Chapter 35: : Chapter 35

… I don’t even know what, but everything hurts worse when Nico shouts his denial.

“That is not what this was.” He glares, daring to show a hint of anger he has no right to give. “Not even fucking close.”

A humorous laugh leaves me, and I cup my face with my hands, shielding myself a moment before pinning him with a hard look when I’m feeling anything but tough right now.

“Your dad, Josie, Sandra…” I trail off as a thought hits, my mouth falling open as his grows tighter. “Oh my god.”

“Demi. Don’t.”

“Miranda. He fucked her, too, didn’t he? That’s why you two stopped hooking up over the summer, isn’t it?”

He licks his lips, looking off.

I scoff, but it comes out as more of a cry. “Of course. Of course! You would have fucked her again, wouldn’t you? If only she didn’t let Alex stick his dick in her after you, right? It wasn’t about me or us or anything else you led me to believe.”

“You’re wrong,” he argues weakly, but can hardly meet my eyes.

“Ugh. This must have been so fun for an asshole like you.” I shake my head. “What, did you look at me and say poor, pathetic, boyfriendless Demi, bet she’s naïve enough to fall for my bullshit?” His features grow stiffer. “You said you had something to gain from this, now I know what it truly was – convince me to pretend date you to weasel your way in, and then make it feel so natural, so easy, that I forget the lines between us and believe the lie. All this so you could finally say you screwed him like he has you, and fuck the collateral damage along the way, right?” My brows lift. “Literally, in our case.”

Nico’s spine shoots straight, his jaw clenching. “You don’t even know what you’re saying. How fucking backward you have it.”

“Whatever.” I sniff, looking away, suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion. “You didn’t have to take it this far.” I shake my head. “You could have walked away before we got here. Unless this was your plan, fake it ‘til you break it.”

“Nothing is fucking broken!”

“I am!” I scream, my voice cracking and making a bigger joke out of me.

Suddenly, Nico is in my face, gripping mine and holding it up to his, and a strong sense of desperation flows from him to me.

“You should have told me,” I whisper, my hands coming up to clasp around his wrists. “You didn’t have to break me to win.”

“Don’t you get it?” he hisses, but the bitterness in his tone does nothing to hide the anxiety in his eyes.

It only confuses me more.

“Why I stayed away from you all this time when you know now how long I’ve wanted you? Why I went about it the fucked-up way I did?” He stresses his question. “I had to trick you into seeing me, Demi, when all I saw was you.”

“All you had to do was show me who you were, Nico. No games, no pretext. I’d have fallen either way.” I’m certain of this.

“You’re not getting it…” He trails off. “It never would have worked.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do. I can’t have what I want, Demi. He takes everything.”

“Am I nothing then?” My question is instant, but my voice faint.

His face contorts, his eyes flying between mine. Nico’s words leave him on a strangled breath. “What are you talkin’ about, baby?”

I swallow, slowly pulling away from his hold and his hands fall to his side as I walk backward into the street.

“You said Alex takes everything from you, but he didn’t take me, Nico,” I whisper, a defeated shrug leaving me. “You just stood there, quiet, ready to give me right to him, like nothing.”

I turn and walk away.

There’s no doubt in my mind he’s standing there, following my every step taken, but I don’t dare look.

Once I’m around the corner and out of sight, I allow my shoulders to fall and text Krista to see if she’s home since she’s the closest house to this one, and she texts back instantly, letting me know the girls are over, so I head straight there.

Never in a million years did I think my day would end like this.

When my mom told me Ms. Hammons called and asked us over for dinner, I was shocked and confused.

I had no clue what to expect or why the sudden invitation was extended since I had no knowledge of Alex’s mom and mine ever conversing outside of social events. I tried to refuse out of respect for Nico, I knew he wouldn’t like it, but she was persistent and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

I planned to tell him at school since he wasn’t answering calls, but then he no-showed again, and there was no way I was going to text him something like that.

The last thing I expected was to walk into Alex Hammons’ house and find my boyfriend’s dad standing there with a fake smile and condescending demeanor.

I would have turned and walked right out if I wasn’t so shocked. I don’t remember speaking a word until Nico’s voice rang through my ears, simultaneously soothing and irritating everything inside me.

It takes me a solid hour to get to Krista’s on foot, and I don’t even get a chance to knock before Carley is whipping the door open and tugging me inside.

Her eyes travel over me with sheer concern.

Krista and Macy come around the corner right then, both rushing over.

“What happened?” Macy tilts her head.

Krista grips my hand and pulls me toward the couch to sit, and the other two drop onto the coffee table in front of me.

My makeup must be all over my face at this point.

I went from being angry to downright sad and back again at least twenty times on the walk here.

I fall against the cushions. Closing my eyes.

“It was all fake,” I admit to them for the first time.

“What was fake?” Carley asks.

“Demi wait—” Krista starts, but I interrupt.

“Me and Nico.” Tears form behind my eyelids, so I don’t open my eyes right away, hoping they’ll disappear.

But when a familiar throat clears, they fly open, but I don’t bother sitting up.

The tears spill over, running down my cheeks as I look to him.

“Awesome,” I whisper.

“I was trying to tell you,” Krista says quietly.

Trent looks down and I manage an eye roll, but when I blink, it only makes more tears fall and I look to my lap.

There is no doubt in my mind Trent knew about Alex and never said a word.

Not that I’d expect him to give up his best friend, but I knew it was fake. He knew I knew it was fake. I just needed the heads up not to get too close.

I should have known this on my own.

He’s Nico Sykes, the star receiver, insatiable playboy, and mine?

Yeah, okay, Demi.

“She needs us right now.” Krista gets up and directs him toward the front door. “I’ll call you later,” she tells him before shutting it behind him and moving back beside me.

“You two are okay?” I ask her.

She gives a small smile, nodding. “Yeah, we are, but this is about you. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” I kick off my wedges, pulling my feet onto the cushion.

“Tell us what’s going on.” Carley leans forward.

I lick my lips and get right to it. “Nico and I, we weren’t really dating… it was all for show.”

“Whoa, hold on.” Macy lifts her hands. “What do you mean? Like you pretended to be together?”

“Exactly.”

“Why would you do that?” She shakes her head.

“Macy,” Krista hisses.

“What?” she snaps back. “I’m just trying to understand.”

“Well—”

“Krista, it’s fine,” I say, looking to Carley and then Macy. “Nico realized I had a thing for Alex, told me Alex was only interested in girls who were taken, and then suggested he and I pretend we were dating.”

Their eyes shoot wide.

“He said he had something to gain from it, too, but I didn’t really care what it was, so I went along with it.” I clear my throat. “Little did I know then, it was about so much more.” I look across to the girls.

“What was it about?” Carley asks.

“Alex.”

Confusion covers all three of their faces.

“The night of the Thursday game, in the locker room, I guess the team was talking about formal, who they wanted to ask, who they already asked.”

“No…” Carley trails off.

I nod. “Alex told the team he was going to ask me.”

“That’s the day before they both came to school with black eyes, right?” Carley remembers.

“I forgot about that…” I trail off.

What does that mean?

Does it even matter?

“Wait, that was also before Krista’s party.” Macy frowns. “He knew Alex wanted to ask you out before you two started pretending?”

“Yep, he played me.” I look to Krista. “You were right to question him when you told us Josie cheated on him with Alex. Nico knew all about my being interested in Alex.”

“Jesus,” she whispers, pity in her eyes.

I nod. “And remember how I said Nico told me Alex was talking to Sandra? Well, I never said anything to you guys, but Nico and Sandra were hooking up the first few weeks of school, so when Alex was after Sandra, she was already sleeping with Nico.”

“So Alex fucked Josie while her and Nic were still together, then Alex goes and fucks Sandra while she and Nico are hooking up?”

“And not only them two.” I frown. “Same thing happened with Miranda.”

“What?!”

“Holy shit!”

“I knew she was fucking students!”

They all fire off at the same time.

“It gets worse.”

They sit, wide-eyed and wait for more.

I hesitate, holding myself back a moment from spilling the secret nobody else seems to know, but I’ve lied and hidden things from my friends enough lately, and they have no reason to tell anyone what I’m about to share.

“Alex is Nico’s stepbrother.”

The three of them gape at me, at a loss for words.

“Turns out Nico’s dad is married to Alex’s mom.”

Krista frowns, sitting back. “How the hell could I not have known this?”

“I don’t think anyone does.”

“Trent?” She lifts a brow.

“It’s not his secret to share. Mine either but…” I shrug.

“Who told you?” Carley leans forward.

I scoff, shaking my head. “It was an interesting night.” I sigh. “My mom told me Dr. Hammons called to set up a dinner when really it was Nico’s dad who called her. Imagine walking into that home, knowing all you do now about our relationship, to find Mr. Sykes standing there, Nico walking through the door only minutes later.”

“Holy shit,” Carley whispers.

I look away. “Everything made sense all at once. Nico found a way he could get even with Alex, and he used me to make it happen.”

“What an asshole,” Macy mutters.

I nod, wiping under my eyes, looking at the black now covering my fingertips. “When Nico first suggested this stupid fake relationship, I thought it was nuts, but something had me saying screw it. It was the weekend, and I could change my mind when the week rolled around if I wanted, you know?” A sad laugh leaves me and I sniffle.

“But you never changed your mind,” Carley says quietly. “You fell for him instead.”

“I fell for the lie.” I look to the girls. “Being with him was so easy, fun and I don’t know, exciting. The more time we spent together, the more I thought he might have been thinking the same thing, but now I know it was all his plan.”

Krista reaches out, touching my hand. “I’m so sorry, Demi.”

I glance at Macy, who has a troubled look on her face.

She eyes me. “Did Nico admit this?”

“No, but he did stand there in front of everyone, in front of my mom, and say absolutely nothing.”

“You slept with him, didn’t you?” All eyes fly to Macy only to cut toward me.

I nod, and all three of my best friends climb on the couch beside me.

We sit there in silence a few minutes before Krista says, “I know it doesn’t help, but it didn’t look fake, Demi.”

It didn’t feel fake either.