Play Nice (Make the Play Book 3) (2 page)

I suppose I should have expected this from Josh. I’ve always known what kind of guy he is. This is exactly how we started out. We hooked up when he was together with Emmy. Back then, I stole my friend’s boyfriend, and now my friend stole mine. It’s poetic justice really. It’s what I deserve.

However, that knowledge doesn’t make this any easier.

I know what people think about me. They think I have no feelings. That I’m heartless. An ice cold bitch. It’s what I want people to believe.

If anyone knew how sensitive I really am, they’d be shocked.

Not that anyone will ever know. I plan on taking it to my grave.

And that’s why I bite down hard on my bottom lip and blink back the tears that threaten to penetrate. No way am I giving in to my emotions right now. No one will ever see how much this has hurt me.

After Hayes takes off and Talia chases after him, I hold my head high, my gaze level with Josh’s. I’m not naïve enough to hope for remorse, or even guilt. I didn’t go into this relationship blindly. From the moment we started seeing each other I knew the deal. I think that’s why our relationship has worked out as long as it has. In the past Josh and I haven’t done well with commitment, and everyone has been shocked at the length of time we’ve stayed together. But I know the real reason, and trust me, it’s not as romantic as some might think. It’s simply because we’re alike. We’re both users. Manipulators. Therefore, we know the score. Josh often tells me that he doesn’t worry about me falling for him because he knows I’m as guarded as he is and that I’ll never let that happen.

The problem is that I
have
fallen for him. He just doesn’t know it. No one does.

On the surface Josh seems like nothing more than an arrogant jerk, but in the moments when he lets his guard down, he’s actually very sweet. In those rare moments when I’ve seen the real Josh, I’ve had hope that maybe one day I could show him the real me, and I’ve been holding my breath in anticipation. Looks like now I can breathe deeply, expelling that broken dream. I can blow it out and watch it die in the yellow, brittle grass by my feet.

“You and Talia, huh?” I cross my arms over my chest, as if the mere act can protect my heart.

One side of his lip curls upward in a lopsided smirk. Then he lifts his shoulders briefly. “Can you blame her?”

“I can blame both of you, actually.” The words shoot out before I can stop them.

The smile dies on his lips. He steps forward, studying my face. “Are you jealous?”

“No,” I snap, bristling at his words. “Of course I’m not jealous of her.”

“You’re upset.” I can’t tell if he’s concerned or amused, and it pisses me off.

“Of course I’m upset,” I hiss, my gaze sweeping the field. Many eyes are fixed on us, and I’m sure word has spread like wildfire already. I can practically see the words branded across the field, smoke lingering in the air. “You’ve embarrassed me in front of everyone.”

“That’s why you’re upset? Because I embarrassed you?” Josh blows out a breath, an incredulous look painting his face. “Man, for a second I guess I thought…” Shaking his head, he clamps his mouth shut. “Never mind.”

“You thought what?”

He pauses wearing a pensive expression. “For a second it seemed like maybe you cared about me. Cared about us. But clearly, you don’t.”

I’m taken aback by his words. “Oh, yeah? And do you care about me? Is this how you show it? By making out with my friend?”

“You can hardly fault me for this, Ash.”

Cocking my head to the side, I pin him with a glare. “Whose fault is it then?”

He shrugs. “All of ours, I guess.”

This ought to be good.
“How can you even imply that I share any blame in this?”

He steps closer to me. “C’mon, Ash. Our relationship was never real, and you know it.”

“Then why not end it a long time ago?”

“Cause it was fun.”

My heart pounds in my chest. “Oh, yeah. I’m having a blast right now.”

Josh’s face grows serious. Lifting his hand, he gently touches my cheek. I reel back. “I honestly never wanted to hurt you.”

A bitter laugh escapes. “Sure you didn’t.”

He shakes his head. “Go ahead and play the victim all you want. It’s what you’re good at.”

“I
am
the victim,” I point out.

“Are you?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”
Why does he keep talking in damn circles?

“Dating you is like dating a block of ice. You never thaw. You never open up. I mean, we’ve been together for months, and I don’t know you at all,” he says. “Talia was more open with me tonight than you ever have been.”

His words hit their mark, piercing my heart. I almost cry out in pain, but I don’t. Instead, I take a deep breath and stand tall. “Well, then I guess you chose the right girl.”

“Whoa. Wait.” He throws up his arms, palms showing. “I didn’t choose her over you. It was just a kiss.”

I spin around. “Goodbye Josh.”

He grabs my arm. “Are you breaking up with me?”

“We weren’t in a real relationship,” I throw his words back in his face. “So I guess this isn’t a real break up.” Shaking his arm off, I step away from him. “I’ll see ya around.”

As I walk forward, I fight to keep my composure. Everyone’s eyes are on me, hushed whispers spilling from their lips, but I don’t acknowledge them. Instead I continue to walk steadily forward, my head held high. Besides, I don’t need to see people’s faces to know how smug they look. It’s no secret that most students at our school don’t like me. And it’s not like I can complain about that, since it’s my fault. I haven’t exactly treated people nicely.

When I reach the trees positioned directly in front of the rocky gravel where the cars are parked, I exhale with relief. Stepping past one of the trees, I’m grateful to be hidden from the watchful eyes of the partygoers. Leaning against it, I breathe deeply and stare up at the leafy branches. Voices nearby catch my attention, and I whip my head in the direction of them.

Talia and Hayes stand near his car having a heated conversation. Staying hidden in the shadows, I hone into their words. I’m curious how Talia’s going to talk her way out of this one. By the look on Hayes’ face when we caught Josh and Talia together, I’d say he’s pretty upset. Then again, he’s also totally into her, so maybe he’ll end up forgiving her.

“I thought you were better than this,” Hayes says.

Clearly he doesn’t know her very well.

“C’mon, Hayes, you’re acting like I murdered someone. It was a kiss. No biggie,” Talia responds with a shrug.

“No biggie?” Hayes eyes widen. “You have a boyfriend, and Josh has a girlfriend. Not only that, but she’s your best friend. How can you call this ‘no biggie’?”

“You and I both know that Josh and Ashley’s relationship is just a ruse. She only went after him to hurt Emmy. Everyone knows that.”

“Fine,” Hayes says in a gruff voice. “Then forget Ashley.” I frown at his words. He takes a step toward Talia. “What about us? What about the way you hurt me? Didn’t you stop to consider my feelings?”

My insides twist as I stare at his ravaged features. I’ve never had a guy look at me like he’s looking at Talia. It’s so raw and real that I have to turn away, so I drop my gaze to my feet.

“I never wanted to hurt you,” Talia says quietly.

Man, did she and Josh rehearse that line?

“Then why did you?”

A pause. I glance up.

“I don’t know.” Talia sighs. “I guess I was just feeling kind of smothered. I mean, you’re a nice guy, but you come on a little strong.” An embarrassed look crosses Hayes’ face, and my heart pinches. He’s way too nice of a guy to go out with Talia. “We’re only in high school. I want to have fun and be free while I can.”

“But you never said anything,” Hayes points out. “You could’ve broken up with me instead of going behind my back like that.”

“I know, and I guess I should have. But you’re always so sweet, I just couldn’t get up the nerve to do it.”

“Then I guess tonight is your lucky night.” Hayes backs away from her. “You got your wish. You’re free of me.”

Talia’s shoulders stiffen. I hold my breath.

Finally, she says, “I’m sorry.” Then she spins on her heels and hurries back to the party.

I want to watch her to see where she goes, but I can’t tear my eyes away from Hayes. He looks so sad, it causes emotion to rise in my throat. Frantically, I swallow it down. If I don’t allow myself to cry over my own depressing life, I’m certainly not going to cry over his. It seems we are both fighting the same inner battle by the way he’s blinking and biting his lip. I know Hayes won’t allow himself to cry either, and for some reason it endears me to him.

I’ve never liked Hayes that much, and I’m not even sure why. He’s a nice guy. Great ball player. Funny as hell. Sure, he’s a little bigger than the other guys, but he’s not exactly fat. And he’s not bad looking. Not hot like Cal or Christian, or even Josh. But he’s definitely got potential. I think the main reason I’ve avoided Hayes is because he’s not the kind of guy you play games with. He may spout off jokes and tease people a lot, but there’s a genuineness to him that’s unnerving. It’s the main reason I cautioned Talia against going out with him. She thought I was being mean, but that wasn’t the case. I knew she’d end up breaking his heart.

And that’s the exact reason I should walk away, continue to keep my distance. Both of us are raw right now. Our emotions are right at the surface. The smart thing to do is turn around and never look back. But I can’t do it. Not when he appears so devastated and alone. It surprises me, actually. I’m not usually the sympathetic type. Then again, I’ve been hurt tonight too, so maybe that’s why.

Pushing off the tree trunk, I step out into the open. Gravel crunches beneath my sandals. Hayes glances up, his gaze meeting mine.

“Hey,” I say softly.

“Hey,” he responds, shoving his hands into the pocket of his jeans. In the distance, I hear chattering and laughing. It reminds me that everyone else is having fun and partying. That should be us. We should be out there too. Anger at Josh and Talia rears its ugly head.

“Pretty crappy night, huh?” A bitter laugh escapes through my lips.

“I’ve definitely had better.” The corner of his lips tug upward, then they dip, his eyes searching mine as concern fills his face. “You okay?”

I pause mid-step. After the exchange I witnessed between him and Talia, I didn’t expect him to ask about my well-being. And the fact that he appears genuinely concerned almost makes me want to tell him the truth. That I’m not okay. Not by a long shot. But as kind as Hayes is being in this moment, I can’t trust him. I can’t let down my walls and bear my soul. If word got out that I was sad over Josh and Talia’s kiss, it would destroy me. It would give everyone else power over me.

And I can’t have that.

So I nod. “Yeah, I’m fine. You?”

“I’m okay.” His head bobs up and down emphatically as if he’s trying to convince himself too. His gaze sweeps the area around us landing on Talia’s little Toyota. “You ride here with Talia?”

“I sure did,” I answer dryly.

“I’m assuming you don’t want to ride home with her.”

“Your assumption would be correct.”

The sliver of a smile makes its way to his face. “Wanna ride with me?”

“Sure,” I say, walking toward him.

This is definitely not the way I envisioned my evening ending. It’s supposed to be Talia beside me, not Ashley. There was a time when I would’ve done almost anything to give Ashley a ride home. I can’t even count on one hand how many times I offered, but she was never interested. She’d never been interested in me at all. Not even as a friend.

But tonight it’s not Ashley I want. I stopped wanting her a long time ago. Rejection will do that to a guy.

The only person I want is Talia, but clearly that ship has sailed.

As I turn the corner, I glance swiftly at Ashley. She stares out the window, twirling a strand of white blond hair around her index finger. It’s the longest Ashley’s ever been this quiet. The girl can never keep her mouth shut. My stomach knots. She’s sad. It’s easy to assume that Ashley has no feelings, but it’s obvious that she’s hurting. I can see it in the way her mouth curls downward, in the slope of her shoulders, in the quiver of her lips and hollowness in her eyes.

Her head snaps in my direction, startling me. “What? Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Nothing. No reason.” I whip my head back toward the road. My heart picks up speed, hammering beneath my rib cage. Why was I staring at her like that? For a minute I even felt sorry for her, but I won’t make that mistake again. By the coldness in her tone, I’m starting to think I misread the situation.

She sighs heavily. “Man, this night sucks, huh?”

Annoyance bubbles inside of me like a pot simmering on the stove. The last thing I need is to listen to her whine.

“Can you believe the nerve of the two of them?” She continues, picking at a thread on her shorts.

My annoyance dissipates. She’s not the one I’m mad at anyway. It’s easier to be angry with Ashley than it is to be angry with Talia. Partly because I’m usually irritated with Ashley, and also because if I allow myself to feel anger toward Talia, then I’m forced to admit that she hurt me.

“I mean, we don’t deserve this.” Her bottom lip protrudes.

I’m not sure that’s true. Sure, I don’t deserve this, but I’m certain there are plenty of people who would agree that Ashley got exactly what she deserved tonight. I’m about to spout off a joke about that when my eyes crash into hers. I’m expecting the usual smugness, but instead sadness and betrayal rage inside. The words die on my lips, and I struggle to tear my gaze from hers.

“No,” I finally say. “We don’t.”

With a look of discomfort, she glances away from me. Then her eyes widen. “Hayes, watch out!” she hollers.

Shit.
I wasn’t paying attention, and I careened into the opposite lane. A car heads directly toward me. I swerve and my car jerks back into our lane. I exhale when the other car zips past without hitting us.

“Sorry,” I mumble.

“Just focus on the road.” The exasperated Ashely is back. The one I know so well. Gone is the vulnerable girl from a few seconds ago. But I knew it wouldn’t last. It’s Ashley. She doesn’t do vulnerable or sympathetic. We may have both been betrayed tonight, but only one of us had our heart shattered into a million pieces, and that person isn’t Ashley. In fact, I bet she’ll be dating someone new by tomorrow.

I’m grateful when I turn onto Ashley’s street. I’m ready to have her out of my car. I need some alone time to process everything.

“I heard what Talia said to you tonight,” she whispers.

“What? When?”

“When you were talking at your car.”

My stomach twists. She eavesdropped on that?
Great.
I’m sure the whole school will know about it now. I bet she’s chomping at the bit to run off and start calling all of her friends.

“Don’t worry. I’m not gonna say anything.”

After pulling up to Ashley’s house, I freeze. Had I spouted off my concerns out loud? I was pretty sure I had only thought them.

“For what it’s worth, I thought Talia really liked you.” She reaches for the doorknob, and turns it. When the door opens, a cool breeze blows through the car. “And I think what she did to you was pretty shitty.” Without looking back, she steps out of the car, slamming the door shut. Then she hurries toward her front door.

Mouth gaping, I watch her slip inside the darkened house. Wow, this entire night was unexpected. Nothing went the way I thought it would. Peering up at the sky, I wonder if the full moon is causing everyone to act this way. Puzzled, I pull away from the curb and head home.

***

I had expected to walk into school the first day of my senior year with Talia on my arm. We’d even talked about it in the last couple of weeks. Made plans to ride together. She and I were both looking forward to being seniors; ruling the school. As I pull into the parking lot alone, I wonder if she’s with Josh. It wouldn’t surprise me. Searching for a space, I also keep my eyes peeled for Josh or Talia. When I don’t see either of them, I heave a sigh of relief. Maybe they both got sick. Perhaps he had a virus or infection and he spread it to her when they were kissing.

Guiding my car into a space, I chuckle at the thought. Then guilt racks me. I shouldn’t be wishing illness on them. Then again, after what they did to me, they asked for it. Turning off the engine, I yank out my keys. Shoving them into the pocket of my jeans, I snatch my backpack off the passenger seat and hop out my car. As I’m slamming the door shut with my hip, I spot Talia across the lot, surrounded by a group of friends. Momentarily I wonder if Ashley’s with her. A quick scan tells me she isn’t. My heart pinches, confusing me. Since when do I care about Ashley?

Sighing, I fling my backpack over my shoulder and step forward. The chatter and laughter of Talia and her friends reach me all the way over here. Averting my gaze, I turn my head the opposite direction. That’s when I see Josh walking with Nolan and Chase. All three of them are whistling at a few girls that are walking in front of them. I shake my head in disgust.

So he and Talia didn’t come to school together after all, and from the way he’s behaving, I’m guessing they aren’t together. I should feel relieved, but I don’t. That means that Talia didn’t break up with me for Josh. She broke up with me simply because she didn’t want to be with me. For some reason this bugs me even more.

With my head bent, I fall in line with a sea of students, hoping to blend in before Josh or Talia notices me. I’ve never been the kind of guy to hide. I’m the life of the party. The guy who sticks out like a sore thumb. But today I prefer to remain incognito.
Wow. What an awesome way to start my senior year.
For the first time, I regret dating Talia. Even when she broke it off at the party, I still hadn’t wished the relationship away. Dating her had given me notoriety for an entire summer. Besides, I liked her, and we had fun together. But today, all of those fuzzy feelings vanish, replaced with remorse. If I’d never gone out with her, I wouldn’t be feeling like this today. I wouldn’t be sulking. I’d be celebrating.

A splash of blond hair and a flash of pink catch my attention. I freeze. Is that Ashley sitting in her car?
Yep.
And it doesn’t appear that she’s planning to get out of it any time soon. I know I should ignore her and keep walking. If I go talk to her she’ll probably end up telling me to go to hell or something equally flattering. But her dejected expression cuts to my heart.

Man, I’m a sucker.

You’d think after what Talia put me through I’d have learned my lesson, but apparently not. Reaching Ashley’s car, I gently rap on her window. Her head slowly moves upward. When her eyes meet mine, I suck in a breath. Had she been crying?

Huffing, she rolls down her window. “What do you want?” Her tone is not friendly at all.

I almost whirl around and stomp off, but the moisture in her eyes keeps me rooted in place. She may be playing the tough girl who doesn’t need anyone, but clearly that’s not the case. “Just wanted to see if…” I want to ask her if she’s all right, but I know better than that. “Um…just wanted to say hi.”

“Hi,” she says curtly.

I run a hand through my hair trying to figure out how to proceed. Would it kill her to give me something?

“Is that all?” She doesn’t even bother masking her irritation with me.

“Yeah.” I start to turn around. Then I stop. “Are you….um…coming inside the school or are you planning to sit out here all day?”

The corner of her lip twitches. “Staying out here sounds pretty tempting right now.”

“I hear ya.”

“But I guess ditching the first day isn’t smart, huh?”

“Could be fun though,” I banter back, glad that I’m able to draw her out a bit.

She sighs, her shoulders rising and falling. “This isn’t how I thought I’d start senior year.” Her gaze darts to her hands. “Josh and I always joked that we’d reign over the school this year.”

“Yeah. Talia and I kind of had the same idea going.”

“Would’ve been hard to have two rulers.” This time her lips curl upward a little more, and I’m struck with how pretty she is when she actually smiles. So often she’s got that sour look on her face. I like this better.

I shrug. “Then I guess you and Josh would’ve had to step down.”

“Oh, yeah?” She cocks an eyebrow.

I shake my head. “Doesn’t matter now, huh?”

“No, it doesn’t.” Her face grows serious, her gaze sweeping the parking lot. All of the other students are walking in clusters or with friends. Biting her lip, she reaches for her backpack. I step back as she opens her car door. “Never thought I’d be walking into school on the first day of senior year alone.”

“You’re not alone,” I say as she gets out of the vehicle. After she closes the door, I offer her my arm. It’s a risky move. She could easily shove it away, but if there was ever a time when Ashley needed me, it’s now. “C’mon.”

She hesitates a moment, but then slips her arm through mine. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

With our arms linked and heads held high, Ashley and I enter the school together.