Chapter 33 Ivy #2
Everett laughs, his arm tightening. “I know her better than anyone. Especially some random dude who devotes way too much time to spying on his neighbors.”
Cain is the only one who seems to want to bring the situation down as he asks, “You’re the quarterback for Willowbrook High, right?”
“Yes,” Everett replies, earning a superior sneer from Luca, and it makes me cringe.
Luca torments me, but I don’t want him to do it to Everett too. “Stop it.”
“Okay,” Luca agrees but I know the look. He’s not going to let this go. He’s looking to make trouble.
“Don’t worry about me, Ivy. I can handle it. After all, we’ve been friends since practically birth. No one can compete with that.”
Fuck. Luca takes it as a challenge because that’s what he thinks everything is. “Let’s find out.” He stands and walks over but completely ignores Everett, his eyes on me like he doesn’t exist.
Everett rises as I do the same, positioning myself in between them.
“Whoop, showdown time,” Remy cackles. “Previous boyfriend versus current boyfriend.”
“Wrong on both counts,” I tell him before I place my hand on Everett’s arm. “Let’s go, Everett.”
Luca moves behind me and presses his body against my back. “Scared? Because you know he wouldn’t be able to find you even if you’re in front of his face.”
I swing my elbow back, connecting with his stomach. “Shut up.”
His mouth is next to my ear as I hear the smile in his voice. “I could find you in a crowded room, blindfolded, without you saying a word.”
Everett shouts, “Get away from her.”
But Luca remains in place, his arm securely fastened around my stomach. My breath catches as he hums, “I’ll always find you, Ivy.”
I’m unable to respond before Everett yells, “What the fuck is your deal, man?”
Remy adds, “This is getting good.”
Brooke and Cain both say a form of “Stop” and “Let’s get back to the party.” While Micah sits with the same smug look that Luca gets when he’s up to no good.
“This is bullshit,” I state, my voice coming out shaky. “I’m leaving.”
Luca doesn’t relent, his body stays molded against mine, his nose against the back of my ear as he continues. “I can feel you even when you’re not touching me. And when you do touch me, I know it’s you.”
He doesn’t release me, but I finally push out of his hold, and I see he’s not looking at me but at Everett.
“You’re full of shit,” Everett says. “I don’t know what your obsession is, but she’s clearly not interested. She’s my best friend. Back the fuck off.”
Luca calmly states, “Let’s test it. Up for the challenge, or too scared to face the truth?”
As soon as I feel Everett move forward, I block his progress. “He’s baiting you. Don’t fall for it.”
Luca’s enjoying this way too much, and his amusement shows as he says, “Tell him. Because you know it as well as he does. But he needs to hear you say the words.”
“Fuck you,” I tell him as Everett shouts, “Are you dating him? Because he sure as fuck thinks he has some claim on you.”
“No, we’re not dating.”
“No, she’s right. Not dating,” Luca replies. “But we did spend the night together.”
I’m going to kill him. Because he knows I can’t explain anything to Everett, and it sounds exactly like Luca intended. But in reality, it was a miserable night in a creepy hospital for a stupid game that I can’t talk about.
So, I just look to Everett and say, “It’s not like that. It was a group of us. Not just him and me.”
Luca snickers, “Didn’t stop you from being with me until sunrise.” He looks to Everett. “I’ll go first.”
“This is ludicrous. And a game I will not play.” I don’t have to. But it feels just like Mercy. They’re using me in their pissing contest, and I have no choice but to let it happen.
“Why? Scared he’ll lose and figure it out?”
Everett does exactly what he was lured to do. “I’ll play.”
“Y’all are both morons,” I state.
“Okay.” Remy had disappeared for a few seconds, but now he returns and passes a blindfold to both Luca and Everett. “Here, put these on.”
Luca’s mouth twists into a sly smile as he fastens the fabric over his eyes.
Remy situates me in place. “You stay here. Brooke you here. You are here and you are there. And I’ll add to the mix too.”
“I cannot with any of you.” I fold my arms across my chest, but the latest game goes on. Remy guides Brooke to go up to Luca as he remains in place.
“Next,” Remy calls as a random girl wearing a sequined dress steps to him. He doesn’t move.
Cain gives me a look like he’d rather be somewhere else when Remy motions for me to go. And I agree with him. But I participate since I know the goons aren’t going to move on without finishing whatever irreverent match-up they have going on. And I hope they both lose at this point.
My fingertips graze across Luca’s cheek as he remains silent for a few seconds.
Just as I go to remove my touch from his skin, his hand comes up quickly to grip my wrist and haul me against him.
I almost think he’s going to kiss me but his lips float over mine as he says, “I can feel your hesitation. But I wonder if it’s because you’re scared of what you’ll do if you allow yourself to stop holding back. Game over.”
Everett surges forward as he shouts, “He’s cheating. I bet he can see through the blindfold. It’s not like he can ever fight fair.”
I worry the situation will escalate, but Luca only laughs, removing the covering. “He’s right for once. It’s not a fair fight”—Luca turns directly to Everett—“because she’s already mine.”
“That’s enough.” I attempt to intervene.
But Luca’s goal is to make Everett suffer. “Tell him who makes you want to come undone. Who makes you want what you shouldn’t.”
“Shut up.” I realize I didn’t deny or correct anything, but Everett doesn’t seem to notice because he’s already fastening the blindfold over his eyes as he says, “My turn.”
“This is stupid, Everett. Please, let’s just go,” I plead.
“No. Let me show this asshole what a joke he is, then we’ll leave together.”
Goddamn it. When I look over at Luca, he’s entertained because he’s getting exactly what he wants as usual.
Remy states, “It’s only fair to give him a chance.”
There’s nothing fair about this. Brooke goes first then I go next, a part inside of me pleading internally with Everett to realize it’s me but it’s when sequin dress girl goes that he grabs her hand and kisses her knuckles.
His smile bright and confident before he removes the blindfold, immediately recognizing his mistake.
Luca makes sure to be a royal ass and rubs it in. “Right in front of your face for your entire life and you couldn’t find her. Just like I said.”
“Will you stop it?” I scream.
“Don’t get mad at me because your best friend failed you.”
“Stop calling him that.” It’s not what he’s saying, it’s how he’s saying it. Everett is my best friend. And that has always been enough until this idiot come along.
Luca methodically ties his blindfold on my wrist, his thumb rubbing over the fabric where my scar is. “What scares you more? That the boy who’s been around your entire life doesn’t know you, or that I do?”
Everett storms off as I shove Luca away. “I hate you.”
His gaze drops to my mouth when he asks, “Then why are you still here with me and not chasing your little buddy?”
The question grates across the slight sanity I have left. “Because I’m a fucking fool, but I can fix that.”
I walk away and don’t find Everett until I’m out front, watching him march down the street. He’s about to get in his truck when I yell for him. He stops but doesn’t turn to face me, his hand still on the door handle. “Go back inside with your boyfriend.”
“I didn’t want to do that. You gave into his pissing contest, so don’t take it out on me.”
Everett shuts the truck door before he rotates and moves in front of me. His shoulders tense, his voice strained as he asks, “Do you want him or me, Ivy? Tell me right here, right now. Pick one of us. Because I won’t be your backup choice.”
“You’re my best friend,” I tell him, not understanding the fury he’s aiming at me. I’m used to it with Luca but not Everett. This is the guy who cried with me for my mom and said he cared about me, but who is looking at me like he hates me.
“And you know I want more. You have to. I’ve been at your side, waiting until we were ready so we wouldn’t screw it up and throw it away like some juvenile crush. What we have is real, not some party trick of an asshole who just wants to screw you.”
“Everett,” I breathe. The first thing I hear in my mind is my mom’s voice telling me that Everett felt more for me than friendship.
I’d told her she was crazy and seeing something that wasn’t there.
Everett and I were just friends, and we didn’t think of each other that way. I was wrong. She was right.
“Okay,” Everett interrupts my thoughts. “At least I understand now.”
“Wait? What?” I never made a choice. I was lost in my head. “I never said anything.”
“Exactly. You shouldn’t even have to think about it.”
“How can I not? Why won’t you give me a freaking second to think because this is news to me. I didn’t realize, Everett. You’ve been my best friend forever.”
“Friend zone. I know. Even Oliver said I’d sat in it too long. Guess he was right.” Everett grabs his door handle again.
“Will you stop? I can’t even form a coherent thought right now, and you’re assuming you know what I’m thinking.”
“You’re right.” He pulls the door open and drops in the seat. “Obviously, I don’t know you at all. Not like he does.” The door slams and he drives away.
What the actual fuck just happen? And why is the only thought I can muster up about how I want to punch Luca. Because he’s right. He destroys everything he touches.