Chapter 31
Camila Pov
I sighed, leaning dgainst the locker. fre wax with a but
Tess gasped, chitching her chest dramatiesy. W worth talking about? Camila, verything Ethan doas i worth
chirray. talking about. Spill.”
Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my bag and chung it over my shoulder. Fine Pe. statified his or her in taking the bus to school.
Tess blinked. “Wait, what?”
“You heard me. He stabbed his own tire. With a nail
For a moment, she just stared at me, processing. Then, to my absolute horror, she broke into a wide, gleeful grin.
“That is so fucking romantic!”
I stared at her in disbelief. “Romantic? Tess, are you insane? How is that romantic?”
“Uh, because he did it for you,” she said matter–of–factly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Tess, I interrupted, holding up a hand. “Stop. Just stop.”
But she didn’t stop. Of course she didn’t stop. Tess was… Tess.
“This is, like, next–level devotion.” She continued. “He wanted an excuse to spend more time with you, and he sabotaged his own car to make it happen. That’s commitment, Camila.”
“It’s lunacy,” I snapped.
“You’ve got to admit, it’s kind of sweet… in that weird, twisted, totally–Ethan kind of way. Honestly, I had no idea you
two were that close.”
I gawked at her. “He didn’t do it for me. He did it to manipulate the situation so he could follow me to school. That’s not romance- it’s borderline stalker behavior.”
Tess waved her hand dismissively. “Potato, po–tah–to. The point is, he went out of his way to stay close to you. That’s, like, the definition of romantic.”
I groaned, rubbing my temples. “Tess, he’s my stepbrother!”
“And?” she replied, unfazed.
“And?” I repeated, incredulous. “He’s my stepbrother, Tess! This isn’t some forbidden love novel. It’s refe. Ethan is not my Prince Charming, He’s- he’s a lunatic!”
Tess crossed her arms, giving me a look that said she wasn’t buying it. “You’re being dramatic. He’s not a lunatic. He’s just… intense. And protective. And hot.”
1/3
Chapter 11
“Tess!” I snappselt, my entre fonder than I intended. A few people in the hanway (devi të fest voice.“You that say stuff like that! It’s weird. Ire en, in ward
She shrugged. “Weird can be good. Weird keep things interesting.
I threw my hands up in frustration. 11’s my stepbrother!
“You’ve mentioned that, she said, rolling her eyes. But honestly, Cantita, are you sure you’re not overreacting) Majhe he’s just trying to look out for you.”
“By slashing his own tire?” I shot back.
She grinned. “It’s kind of badass, if you think about it.”
“Tess, I swear to God-”
“Okay, okay,” she said, holding up her hands in surrender. “But seriously, Camila, don’t you think you’re being a little harsh? Ethan clearly cares about you.”
I shook my head, utterly exasperated. “Cares about me? Tess, he doesn’t care about me. He cares about controlling the situation. There’s a difference.”
She tilted her head, considering. “Or maybe he cares about you more than you realize.”
“Tess-
“Just think about it,” she said, cutting me off. “I mean, he’s going through all this trouble for you. That has to mean something, right?”
“He could’ve just asked for a ride. Like a normal person. Instead, he decided to destroy his property. You don’t think that’s a little… unhinged?”
She shrugged, a dreamy look on her face. “Maybe. But it’s also kind of hot, don’t you think? The whole I’ll do whatev it takes to be near you‘ vibe? Ugh, I’m swooning.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You’re insane, Tess. You’re really insane.”
“No, I’m a hopeless romantic,” she corrected, giving me a cheeky grin. “And honestly, Camila, you should be flattered Do you know how many guys would go to that length for a girl? Not many!”
“Probably because most guys aren’t deranged,” I muttered.
Tess laughed, hooking her arm through mine as we started walking down the hall. “You’re impossible, you know tha Here you are, living in your own personal love story, and you can’t even appreciate it.”
“It’s not a love story,” I said flatly. “It’s a horror movie.”
“Hmm,” Tess mused, tapping her chin. “Horror movies can be romantic, too. Ever seen Warm Bodies
I didn’t bother responding. There was no point arguing with Tess when she got like this. She was determined to see romance where there was none, and nothing I said was going to change her mind.
Chapter 31
“I’m only trying to help you see the silver lining, and you’re too busy being angry to appreciate it.”
“There is no silver lining,” I said flatly.
She smirked. “Oh, there is. You’re just too stubborn to see it. But don’t worry I’ll keep pointing it out until you do.
As we reached the classroom door, she leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper. “So, what are you going to do
about it?”
“About what?”
“About Ethan!”
“There’s nothing to do.”
“Don’t you think it’s time you, I don’t know,
ked to him? Maybe tell him how you feel?”
I stared at her, dumbfounded. “How I feel? Tess, the only thing I feel toward Ethan is irritation.”
“Sure, sure,” she said with a sly smirk, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Keep convincing yourself, Camila. I mean, that must be why you didn’t want me tagging along to your place- because he irritates you, right?*
Before I could respond, the bell rang, and Tess slipped into the classroom, leaving me standing in the hallway, fuming.
I didn’t know what was more infuriating: Ethan’s ridiculous stunt, or the fact that Tess was somehow rooting for him. Either way, one thing was certain- I was going to need a lot of coffee to get through the rest of the day.
