Page 8 of Never His Girl
“I’m so sorry, West.” Joss’s hand lands on mine and she squeezes. “I know this is, like, a worst-case scenario for you.”
Everything I’d done until now had been to prevent fallout from a mistake I made so long ago. But with this info now in Parker’s hands, that may have all been for nothing. I can’t remember a time I’ve been more on edge.
I worked twice as hard on the field to create a safety net, hoping to secure my spot at NCU even if the truth about me and Casey one day came to light. More specifically, I wanted to keep it from getting to anyone on NCU’s athletic staff, because if that happens, I lose everything.
Me and all parties involved.
But the video of me and Southside’s out there now, which means it might all go up in smoke anyway.
“Why go through all this trouble?” Joss’s question has me revisiting the conversation from a couple nights ago and anger follows.
“The short answer? Because Parker’s a bitter-ass bitch,” I grumble.
There’s a stormy past between us, a‘relationship’with a foundation built on empty sex and empty words. Words void of feeling and sincerity on my part. The lack of an actual connection made it easy to miss that she’d fallen for me. Made it easy to ignore how using her, and then disregarding her completely, eventually broke her. She was never‘good’by any means, but Parker Holiday had definitely gone from bad to worse on my watch. I can own up to that.
“I still don’t understand,” Joss speaks up.
“What’s not to get? Parker has me by the fucking balls. End of story.”
“I know you’re telling the truth, so don’t take this the wrong way, but things still don’t add up,” Joss points out. “Like, how the hell did she end up with video footage of you and Blue? Was she planning that the whole time? Then again, I guess that doesn’t make sense, becauseyoudidn’t even know Blue was coming to your room.”
Joss is mostly rambling to herself now, trying to make sense of things. But lucky for her, Parker’s cocky ass answered most of these questions for me last night. Without hesitation, actually. Seemed she wanted to rub in the fact that she somehow managed to pull this whole thing off, and that there isn’t shit I can do about it.
“She screen-recorded a fucking video call,” I grumble, finally answering. “She stopped at the dresser on her way out of the room while I was busy talking to Southside. She set us up without me even realizing.”
Just thinking about how simple it all was, I’m pissed all over again. A few small tweaks to how things went down that night and I wouldn’t even be in this mess.
If only I’d thought to keep an eye on Parker while she got her shit out of my room.
If only my phone hadn’t been on silent when she called me from her line to connect us by video.
If I hadn’t been so fucking naïve, none of this would’ve happened.
“So, she just wanted to know what would go down after she left the room?”
“Fuck if I know,” I answer with a shrug. “Whatever the case, we gave her a shit-ton more than access to our conversation. She ended up with everything she’d need to humiliate Southside and ruin me. Once that footage made it into Pandora’s hands, it was a wrap.”
“All of this just to break you and Blue apart, then breakyoudown completely,” Joss concludes.
I nod because she’s exactly right. Either with this footage being out there, or if Parker decides to snitch about the stuff involving Casey, I can probably kiss football goodbye next year.
In disbelief, Joss shakes her head. “Bitch is crazier than I thought.”
I nod, agreeing. “And I’m the fucking idiot who gave her everything she needs to burn my future to the ground.”
“You couldn’t have known she’d go thisfar,” Joss comments, trying to make me feel better, I guess.
“Maybe not, but I’m pretty sure putting her ass out when Southside showed up made the decision to share that shit pretty easy.”
I sound bitter as hell, revisiting how things played out that night.
“Has Casey maybe tried calling? You know, since the video’s been put out there?” Joss asks reluctantly. “She still asks about you, so I thought she might’ve checked in.”
My stomach knots, hearing that my name still comes up in conversation.
“No,” I answer with a sigh. “And she probably won’t. Not if she remembers admitting all that to Parker. We had a pact, and she went against it.”
I’m not pissed about that part. Alcohol’s made me do dumb shit in the past, too, but a warning would’ve been nice. At leastthenI could’ve dealt with Parker head-on, created some type of buffer to keep her from gaining the upper hand.