West Coast, East Ivy, and the Boy Who Never Chose Me Chapter 06

West Coast, East Ivy, and the Boy Who Never Chose Me Chapter 06

“Thanks, but I don’t need your help.”

I let out a cold laugh and turned to leave. Kael grabbed my wrist roughly and pulled me back to face him.

“What’s your problem?”

“Elowen, when did you get so cold? Liora’s been worried sick about you—she cried all night blaming herself for not being there for you, and this is how you treat her?”

My wrist throbbed with pain from his tight grip. Liora stepped between us, and tears streamed down her face.

“Stop arguing, everyone. This is all my fault.”

“Kael, don’t yell at her!”

Something inside me snapped. I yanked my wrist away and slapped him—hard—across the face.

“Stop it. Both of you. You’re making me sick.”

“You two have been sneaking around this whole time, haven’t you? Next time you kiss, maybe wipe the lipstick off before you come back.”

My face twisted with revulsion. Kael instinctively raised a hand to wipe at the corner of his mouth. His face burned with shame and rage, and he finally told me the truth.

“You’re right. I fell for Liora a long time ago.”

“I only stuck around because Liora was in tears, begging me not to throw away your friendship. You really think a girl who’s neither smart nor attractive could ever be worth my time?”

“Shut up!” Liora’s face turned deathly pale, and she tried to move closer to me.

“Elowen, it’s not like that. Please listen to me.”

I stared at her coldly and stepped backward. Hurt flickered across Liora’s features.

“Elowen, you’re my best friend.”

“I would never steal Kael from you—honestly. I’m just keeping an eye on him for you while you’re gone. And once you’re in West Coast? Everything can go back to the way it was.”

A wave of nausea rolled over my stomach.

“Liora, I finally understand why people bullied you back in middle school.”

Her face went completely white.

“I truly regret stepping forward to protect you that day.”

“A person like you doesn’t deserve to be my friend.”

Kael’s expression turned dark and menacing. He pulled Liora behind him and stood facing me in a confrontational stance.

“You’re no better than us.”

“You’re both just… horrible. And you’ve got it coming—both of you.”

I grabbed whatever objects were within reach and hurled them at the two of them. Then I turned and walked away with long, steady strides.

From that moment on, every path in the world opened up before me. I was fully and completely in control of my own life. The gloomy, confusing days of my eighteenth summer would never trap me again.

I slept soundly that night. Yet a malicious plot began to brew in the shadows after dark.

The next morning, a trending headline claimed a gap year student from Lincoln Memorial High School had faked being the city’s top SAT scorer.

I scrolled past the title without a second thought.

I started hearing people whispering and pointing at me as I went out to buy breakfast.

“That girl everyone’s talking about for faking her test scores is the Voss girl, right?”

“Her family held a huge graduation cookout back in the countryside not long ago. Who knew it was all a lie?”

“I always said she was too slow-witted to get into a top university.”

Cruel whispers drifted into my ears. I frowned and opened my phone. The trending post accusing me of fraud carried a photo of me. My facial features were blurred, but everyone who knew me could tell exactly who it was.

I let out a bitter laugh. I knew instantly who was behind this clumsy frame-up. I was just about to head to the Rainer family’s house to confront them when my phone rang. It was the principal of my old high school.