“You’ve been spending almost every night with the guy. Isn’t that what you said? He’s always at your house?”
“He is, but we’re studying. Nothing’s been going on. I’m still with Logan.”
Her friend snorted. “Logan Kade who doesn’t love you. I mean, my god, Kris. Mason Kade is the one who broke that bubble for you. Wait. Let me swoon here for moment. Fucking hell. Mason told you that. That’s like real and intense. I’d die to have him talk to me like that. Just to be that close. He was always so standoffish and exclusive, you know. He’d only talk to his friends and Strattan. Ugh. Don’t even get me started on Strattan.”
“I like Sam.” Kris sounded tense. “She’s been through a lot. Leave her alone, and no, it wasn’t wonderful being told by my boyfriend’s brother that my boyfriend doesn’t love me. Mason’s gorgeous, but he’s scary. At least to me.”
“Yeah, but that’s over. You got a new boy toy, right? Are you going to break up with Logan tonight?”
She let out a sigh. “I don’t know if I’m going to break up with Logan. Things with me and AJ are just friends. I still love Logan.”
“Who doesn’t love you.” I could imagine her friend rolling her eyes. “Come on, Kris. You look like a fool. The longer you stay with him, people are going to look down on you.”
“No one knows he doesn’t love me.”
“Yeah, right. Everyone knows.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s pretty obvious that he never loved you. Look,” she dropped her voice, making it softer, “I’m being a friend when I say this, but you were never taken seriously. We know when Logan loves someone. He loved Tate, and sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but most people think he loves Sam too.”
“What?” A guttural groan came from Kris. “Sam’s like family to him.”
“There’s been distance between them this year, which makes sense. He’s got a girlfriend, but trust me, he definitely loves her, whether it’s as family or something more, but it’s there. Both of them love her.” She groaned. “The bitch doesn’t know how lucky she’s got it, and when you and Logan break up, he’s going to be all over her. Trust me. You won't be defending her when that happens.”
Every word Kris’ friend said felt like a knife stabbing into me. Tate’s words came back to me, and I pressed my hands over my ears. I didn’t know if it was to block Kris and her friend out or block Tate’s words from haunting me. Biting down on my lip, I shook my head. Silence. I tried to calm the storm unleashed in me, but it didn’t matter.
“Logan’s in love with you. Now you have to deal with it.”
Tate’s words slammed back, full force, and they almost drowned out what Kris and her friend were saying.
I tried to clear my thoughts and strained to hear when her friend added, “Look, you need to prepare yourself. You have to end things with Logan. You’re free * to him. It’s why he’s keeping you around, but he doesn’t love you. As your friend, I’m telling you that you look like a fool.”
Logan loves you.
STOP! I screamed in my head and it worked. For a split second, the storm went away, and I could hear someone softly sobbing from inside the bathroom. Kris was crying.
She said, “You’re being really hurtful, Jen.”
“No. I’m preparing you. You should also be prepared that Logan’s going to sleep around. That’s how he’s been the last two years, until you. He’s going to go back to it and everyone at school will go nuts. Girls don’t think right when it comes to Logan. They just want to jump him. They don’t care about the consequences.”
Gritting my teeth, I decided I couldn’t hear any more. I flushed the toilet, ignored the shocked gasps, and walked out. Kris’ friend was Jen Conly. I shouldn’t have been surprised. She was the top ‘it’ girl in their grade. Kris turned away, pressing into the towel dispensers. If she could’ve walked through them, I had no doubt she would’ve. As I washed my hands, I held Jen’s gaze the entire time. I was cold, angry, and wanted to rip into her. I let her see, but she didn’t look away. She held my gaze, swallowed nervously, but lifted her chin.
I smirked and held my hand out for a paper towel. Kris pulled two out and handed them to me. As I dried my hands, I shook my head. “Shame on you.”
“Sam,” Kris started.
I talked over her, “You’re pressuring her into breaking up with Logan, and I’m betting that you’ll be one of those girls all over him the second she does.”