Chapter 9 #3
She reached in, grabbed the girl straddling me by the arm, and yanked her off my lap so hard the girl stumbled in the water with a surprised yelp. Then she shoved the other one away from my side for good measure.
I quirked a brow, watching her.
“Damn,” I muttered, swirling the beer in my cup. “Sorry, we’re on a break. Guess she still wants more.” A few gasps and whispers rippled through the people standing around the hot tub. I saw a couple phones come out.
Isa’s eyes flashed.
“Shut up,” she snapped.
I smirked, even though it didn’t reach my eyes.
“Fine.”
I glanced at the girl I’d had on my lap and gave her a lazy smile.
“Don’t leave, baby.”
But both girls were already climbing out of the hot tub, shooting Isa dirty looks as they grabbed their towels. Isa didn’t even flinch. She just lifted one of her crutches slightly, like she was seriously considering swatting one of them on the ass with it if they didn’t move fast enough.
The girl closest to her hurried up.
I let out a short laugh and shook my head, taking another long sip of my beer.
“Damn, Texas,” I said, voice low and mean. “You are mean tonight.”
The beers and the hot water were starting to hit me hard.
Everything felt a little hazy around the edges, like the edges of my vision were softening.
I was half-drunk, half-floating, when Isa let out a long sigh and sat down on the edge of the hot tub next to me, letting her good leg dangle in the water.
“The water’s really warm,” she said quietly.
“You should come in.” I turned my head to look at her. Slowly. My eyes dragged over her face, then lower, before I licked my bottom lip without thinking. She blushed instantly and looked away.
“No, thanks,” she muttered.
I smirked, even though it felt a little lazy from the alcohol.
“What do you want, Texas?”
She was quiet for a second, then said, “You told me you were done with me. I just… wanted to explain. The rumors.”
I let out a short laugh and took another sip of my beer.
“About you and Vale?” I said. “Yeah. The gold digger ones.”
Isa’s shoulders tensed.
“Why do you even care what I think of you?” I asked, voice low.
She snapped her head toward me.
“You’re right,” she said. “I don’t.”
But she didn’t get up. Instead, she stared down at the bubbling water and kept talking.
“It’s my mom,” she said quietly. “She was born poor. Came over here with nothing. She’s always wanted the American dream—the big house, the cars, the bank accounts.
She did whatever she had to do to get close to it.
Tanning beds even though she’s already tan.
Perfect French manicures. Expensive hair treatments. Lip fillers. A boob job. Everything.”
Isa let out a shaky breath.
“She wants me to have what she never did. She thinks if I can lock down someone like Tristan, it’ll erase everything.
Like I can fix two hundred years of nothing just by marrying rich.
” She shook her head. “It was stupid. I was trying to be popular. Trying to take some of the heat off Stella so if I got my heart broken, at least it wouldn’t be because I actually liked him.
It would be because my mom told me to. My father does well but not Vale money well.
You know? he never cared about my mother’s social climbing as long as she ‘took care’ of him if you know what I mean.
Both of them are kinda gross. I guess soccer gave me purpose.
A childhood distraction that turned into an escape ticket. ”
She finally looked at me, eyes glassy.
“But I really did love him,” she whispered. “And I’m sorry if I used you.”
She looked small sitting there. Pathetic in a way that made something in my chest twist, even through the haze of the beer and the heat. For a second, I almost reached for her.
But I didn’t, because I still had to protect myself.
I took another slow drink and let my head fall back against the edge of the hot tub, staring up at the dark sky.
“Doesn’t really change anything, does it?” I said, voice rough. “You still ran the second things got real between us. And I’m still not interested in being your backup plan while you figure out if you’re done chasing rich boys.”
Isa didn’t say anything.
I closed my eyes and let the hot water and the alcohol pull me under again.
I couldn’t afford to feel sorry for her.
Not when I was already halfway gone.
“See ya, Texas. Good talk.” I left my muscular arms rest on the edge of the hot tub.
My words dull, dry, dripping with sarcasm.
Let her think she didn’t own me. Let her walk away without me as the emotional crutch she knew she could lean on.
I took another sip of my beer, ignoring her confusion and anger.
She expected more from me because she always got more.
Now I was locking myself down, refusing to be another casualty of Isa Calloway’s bad decisions.
It was brutal.
She didn’t see the way my fist clenched when she finally walked away, leaving me with a warm beer in my hand, foam swirling in the water around me, and a group of girls trying too damn hard to be what she still was to me.