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“Twelve-year-old boy.” He has the audacity to smile. “That’s a fact, though.”
“I’m walking home now.” I try to move past him, but he blocks me.
“First of all, your ex-boyfriend is too old for you—again. If the next guy you find can have a beer with me with a real ID, then he’s too old for you. Clear?”
I cross my arms.
“Second of all, your practice-mate—who rarely ever talked to you, until recently, probably came onto him at some point. Or, vice versa. They’re both shitty individuals, but the threesome has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them.”
I mentally rewind my last few conversations with Kayla and remember how she spent more time talking about how “cute and sexy” Brody was than anything else.
“So, I was dating another cheater?” I ask.
“Another cheater with a backstabber’s influence,” he says. “There’s a slight difference with this one.”
My blood begins to boil. “What would you do if you were me?”
“I’d tell Hayden that he’s the smartest man I’ve ever met in the world. Then I’d vow to be a lot nicer to him and learn to say, Thank you.”
I give him a blank stare, and he laughs.
“I would leave this house, call the cops on my way out, and tell them that you saw a minor drinking at this party.”
“You want me to ruin the night for everyone else?”
“You asked me what I would do if I was seventeen.” He shrugs. “I’d use up the last of my immaturity while I could, especially if my feelings were involved.”
“What about Kayla?” I ask. “Does she get off scot-free in this?
“Depends.” He returns my red cup. “I’ll be across the street. You have three minutes, and then I’m driving you to the rink so you can make up for lost time.”
“Because you actually care?”
“Because I made a promise to your brother.” He walks away, and I let out a breath.
I look myself over in the mirror one last time and leave the room, pushing my way through the bodies on the living room’s makeshift dance floor.
Completely shameless, Brody is pressing Kayla against the wall—laughing in between kisses.
I stroll right over and tap his shoulder.
“Yes?” He turns around. “Changed your mind so soon?”
“No, fuck you,” I say. “I just want to make sure you know how big of a douchebag you are.”
He smiles, looking completely unfazed. “Thanks for the reminder that I don’t need to date any more high school girls. You’re not mature enough to handle the complex things in life.”
Welp. I’m definitely calling the cops.
“Poor little ice princess,” Kayla says, confirming our friendship meant nothing. “I guess you can’t win everything in life. How does it feel to finally lose?”
I toss my drink in her face. “Pretty damn good.”
I turn away without another word and make my way through the guests. I call the police and report the house as I’m walking toward Hayden’s car.
When I slip inside, he cranks the engine.
We ride in silence for several minutes, and I stare at the words “Future Billionaire” that he’s etched onto his dashboard.
“This little incident doesn’t make us friends,” he says, once we reach a red light. “I need you to know that.”
“The two of us will never be friends, Hayden.” I roll my eyes. “But since we’re stating the obvious, I hate the new name of your dating app even more than the first one.”
“Something tells me that you’ll hate it even when I become a billionaire.”
Right.
“I practiced for three extra hours every day this week just in case I went out tonight,” I say, changing the subject. “I’d rather go home and think about things.”
“That’s the last thing you should do,” he says. “Idle thoughts won’t get you anywhere. You should at least work through your short program a few times.”
I hate that’s he’s right, but I don’t fight it.
“You really don’t think that I’m going to become a billionaire, do you?” he asks, looking over at me.
“No, I know that you’re not going to become one.”
“Want to bet?” he says. “Because I’m willing to bet that you’ll never find a single real friend for the rest of your life.”
“Deal. Now I’m really looking forward to watching you fail.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing you cry in perpetual loneliness when I’m right …”
Years Later
She lost that fucking bet by the way …
As did I.
One
Present Day
Hayden
Billionaire Hayden Hunter is Officially Over! (Still Sexy AF, But Over)
Should We Stop Using Hayden’s Cinder App and Switch to Tinder Once & for All?
How a Billionaire, Playboy’s Empire Crumbled Overnight: Will He Ever Apologize for the Lies?
Beautiful, Sexy, Liar: The Fall of Hayden Hunter (& Cinder)
I held back a laugh as I read the latest headlines while sitting in a hole-in-the-wall cafe.
These people always acted as if I’d somehow failed to read the “What Happens When You Become a Billionaire Overnight” handbook.
