Page 76 of Stolen Summer
People were staring, but it didn’t bother me. “Honestly, I couldn’t care less what or who you want. Cole told me I don’t have to behave myself, and I don’t plan on it. You got one free pass, which you’ve already used. Next time you come at me, I’ll show you how we handle threats in the trailer park.”
The two girls framed on either side of Gianna shifted their feet, their expressions growing uncomfortable the angrier Gianna got. “You’re worthless. Less than the ice cream melting on your face,” my newly made nemesis spat.
I pasted on my best fake-ass smile. “Do you feel better? Or are there some other cheap insults you want to sling at me?”
“It’s a little hot out today, don’t you think, Arie?” Frankie commented, her gaze dropping to the drink in my hand.
“Who the fuck gives a shit about the weather,” Gianna snapped at Frankie. “Were you dropped on your head as a baby?”
Picking up on Frankie’s cue, I punched my thumb through the straw hole of my drink, widening the opening as much as I could without drawing Gianna’s focus. She might have started this, but I would damn well finish it and get the last word. “I hope that shirt is expensive as fuck,” I scoffed.
“Did you drop out of high?—”
I threw the contents of my cup in Gianna’s face. She gasped, bringing a smile across my lips. I never realized how satisfying it would be to watch the little round boba pearls bounce off Gianna’s pretty face.
The vindictive side of me beamed. “What a fucking waste of a perfectly good bubble tea,” I said as Gianna’s friends scrambled to deal with their frantic friend.
Frankie bumped my shoulder. “For the show I just watched, I’ll buy you a new one.”
Looping my arm through hers, we started walking down the boardwalk together, leaving Gianna to her minions.
Frankie grinned from ear to ear, a bounce of excitement not just in her step but shimmering in her eyes. “Holy shit, what a lunatic. God, I love a good jealous ex-girlfriend. It makes for such a juicy story. I’m so glad you texted me today.”
I rolled my eyes, not sharing my friend’s enthusiasm over the drama. “My life is not a damn novel.”
“It’s the closest thing either of us will ever get. Think about it. Arie. A rich, hot-ass guy gives you a hundred K to stay with him for the summer. That is literally a romance trope. One of my favorites too. Who doesn’t like a rags-to-riches plot?”
How could I argue with that?
“Is she going to be a problem for you?” my best friend asked.
My chin dipped as I tossed my empty cup into the trash bin. “I’m afraid so.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Istood between my house and Cole’s, trying to decide where I should go. It boiled down to who would ask the least number of questions about how I looked. Sadie’s car sat in my driveway, meaning I couldn’t sneak in as easily.
All I wanted was a freaking shower. It shouldn’t be this difficult.
I could always take a dip in the ocean or the pool, but I longed for sweet-smelling shampoo and clean soap, not salt or chlorine.
I let myself inside the Rileys’ house, closing the door softly behind me with a nearly silent click. Padding up the staircase, careful not to touch anything, I made it to my bedroom, my hand turning the knob when I heard Cole’s voice.
“You’re back.”
I groaned. My eyes closed briefly before I turned around and faced him. He looked…edible…lickable…tasty…and every other descriptive word I could come up with that implied fuckable. The tips of his fingers were smudged in charcoal, only making him sexier. After the commotion with Gianna, I’d forgotten why I’d stormed out of his house to begin with. It was coming back to me.
And the memories brought back my anger.
Cole’s gaze swept over me, taking in my stained shirt. I’d scrubbed most of the ice cream off my face, but I knew I must look a sight. “What the fuck happened to you?”
“You,” I snapped, poking him in the chest. “That’s what.”
He sniffed me. “Did you bathe in vanilla?”
“Do I look like I’ve had a bath?”
His dark eyes narrowed. “Killer,” he rumbled, prompting me to start talking.