Shut Out by Kody Keplinger (best free e book reader .TXT) đ
- Author: Kody Keplinger
Book online «Shut Out by Kody Keplinger (best free e book reader .TXT) đ». Author Kody Keplinger
âWhat are we doing?â I asked Chloe through gritted teeth.
âNeither of us is dating a football player anymore, Lissa. So we donât have to worry about pissing anyone off. Ellen invited us.â My new best friend tossed a smile at my old best friend, and a nice full-circle feeling overwhelmed me. Just for an instant.
âTake a seat,â Adam said, grinning at me. âAnyone who makes an ass out of Randy Vincent is a friend of mine.â
âActually,â I said stiffly, sliding into the chair on the other side of Ellenâs, âI think he made the ass out of me.â
âAu contraire,â Adam argued, pointing a plastic fork in my direction. âWhile it may have seemed that way in the moment, in
the long run, Randy will be the one to suffer. He revealed to half the female population that he cheats on girls and divulges intimate secrets about his girlfriend to the school at large. So even though it sucked for you, consider your scene at Homecoming a fair and kind warning to the rest of the world. Oh, and most likely, it will keep him from getting laid.â
While I doubted that last bit, based on the way The Blonde had been wiggling in Randyâs lap when I passed, I didnât argue.
Chloe plopped into the seat on my other side. âAnyone going up to get food?â she asked, jerking her head toward the lunch line.
âIâll go with you,â I said, feeling silly about standing up when Iâd barely been sitting for five seconds. âCome on.â
âOh, go ahead,â Chloe said. âI was just seeing if anyone else was going. Can you get me a Diet Coke? Thanks.â
I swatted her arm with the back of my hand. âLazy ass.â
âYou love my ass. Donât lie.â
âIâll go with you, Lissa,â Ellen said, getting to her feet. âIâm actually craving those gross, soggy french fries. I must be losing it.â
I laughed a little nervously before following her toward the lunch line. Honestly, I wasnât quite sure why I was still so anxious around her. I mean, weâd attended two slumber parties together in the past two weeks, and weâd talked⊠a few times. But then again, this was the first time weâd been near each other without Chloe and Kelsey between us, screaming obscenities at each other.
âHmm. Maybe Iâll get a hamburger instead,â Ellen was
saying. âTheyâre obnoxiously greasy, but sometimes greasy can be good, right? What do you think?â
âIâm sorry.â It came out of my mouth before I could stop it. I tucked my hair behind my ear and cleared my throat. âI mean, not about the hamburgers. Iâm sorry about us. How we stopped hanging out and stuff, andââ
âI know. Me, too.â
âIt was my fault,â I said. âI let having a boyfriend and the whole footballâsoccer drama come between us.â
âYeah⊠You did mess up pretty bad,â Ellen said, reaching down and squeezing my hand. âBut whatever. Iâm over it, and weâre hanging out now. Weâre cool.â
I beamed at her. âIâm glad.â
âMe, too.â
We chatted for a few more minutes as we inched forward in the line, catching up on the things weâd missed in the last yearâapparently, Ellenâs brother had gotten kicked out of middle school for fighting and was now going to a private school. I couldnât believe I hadnât been with her through that. But it was like sheâd saidâI was there now, and thatâs what mattered.
âYou know,â she said after weâd loaded our trays with food and Iâd grabbed Chloeâs Diet Coke, âI knew. Even before Randy said anything at Homecoming, I knew you were⊠Well, I knew you hadnât slept with him.â
I blushed. âUm⊠thank you?â
âNo, seriously,â she said as she handed the cranky-looking cashier the money for her lunch. âI mean, I second-guessed myself a few times, but when you started the strike I just
thought⊠I thought I still knew you, and the you I knew wouldnât have slept with him, if that makes sense.â
âI thought about it a few times. We got close.â
âI know, I know. Donât get me wrong, heâs hot and I know you loved him, butâŠâ She hesitated, watching as I paid for my meal. âAs much of a control freak as you are, I knew it couldnât have happened. Not with an idiot like Randy, at least. Itâs nice to know I still know you.â
âBetter than anyone,â I told her.
âExcept Chloe,â she said, walking back to the table with me. âYou two are insanely cute together. Itâs almost ridiculous.â
I was about to respond when we reached the table and Chloeâspeak of the devilâleaped from her chair and swiped her Diet Coke off my tray so fast that I jumped, startled, and a few fries fell off the plate and onto the floor.
âRight.â I sighed. âReally cute.â
Chloe took a swig of her drink and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. âSorry,â she said. âI was dying of thirst. You guys took forever.â
âSorry to keep you waiting, Your Highness.â
âYouâre forgiven.â
Ellen laughed as she reclaimed her seat next to Adam.
I sighed and sat down, only just then realizing that there was now someone sitting in the seat across from me.
âSo, Cash, what happened to you Friday night?â Adam asked. âAt Homecoming. Did you bail or what?â
Cashâs green eyes met mine across the table before he looked at Adam. âYeah, I left early. Wasnât really feeling it this year.â
âYouâre never feeling it,â Adam said. âYou never take a date, and sometimes you donât even show up. Donât get me wrong, I appreciate the whole Mr. Unattainable tactic, but usually a dude does that as a means to an end. Youâre sort of missing the point here, Cash.â
For a second, I thought I saw Cash turn red.
âI donât know, man,â he told Adam. âIâm just too busy to date right now. Between soccer, working, and keeping the grades up so I can get this scholarship⊠I just need to stay focused, you know?â
Adam snorted. âAll right,â he said. âBut you know weâre talking about a date, right? Like, just asking a chick to Homecoming. Not planning a wedding.â
âYouâre breaking the heart of every girl in Hamilton,â Ellen teased him, throwing a french fry in his direction. âThe way you flirt with them. They all think they have a shot, and then you go and say things like, âOh, I have to stay focused.â â Her imitation of Cash sounded more like a deep-voiced caveman than anything.
âItâs so true,â Chloe chimed in. âYouâre really going to give Lissa a run for her money as school tease.â
I felt my cheeks heat up as everyoneâCash in particularâturned their eyes on me. I took a deep breath and clenched my fists in my lap to keep from tapping on the table.
âSorry,â Chloe said after taking a sip of her drink. âThat sounded better in my head.â She looked imploringly at me. âI didnât mean toââ
âItâs cool,â I said quickly. I looked across the table at Cash, and I felt the tension ease up a bit. âI mean⊠really, thereâs no
comparison. Unless Cash has his tease status formally announced at prom, I think the crown is safe with me.â
âIâll get on thatâhaving it announced at prom,â Cash replied. âBut anyway, itâll be hard to get a date now. With this sex strike going on. Might as well just wait.â
âHold up,â Adam said, and his attention was back on me. âYou mean the strike isnât over? Even now that you and the buffoon are done?â
I shook my head. âNo. The strike doesnât end until the rivalry does.â
âYouâre kidding.â Adam groaned.
âWhy would you think it was over?â Ellen questioned. âYou didnât ask me about it.â
âI just assumed now that Lissa doesnât have to put up with Randyâs shit, everything would go back to normal. Isnât that why this whole thing started? Because heâs a douchebag?â
âActually,â Ellen said before I could respond, âitâs not just about Randy. Weâve been over this a thousand times before, Adam. Itâs about everyone. I got pissed when you guys shoved Luther into his locker and left him there for a whole block. I wasnât cool with that, and Iâm not cool with this, either. None of the girls are. So, like Lissa said, itâs not over until the rivalry is over.â
Adam rolled his eyes. âSure. Weâll see how much longer it lasts.â
âAt least our efforts are organized,â I said. I was beginning to lose the affection for him that Iâd felt upon first approaching the table. âWeâre supporting one another and talking to one another
and helping one another through this. All the boys do is sit around and wait for us to change our minds, but thatâs not going to happen. The strike doesnât end until the rivalry does.â
Adam frowned at me, and he started to say something, but Chloe cut him off.
âLook, can we not fight right now?â she asked. âNormally, Iâd be all about the dramaâwatching it, not taking part in it, of courseâbut after Friday night, Iâm on overload. So can we skip the debate here, kids?â
Adam slouched into his seat. âWhatever.â
âFor the record,â Ellen added, turning to Cash, ânothing in the oath the girls made says we canât date. Besides, only the current girlfriends of the teammates made the oath to begin with. Thereâs no reason for you to use that as an excuse.â
Cash smiled at her. That winning, charming, perfect smile that won me over time and again. âYouâre right,â he said. âStrike or not, Iâm not really looking for a girlfriendâŠ. Butââand I swear his eyes locked on mineââif someone special came along, I wouldnât be stupid enough to let her get away.â
âWell, thatâs good to hear,â Ellen said. âAs long as youâre keeping your options open.â
But I didnât think it was good to hear at all. Cash had basically just told me that I wasnât worth his time. Heâd let me go before, so clearly I wasnât special enough for him to date. The hope Iâd carried after his visit yesterday was crushed. The way heâd looked at me when he said it left no room for misinterpretation.
âOh, well, thatâs a dick move,â I blurted out. âYou basically just said that every girl youâve ever flirted with wasnât worth it.
And since pretty much the entire female population here has thrown themselves at you at one time or another, youâre implying that youâre too good for all of us.â I scrambled hastily to my feet when I saw the barely contained shock on the faces around the table.
âLissaââ Cash began.
But I was already stumbling away.
âWhere are
Comments (0)