Page 16 of Make You Beg

He’s swinging something from one hand to the other, as I try to keep my composure.

It’s not that the wedding stopped because of me. No. The show went on. Mom and Lucas are kissing as I glare at my stepbrother instead of clapping like everyone else is.

The hijack, as inconvenient as it was, was small, and no one else noticed my wardrobe malfunction.

Except my mortal enemy, of course. Who I now understand, is waving a tube of instant glue in my face.

Which means he saw me almost tripping to my death at the altar from the comfort of his seat.

Unlike me, Kayden isn’t his father’s best man. While he had the luxury of choosing, I could never say no to Mom when she asked me to be the maid of honor.

Now, Kayden’s actions raise a question. Why did he bring instant glue with him to a wedding?

It’s not something we usually carry with us in our purses. That only means one thing.

My face tightens, and my eyebrows scrunch. Radiant warmth flares up my skin.

He’d known I’d need it. Which means—it was him. He did this.

I don’t know how, but he found a way to break my shoe or cause it to break mid-ceremony, and now he’s waving his genius prank in my face. And the only solution to my problem.

Because I didn’t have enough with him being a pain in the ass any time I tried to interact at school.

I tried not to, not if I could help it. But sometimes, we were required to talk to each other—and that always came with a price. Every single chance he got, he did something to make me regret the second I glanced his way.

Like when he put a paint bomb in my locker after that first discussion we had in the locker room.

And that one rainy day I got tempted and asked him for a ride when I saw him while waiting at a crosswalk. The second he saw me, he sped up and splashed a big puddle all over my clothes. I was soaked when I got home, and to my surprise, he hadn’t arrived yet. Except when I walked by the driveway, he appeared, drove in reverse, and almost ran me over. As if he were waiting somewhere for me to get home and torment me again.

Until now, it was fine. I thought it was temporary, that our interactions would be minimal. Now, I’m stuck with him for God knows how long.

I sigh.

I can’t believe I’m here. That the nightmare never ended up being over.

Life with Lucas is okay. He’s decent with Mom. Spoils her, allows her to go on shopping sprees, despite Mom not being a big spender, and she recently quit her job to stay at home. He still gifts me shit I don’t need—spending money is clearly his way of getting to people. He got Kayden his red Porsche, too.

But Kayden? He’s insufferable. And there’s something going on between him and his dad. They don’t talk much.

As the music starts and people gather to dance around the bride and groom, I squeeze away quietly, trying to go unnoticed, even if I’m holding both shoes in my hands. No way I can walk with one broken heel.

Kayden doesn’t follow me, doesn’t get up to dance. He sits there with a smug expression.

It’s the worst day of my life, so it’s only fitting Kayden would make it even worse.

So effing childish. I swear, when I catch him, I will—I don’t know…kill him?

Worse, I’ll cut his balls in his sleep, I swear. He has no idea who he’s messing with, and now that we’re stuck together permanently, there’s no limit to the lengths I’ll go.

I’m going to have to learn not to take any more bullshit from him.

Once I reach the bathroom, I attempt to refresh myself, tossing the heels on the floor and turning on the tap. I splash some water on my face, ignoring the fact I’m ruining my makeup. That’s the least of my concerns right now.

The water doesn’t solve anything, but there’s something about water—the coolness of it—that soothes me and clears my mind. It’s magical, and I can’t explain it.

When I leave the bathroom, I’ve got the perfect revenge plan.

I snatch the heels from the floor and focus on the one that’s still intact.