

“Youagreewith her? What’s wrong with you people?”

“Carly, Ryder ditched the Parker twins to hang out with you. They’re the hottest girls at school. No guy would just pass them up for no reason.”

My brows shoot up. “Were we in the same restaurant, let alone the same planet? He didn’t ditch them to hang out with me. He ditched them to hang out with the team. You know,because he’s part of the team and he probably felt left out because we were all hanging out together?”

“Yet, he sat down next to you.”

“If I recall correctly,someonetold him to sit down next to me.”

Addie gives me an innocent face. “Oh, did she? Well, it must have just been a coincidence.”

“Coincidence, my butt,” I mutter.

“Why are you so upset about it?” Raven asks. “Isn’t it a good thing if you guys are getting along? The last thing you want is for your energies to be off during a dance performance.”

“Because she doesn’t want to admit that she might not hate him as much as she used to,” Sophie says.

“That’s not true. I still hate him with every fiber of my being.”

They all give me “yeah right” looks.

Fine, maybe they’re right. I might not hate him like I did in the past, but I’m still wary around him. I know how much he enjoys messing with me, and the last thing I need is to lower my guard and get hurt again.

“Can we talk about something else or watch something?” I say.

Addie sighs like the world is coming to an end. “Fine. Guess what my grandfather texted me this morning? He’s buying me a car!”

“Ooh!” Raven and Sophie say. All four of us have licenses, but Addie is the only one who doesn’t have a car. Her parents couldn’t afford it.

“He sent me options of all these expensive cars,” she tells us. “Like the kind of cars the other students drive. But I told him I want something plain and simple. Like the ones you guys drive.”

“How did he take it?” I ask.

“He tried to reason with me, told me a member of the Bradshaw family can’t be seen driving a piece of junk. No offensive, guys.”

“Meh,” we say.

“In the end, we decided to compromise. He’ll buy me a semi-expensive car. Despite our differences, I was glad we could reach a compromise. I bet this will be my life from now on.”

Sophie shakes her head. “I can’t imagine being thrust into the rich world like you were. You’re a superstar for handling it so well.”

Addie shrugs. “I don’t know about that, but thanks. I don’t want to lose my grandfather.”

A cloud suddenly settles on Sophie’s face. She closes her book and hugs it close to her chest, biting on her bottom lip like she’s reliving a hard memory.

I stretch to rub her arm. “You okay, Soph?”

She blinks and forces a smile. “I’m okay, thanks.”

“You sure?” Raven asks. “You know you can talk to us about anything.” She gets up from her bed and squeezes herself between us, putting her arm over Sophie’s shoulder. “We’re always here for you.”