Love Me, Love Me: Polar Opposites (Love Me, Love Me #2)

Chapter 1

June

I couldn’t pretend that it didn’t hurt me, but what I felt right then, just like all the problems I thought I had, disappeared in an instant. Everything else seemed inane when compared with William’s pain.

I twined my fingers in his hair until he slowly fell into a deep slumber.

I was about to doze off when I heard a knock on the door in the distance. It didn’t wake William, but it startled me.

“Will, I’m making myself a . . .”

I jumped up when I saw James standing in the doorway.

“. . . pizza,” he finished, as I was just about to throw him out.

“Shh!”

“Is he sleeping?”

I nodded, then we stared at each other for a few moments.

I didn’t know what to say. I was still upset by what William had said.

James left the door ajar, put the hood of his gray hoodie over his forehead, and turned around.

“Are you hungry?” he asked as I followed him downstairs.

He’d just showered. The scent trailing behind him was impossible to ignore, and so was the delicious aroma that hit my nostrils as soon as we got to the kitchen.

“Yeah.”

“Then go home.”

“You said you made pizza.”

“So?”

“So you’re a real asshole.” He looked at me askance.

“Look, why don’t we call a truce. For Will?” I suggested, extending my hand. He didn’t extend his, but he nodded.

“Are you staying here tonight?” I asked, sitting at the table.

He was wearing a tracksuit and had messy hair. He seemed completely at home.

“I’m making myself at home. Got a problem with that? Does a truce mean sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong?”

I quickly got serious.

“Look, James, I don’t mean it like that. Will said that drugs allow him to lead a normal life, but they don’t make him feel normal. Do you know if he ever stops taking his medication when nobody’s there to check on him?”

James glared at me so sharply that I sensed I’d guessed correctly.

“He should always take it. Don’t you think?”

“I’ll give you one piece. No more, no less.” He groaned as he put oven mitts on to take the pizza out.

“Are you listening? I’m being serious.”

“Do we really have to have this conversation, White?”

“Yeah.”

“With me?”

He crossed his long legs and started eating while standing up.

“Who else? You’re the only person I know who genuinely cares about him.”

“How would you consider yourself, pray tell?”

“I care about him.”

He raised an eyebrow at my answer. “Should I believe you? Does Will really like you?”

He came closer to me, and, yes, his lips were seductive even when he was chewing.

“Technically, that’s none of your business. But, yeah, of course.”

James looked down his nose at me for a few seconds. His eyes narrowed; he didn’t trust me.

“Shoving happy pills down his throat isn’t the only solution. He’s a zombie for months. Do you want to see your best friend that way?”

“No, but if it makes him better—” I started.

“Then when he thinks he’s cured, he starts thinking he’s better, and then all of the sudden he stops taking them and becomes aggressive.”

“Look who’s talking!” I exclaimed, almost annoyed.

“You don’t get it. You’re a child.”

“And you’re a selfish asshole. Why don’t you admit it? You don’t want him to take the medication because you want him to be your playmate!”

I’d just yelled at him, but my rage didn’t last long. James responded by hitting back even harder.

“Because I’ve seen what those drugs do. They can make you even more dependent on them,” he snapped, before gritting his teeth. I saw a dimple appear and disappear intermittently on his cheek.

“I mean, medication alone won’t cure him. He needs other cures,” he explained, then turned toward the fridge.

“You’re talking about your mom, aren’t you?”

He grasped the steel handle so hard that his knuckles turned white.

“None of your fucking business. We’re talking about Will. My life doesn’t concern you.”

I knew James had a weak spot for his brother, so I went for it.

“I feel bad for Jasper. Don’t you think he misses you when you’re always here instead of being at home with him?”

“Will doesn’t have anybody else these days.” He justified his actions, grabbing a bottle from the fridge.

“He has me.”

He chugged the entire beer in one gulp, glaring at me.

“I don’t know if I trust you, White.”

“Fine, but if there’s something I can do for Will . . .”

“You can start by keeping your mouth shut, then maybe I’ll start to believe the bullshit you’ve been spewing,” he spat, as he went out to the patio with a vape pen between his lips.

We were back to normal. There was no way I could have a conversation with him.

My heart was heavy. I put the pizza on my plate and stared into the void.

James came back in, dawdling more than he should have.

“Weren’t you about to smoke?” I asked.

“What happened?” he asked curiously.

He leaned on the table and waited for my response.

“Nothing.”

“Shouldn’t Will have dumped you?”

“Will dumped me. Happy now?”

“Yeah, it’s about damn time.”

I gave him the side-eye, and he chuckled.

“You’re such an asshole.”

Then he became serious. “What?”

“Why don’t you want us to be together?”

“Sometimes Will fucks up, like we all do. But when he thinks he’s in love, and he faces some sort of disappointment, well, his fuckups get even more extreme. I don’t want to see him suffer.” I didn’t know what to think about what he said before he left again.

I’d lost my appetite. I picked at the pizza slice, then organized the mess that James had left in the kitchen and went back to William.

He was still sleeping. In the dim light of the bedroom I could see there was a big TV and a love seat at the foot of the bed.

I sat on it and checked my phone. It was already nine thirty, so I needed to call my mom before she could call the Secret Service.

“Weren’t you grounded because your mom’s a bigger pain the ass than you are?” James’s gloomy voice made me jump.

“Shh! Be quiet. What do you know about it? Anyway, I’d rather stay here with him,” I whispered.

“It’s late. Go home.” He cut me off decisively as he took off his gray hoodie in front of me.

“I told you. I want to stay with him.”

“You’re like a dog with a bone. You know that?”

“How fucking dare you?”

James adjusted his T-shirt and became serious. “News flash. The bed is mine,” he declared, pointing at me.

“What bed?”

I looked around, and the only bed I saw was Will’s.

“I sleep on the couch where your ass is parked.”

“Sorry, what about me?” I exclaimed indignantly.

“Don’t you think the floor is comfortable, White?”

“I’m sleeping here. You sleep downstairs,” I declared with my arms crossed.

“That’s what you think. At this point, I’m predicting that you’ll sleep in the yard.”

He pulled down his track pants, forcing me to face the other way.

“I’m just getting myself comfortable so I can go to sleep. Don’t pretend to be scandalized, Snow White. And get out of my bed in three seconds,” he threatened.

“I’m serious. I’m not moving.” But instead of getting upset, James snickered at me, amused.

“If you don’t get out of here, I can pick you up and move you out of here whether you like it or not.”

“James!”

“Look, go sleep on the living room couch or go home. This is my fucking bed. I’m not kidding.”

I squeezed my fists. “First of all, we do have a truce, so try to be polite. Second of all, Will asked me to stay, and I have every intention of doing so, especially after everything he told me. Try to make an effort to understand other peoples’ reasons. Thanks.”

I stood up and kept my strong attitude.

“And I suppose I should sleep downstairs where there’s no Netflix or PlayStation, because the fucking princess has graced us with her presence? Forget it.”

James came toward me with a cutting stare.

“What a gentleman,” I murmured, an inch away from his face.

“You’re barking up the wrong tree.”

We glared at each other with our jaws clenched. I was exhausted from this tension between us. I couldn’t put up with it any longer.

“I’m gonna call my mom.” I groaned to get myself away from this annoyance. I walked into the hallway and decided to face the music and make that uncomfortable phone call.

I told her that I was going to sleep at Amelia’s and that it was an emergency. My mom obviously didn’t believe any of it, but I didn’t really care right then.

Now what? I couldn’t really sleep on the leather couch in the living room. It looked like one of those classic designer sofas that was rock-hard and anything but comfortable. Not to mention, I wasn’t even tired.

I went back into the bedroom where Will was still sleeping. He looked like an angel with his mouth ajar and his eyes shut. His locks of ashy hair cast a shadow over his eyes. I wanted to lay down next to him, but he hadn’t left any space for me.

I watched him, hoping he would move. Then I realized that I had to change. I put on the first T-shirt that I found on William’s nightstand, but then realized it belonged to James. I recognized the scent, which was so strong that it stuck to my hands like poison. I had to wash my hands.

I headed to the bathroom, where the door was ajar.

“What the fuck? Weren’t you leaving?” James was brushing his teeth, and glared at me in the mirror’s reflection.

“I have to wash my hands. Move over.”

He moved over, completely focused on staring at the mirror, holding his head up high.

I felt his hip push against mine when he bent over to spit. I moved my lathered hands away before he could take aim at them.

“Child . . .”

Then he put his mouth to the running water, took a small sip between his full lips, and spat again.

“Couldn’t you wait?” I snarled, irritated.