Page 35 of Sinful as They Come (Sinful Trilogy #1)

HOLLY

I stomped back to the house on shaky legs.

Who did Sawyer think he was talking to me about that? After his little “thank you” moment, I thought maybe things would be different. Maybe he finally decided to grow up and act his age. Instead he punched my boyfriend and then blatantly lied to my face.

When I got back to the house, the first thing I noticed was that the front door was wide open.

Standing there in the doorway with tear-stained cheeks, I could see Carter sitting on the couch.

There was an ice pack pressed up against his eye, but he wasn’t the one holding it.

When I looked to his left, I could see Jennifer Katz standing there next to him, holding the ice pack in one hand while her other hand rested on his thigh.

She was leaning over, whispering something into his ear.

But Carter’s eyes landed on me. All I could see was resentment in them as he got out of his seat and approached me. He walked over to me with intent. I took a step backwards, my eyes on the ground. Then he slammed the front door shut behind him.

“Where were you?” Carter asked immediately.

“I… I…” I was with Sawyer. He knew I was with Sawyer, so I had no idea why he was even asking. “I was with—"

“Are you fucking him?” he asked, voice demanding and cruel.

I nearly choked on my breath. “What?”

“You heard me. Are you fucking him, Holly? Is that why you’re around him all the time now? You fucking little old Trailer Park Trash now or what?”

My mouth opened but no words came out. I looked over to my left and then my right, like that was somehow going to help.

I realized then that I was too scared to look him in the eyes.

I hated it when I felt like that around him.

But when I finally had the courage to glance back over at him, I could see that his normally clear skin was all red around his eye. Sawyer must have punched him hard.

“Are you gonna answer the question or are you just gonna stand there all night with that dumb look on your face?” Carter’s harsh voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Sawyer and I were talking,” I finally managed to let out. “I wanted to know why he hit you.”

Carter pressed his lips firmly together. “Well, what did he tell you?”

“He… He told me…” My voice trailed off, struggling to repeat Sawyer’s words. “He just said how...”

“What did he tell you, Holly?”

My eyes shut and I pressed my face into my hands.

The tears were spilling from my eyes again and I couldn’t stop them if I tried.

All I wanted was for Carter to hold me. To tell me that he loved me, that Jennifer was only that close to him because she was a good friend who was trying to help, that he didn’t want anyone else but me.

But my brain wouldn’t let what Sawyer said escape me.

“Holly…” Carter grunted.

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” I cried into my hands.

“I knew it. I knew you were fucking him. Why aren’t you with him now, huh? You can’t even admit. You can’t even look me in the eyes and admit that you fucked up.”

“I am not cheating on you with Sawyer!” I moved my hands from my face, but only so I could furiously wipe at the tears running down my cheeks. “Why would you even think that?!”

“You’re always with him! All the time! Ever since school started you’re either with him or his stupid cousin. Which one are you fucking, Holly? Or is it both?”

“Do you seriously think that? Do you honestly think I am cheating on you, Carter? I would never!”

“You’re a slut, Holly.” Carter grinned. “A slut for everyone but me. You’re fucking everyone but your boyfriend.”

“Carter, that’s crazy. You know that’s crazy. I love you and I would never, ever cheat on you. Especially with Sawyer. You know I don’t like him, you know—"

“Did he tell you I was about to fuck Jennifer?” Carter suddenly spat out.

There was venom in his voice and a glint in his blue eyes. The blue eyes that normally brought me so much comfort. My bottom lip quivered a little. What did he just say to me?

“You got nothing to say now?” he asked with a chuckle. “Did he tell you? Huh? About how I was flirting with Jennifer and how I was seconds away from fucking her until he came along?”

I stepped back from him. “What are you talking about?”

“There was Mandy the other day. Camila last week. Sienna the week before that. Then there was Alexis, Courtney, Marissa, Natasha, Cassidy, Emma—"

My hands were on my ears, trying to block out the noise. “Stop, stop, stop—"

“Kylie, Amber, some whore cheerleader from the Devils who’s name I can’t remember, Bridget, Lacey, Heidi, Carmen—"

“Stop it.” Even with my hands shoved up against my ears, I could still hear the names. Names I knew. Names that were familiar.

“Savana, Nikki, another Marissa, Sasha—"

“Stop it.”

“And it was supposed to be Jennifer tonight, but your friend fucked it up.”

“Stop it!” My voice was shaky, my emotions completely and utterly out of my control as I opened up my wet eyes.

Carter stood in front of me, a smirk on his face, looking oh so proud of what he just put me through.

“Stop it. Please.” My hands lowered to my sides, my fingers trembling as my heart pounded in my chest. Had Sawyer been right ?

“You know it’s your fault, right?” Carter laughed. “I never would have cheated if you had just given me what I wanted. If you just let me fuck you, you wouldn’t be crying right now.”

There was so much cruelty in his voice. So much malice. He was talking to me like he hated me.

“I don’t even know what to say to you right now,” I whispered, shaking my head at him.

“There’s only one person to blame, Holly. Don’t look at me like that. Don’t give me that face. All you had to do was give me what I wanted. I wasted a whole year on you,” he spat. “We’re fucking done.”

I watched him as he pulled the door open and disappeared back inside.

My heart sank. My hands still shook. Everything came to a standstill as my brain did its best to process the last twenty-minutes.

Punch in the kitchen. Sawyer yelling. Carter yelling.

Sawyer storming out. Me following. The reveal.

Me calling Sawyer a liar to his face while my own boyfriend was the one who had been lying to me the whole time.

It was a mess. And it surrounded me. Everywhere I looked I felt pain.

My heart ached. No, my whole body hurt as the disaster began to truly sink in.

Carter was meant to be it for me. He was meant to be the one.

My knees almost buckled underneath me. The only reason I didn’t fall was because Annie came out with Lucas.

They sent me sympathetic stares as they helped me into the car and drove me home.

I was quiet. I didn’t even cry. There was nothing left to do except experience absolute heartbreak.