Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Amy

Tristan is too goddamn charming for me to resist.

The sun glints off the leaves, casting dappled shadows as I walk along the concrete walkway. The warm breeze brushes against my skin, but it does nothing to calm my racing thoughts.

What would Elizabeth do? She was charmed by Wickham, yes, but never enough to really fall for him. When he started courting others, she was happy for him. She wasn’t heartbroken at all.

How will I feel if Tristan doesn’t pick me at the end of the game, if his plan really is to pull the rug from under my feet?

He won’t get the chance to do it, because I’ll have already gotten my revenge. He’ll probably let me know his whole plan right after I send my text saying he was boring in bed. He’ll tell me the whole ugly truth, how he never wanted me at all.

And it will wreck me.

But I’ll get over it. A romantic nerd like me who’s spent countless hours writing about intense, passionate love is bound to get hurt by a fantasy. Whoever Tristan is pretending to be right now is like a Mr. Darcy come to life. Rich, handsome, and utterly adoring. Not just adoring, but actively making amends for his previous poor treatment by making me feel like a queen.

The fact that I can’t resist him even knowing what he’s up to shows just how soft my heart has become after years of hiding myself away. Harper’s rejection made me overly cautious. I haven’t pursued friendships or romantic relationships. I even chose my first boyfriend, Derek, out of certainty that he couldn’t hurt me. My tepid feelings for him were his greatest asset.

That’s no way to live. I’ve been a coward.

Even my revenge plan is cowardly, if I’m being completely honest with myself. A mature woman would withdraw from the game and admit, at least to herself, that she’s hurt for being used. For being toyed with.

I don’t think I could do it. The thought alone makes my skin crawl with uncomfortable heat.

“Hey, Amy!” a familiar voice calls out, snapping me out of my head.

When I look up, Nick is heading toward me with a warm smile on his face. His wavy hair is tousled by the wind, and it brings me back to the days when he was a rowdy little kid who took pleasure in annoying me and Harper. Warmth fills my chest.

I smile at him, and he must see the pleasure on my face, because his eyes brighten. “Can I buy you a coffee? I want to hear about how you beat Tristan’s ass after what he pulled at the party.”

I giggle. “I didn’t beat his ass. It wouldn’t work very well with my seduction plan.”

He shakes his head as we start walking in the direction of the nearest campus coffee shop. I find myself unable to keep my curiosity at bay.

“Listen,” I begin, biting my lip as I glance at him. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something. About Tristan.”

Nick frowns, but his expression remains as open as ever. He never was one for secrets growing up. “What about him?”

“Why did you offer to help me? You mentioned something about not wanting him to interfere in people’s lives anymore. What happened between you two?”

For a moment, Nick stays silent, his gaze focused on the path ahead. His expression grows tense. “Tristan told me Serena was only dating me to get closer to him. I broke up with her because of it.”

My mouth falls open. Knowing Serena like I do, it couldn’t be further from the truth.

“What a megalomaniac,” I mutter.

Nick laughs humorlessly. “Yes, he is. Now that I’ve seen Serena with him on their dates, I know there’s no fucking way she ever had a thing for him. She’s clearly not into him.”

“No, she isn’t,” I say firmly. “I’ve gotten to know her since the game started, and I can tell you with one-hundred percent certainty that she’s not into Tristan. She’s in it for the fun of it. She knew he’d never pick her after she dated you, but she loves going on fancy dates.”

Nick’s jaw clenches. “He thinks she was just using me. Probably because most girls we know are into him. I think it annoyed him that she liked me more.”

“Or maybe he was jealous. Maybe he wanted you all to himself. I think that may have been part of what happened with Harper. He put a wedge between us.”

Nick’s head jerks in my direction. “You think Tristan told Harper to end your friendship?”

I nod. “I think she wanted it too, but he probably encouraged her to stay away from me.”

His expression grows pensive as he stares at the coffee shop a few yards away. “I don’t know… Harper was really mad at you. It didn’t really even make sense to me, but she was kind of…irrational after our dad died.”

My chest grows tight as we step into the coffee shop. “I was too honest with my thoughts. I told her your dad was neglectful, but that was because I didn’t know—”

He lifts a hand. “You don’t have to explain yourself. He was neglectful. He was high all the time. I feel like he was asleep for half my childhood.”

I nod slowly as a weight pulls at the center of my chest. This isn’t the first time I’ve found myself wishing I could go back in time and shut my damn mouth. Harper didn’t need to hear that her dad neglected her. She already felt his neglect deep in her bones. She needed my warmth and comfort.

“I’ve forgiven him,” Nick says, “but for a long time, it was really hard not to be angry when I never got closure with him. He never admitted he had a problem to any of us.”

I sigh. “I don’t think he got the chance.”

“No, and I know he was in a lot of pain. I think we all have some depression in our family. Especially him and Harper.”

“How is she now?” I ask as we approach the counter.

Nick orders his coffee before turning to me. “To be honest, I never thought she’d hold the grudge against you this long. I know she misses you. I’ve caught her stalking your Instagram more than once.”

Warmth spreads through my chest, which sends a prickle of annoyance over my skin. Harper made her choice and has stuck to it for six years. I couldn’t rekindle the friendship even if I wanted to. Too much damage has been done.

“I wish she’d reached out. If she had years ago, I probably could have forgiven her.”

“I wish she had too,” he says, taking a sip of coffee. “She’s changed since you stopped being friends. She’s more manipulative. It’s like she doesn’t trust anyone anymore, and it makes her cling to the people in her life in this super annoying, unhealthy way. Tristan gets it the most.”

My head jerks in his direction. “He likes it. He’s trying to win her back.”

Nick snorts. “He doesn’t have to win her back. He broke up with her. Everything he told you was a lie. I don’t know why he did it, but…” He shrugs.

My pulse starts to race. Tristan wasn’t lying when he told me he wanted Harper back. I could hear the sincerity in his voice, but then again…

He sounded sincere when he told me his fake confession on our one-on-one date.

Fuck, my head is swimming with his lies. I don’t even know what to believe.

“He’s taking me on a hike tomorrow,” I say. “It’s not for the game. It’s part of our stupid agreement that I’ll help him make Harper jealous.”

“I wish I knew what he was up to,” Nick says as he rests his back against the wall. “But he won’t tell me anything when it comes to you. Ever since you started hanging out just the two of you, he hasn’t said a word to me.”

Probably because it’s too ugly. Tristan has probably hidden a lot of his cruel schemes from someone as kind as Nick.

“How should I prepare myself tomorrow?” I say, trying to keep my tone light. “Should I talk about all the guys I want to sleep with so he’ll panic that I haven’t fallen for him yet?”

Nick grins. “How about I arrange a date for you with one of my friends. It could be something super low-key—” he glances around the area “—like coming here for coffee. Tristan won’t like that. Not after he told them all to stay away from you.”

My stomach flips. “That’s a great idea. I’ll tell him I want advice from him on how to be sexy.”

Nick chuckles, and it soothes my frayed nerves. If I tell Tristan I’m nervous about a date, he hopefully won’t pick up on the true source of my anxiety.

Every time I’m with him, I like him more and more. Even knowing everything I know, I still like him. He’s that damn charming.

It’s terrifying.

Tristan

I knock on Nick’s door, opening it when he gives me a half-hearted, “Come in.”

He knows it’s me. Every time I’ve tried to hang out with him lately, he blows me off. He’s making me come to him.

He’s playing games with me because he’s pissed about something, and I wish he’d just man the fuck up and tell me what it is.

“What’s going on with you and Amy?” I ask.

He doesn’t look up from his laptop. Fuck, he’s acting weird lately.

“I saw you on campus with her,” I say. “You’ve been introducing guys to her. I want to know what the fuck you’re up to. I know you haven’t told her about the bet, because you know our friendship would be over if you did.”

When he finally glances up, his green eyes are blazing. “Would it?”

Fear grips my heart. Oh fuck, he couldn’t have said anything. It’s not possible. He’d never betray me like that.

“If I had told her anything about the bet,” he says, “or the fact that you’re not really trying to make Harper jealous, don’t you think she’d be done with you? It’s all so…gross.”

My jaw clenches. “Nothing to do with me and Amy is gross, so mind your fucking business.”

He sneers. “Like you minded yours with Serena.”

I march over to his bed, stopping a few feet away. “That’s all on you, Nick. You didn’t have to break up with her. I told you my suspicions, and that was it.”

“Yeah,” he scoffs. “You told me she wanted you. Because you’re a megalomaniac.”

Megalomaniac. That doesn’t sound like something Nick would say.

It sounds much more like Amy.

Fuck, I hope he hasn’t told her anything, but then again, he’s right. She wouldn’t be so sweet and soft with me if she knew about the bet. Or if she knew that I’ve been lying to her about Harper. She’d think I was toying with her, because of one stupid mistake I made.

Why the fuck did I allow Harper to embarrass her publicly? If I hadn’t, Amy could be mine already. I know that she likes me, and not even because I’m good at football and worshipped on this campus.

She actually likes talking to me, and I fucked it up by losing her trust.

“Serena wants to be an actor,” I say. “That’s why she’s in the game right now even though she knows I’ll never pick her. You think she didn’t know my mom was a Hollywood agent before she started dating you? She asked me a million questions about my mom’s job. She even asked for her email.”

Nick’s hostile expression falters, and vulnerability enters his eyes. “I mean that’s…just networking.”

I snort. “Believe it if you want. Go for her. Just stay the fuck away from Amy. Don’t try to sabotage what I have with her just because you’re mad about a girl you never had to break up with. You didn’t have to listen to me.”

He closes his laptop and sets it on his bedside table. “Well, I did. And now she doesn’t trust me.”

“Stop being a pussy and make her trust you. That’s what I’m doing with Amy, and now you seem to be trying to fuck me over. If you ruin my chances with Amy because you’re mad at me for a choice you made, I’ll make sure Serena never trusts you again.”

His eyes grow huge. “Is that a threat?”

I smirk. “It’s a promise.”

His lips quirk, but his smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “Have fun on your date tomorrow with Amy. She has a surprise for you. I can’t wait to hear what you think.”

I clench my fists at my side. Fuck, Nick’s never been like this with me before. He’s never been so hostile.

What are they planning? Probably something stupid to rattle me, like her makeover. Whatever it is can’t be too bad, or she would tell me. Amy never hesitates to put me in my place, and she wouldn’t be going hiking with me tomorrow if she were completely against me.

“Looking forward to the surprise,” I say. “And if I get the idea that you’re trying to turn her against me, I will follow through on my…promise.”

Without waiting for his response, I march out of the room and slam the door.