Page 101 of The Game We Played

I march toward the door. This time, she doesn’t try to stop me.

“I thought I loved you, too, Tanner, but I guess we didn’t know each other after all. You’re exactly the same as every man in my life. Trying to manipulate me, and when it doesn’t work, you can’t handle it.”

Loved me? Not hardly. Love doesn’t exist. I’ve always known it, but Alaia fooled me. She showed me the person I wanted to see. Not the person who she really is.

I nearly fell into her trap. Good thing I found out who she really was before I did.

Chapter 31

BREAKING: HEARTBROKEN LOCAL CONSIDERS ARSON Twin sisters recommend violence; journalism wins… for now

Alaia

“Go away!” I shout when there’s a knock on the door. I don’t want to see anyone. I want to sit here on my sofa in my pajamas and eat a tub of ice cream. I might never move again.

“We’re not going anywhere.”

I groan. Great. It’s Beth and Anne. They’ll never leave me alone.

“I’m not letting you in.”

The door opens and they barge inside. “No reason to let us in. We have a key.”

I glare at Beth. “Where did you get a key?”

I certainly didn’t give them one. The last thing I need is to wake up to them shaving my hair off – again.

“Never you mind,” Anne says.

“We have more important things to discuss,” Beth adds.

Anne nods. “We’ve already started a list.”

I shouldn’t ask, but I do. “A list for what?”

“Revenge pranks.” Beth pulls out her phone and starts reading. “Replace his shampoo with dye.”

“Temporary dye,” Anne corrects.

Beth shrugs before continuing, “Hide tiny alarm clocks all over his room and have them go off at random times all night long. Start a rumor he’s terrified of ducks and then place plastic ducks all over his room. Change the autocorrect on his phone so yes becomes I’m emotionally unavailable. Stuff his hotel room with balloons filled with glitter.”

“Hold up! Who are you revenge pranking?”

Anne rolls her eyes. “Duh.”

“Tanner,” Beth says.

“How do you know? Does everyone know?” I bury my face in my hands.

They plop down on the sofa next to me. Beth places her arm around my shoulders. “This is Smuggler’s Hideaway.”

“In other words, everyone knows.”

Anne giggles. “Rumor has it, he got into a fight with his teammates at theMariner’s Market.Nolan yelled at him to stop being a heartsick fool.”

“Nolan did not say the words heartsick fool.”

Because Tanner isn’t heartsick. He isn’t the one trying to drown himself in cookie dough ice cream. He isn’t the one who hasn’t left his apartment in two days. He isn’t the one wearing the same pajamas for two days. The pair with a giant chocolate stain on the chest.