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eyes and her teeth biting into her lip. Clearly, she’s getting ready to bolt. Wondering if it would be better for everyone if she did, I contemplate the cousin thing again, but I’m not sure that will fly.
    “Well … DEX!” Tori demands again, her heel slamming into the floor.
    “This is Chrissy.” I reach back and grab her hand. She stumbles forward, but when Tori’s eye’s land on our entwined fingers, she pulls it back. “My friend.” Didn’t Mom always say honesty is best?
    “Friends?” Tori questions, cocking her head to the side.
    “Yes, friends,” I answer, and Chrissy remains silent.
    “Are you guys really just friends?” she asks Chrissy directly, and Chrissy nods.
    “Yes, I’ve known him since we were young,” she adds. I’m pretty certain we both know whatever anyone witnessed did not resemble friends.
    “All right then.” Tori looks around the room. “Leo!” she screams to my friend and teammate. The big, burly guy comes over, unsure what exactly is going on.
    Tori grabs him and smacks her lips against his. Leo is shocked and confused, his bulging eyes peer my way while Tori tries to entice him to deepen the kiss. Eventually, not getting anywhere, she backs away. “Is that friendship?” Tori sarcastically asks, and I wish there was one ounce of jealousy from that act. Maybe then it would mean I’d feel guilt over what I did with Chrissy.
    “You think kissing my friend is going to prove some point? I don’t play games, Tori,” I seethe, stepping up, grabbing Chrissy’s hand again. “We are friends, I’m not lying. If we were more, you would have seen something more like this.” I grab Chrissy and my lips land on hers. Holding her up, she’s rigid as a board at first, but the more my lips remain on hers, she slowly eases and eventually joins the kiss. Our lips stay on the other’s for a few seconds while my stomach inflates with butterflies and my dick hardens. Once we separate from our own bubble, Chrissy inhales a deep breath, and I snap back to the reason I kissed Chrissy in the first place. “Don’t play games you can’t win,” I remark, and she runs off the floor and around the side of the house with Bree right behind her.
    Chrissy gasps, and my vision leaves the departing Tori to a displeased Chrissy. “Don’t you think that was kind of cruel?” she asks.
    “No, she fucking kissed my friend.”
    “Yeah, but—”
    “I was done with her anyway,” I inform Chrissy, but she only steps back.
    “Was I just a pawn in your game?” she asks, and I can’t believe I’m hearing those words. Didn’t she feel what I did during that dance?
    “No,” I honestly tell her, and she stands there, her eyes peering around the room.
    “That’s not what it felt like, Dex.” She begins to turn around.
    “Don’t you dare leave,” I demand, and she whips her head around.
    “Do you think you have any control over what I do?” she asks, her high heels click and stop when the toes touch mine. “Just because you think you’re better than me for some reason. Money doesn’t make someone better.”
    “You know I don’t feel that way,” I counter, knowing what she’s insinuating.
    “Well, I don’t want to be friends with someone who treats others like that,” she says, pointing to the side of the house where Tori disappeared.
    “Seriously? You know me, Chrissy,” I argue back and anger turns to hurt.
    Without saying another word, she spins around, the strands of her hair hitting my chest. I watch her say goodbye to my mom, who has her own silent conversation with me across the room. My vision never wavers from Chrissy. When she gets to the back door and her hand clasps onto the knob, she glances over her shoulder. For the first time in five minutes, I turn away from her. When I finally get the nerve to look again, she’s gone.

16 years old

Dex: I’m sorry.
Chrissy: For?
Dex: Come on. It was an imbecile moment.
Chrissy: For?
Dex: For being an asshole.
Chrissy: