Chapter 12
87%
Normally, a girl in my place would feel sad, cry, break herself, tear her soul. But here I am, worried about what my mom would do, instead of bring sad about being cheated on by my beloved boyfriend. Yeah, I am a psychotic bitch, and thanks to my mom’s DNA, instead of being emotional, I’m being calculative.
“Okay, so, you cheated on me, and I broke your nose. We’re even now,” I said, swallowing the lump of concern in my throat. And when I said concern, I meant for myself. I was literally more concerned about the lawsuit I might be facing than his bloody nose.
“What? Even? Really?” Brendan’s voice pitched, anger flashing in his eyes. He clutched his nose as if it were a sacred artifact. “You broke my nose, bitch. The most perfect and charming part of my face”
“Oh, come on. Stop being so delusional.” I waved my hand like I’d heard a ridiculous joke, my lips curving into a slight smirk. But then I saw the seriousness etched into his glare, and I straightened up, wiping any trace of a smile from my face. “I mean, your nose may be better than your lips, eyes, and chin, but calling it ‘perfect‘ and ‘charming? That that might sound like extreme narcissism.”
Brendan’s glare intensified, his jaw tightening. Uh–oh. Yep, that didn’t help. I swallowed, giving him a sheepish look. “Sorry?” I offered, my voice hesitant. “Now… does this make us even?”
“Lucy!” Brendan suddenly lunged forward, and I took off like a sprinter, my backpack thumping against me with each step.
“Come on, man. You cheated on me. At least I deserve to hit you,” I called over my shoulder, dodging around a lamp post by the gate.
“Yeah, you do. But you didn’t just hit me. You broke my nose, and on top of that, you’re indirectly saying my nose is not perfect and charming?” His voice was breathless as he chased me down the sidewalk, drawing looks from a few passersby.
“Sorry, okay? Sorry for that too!” I shouted back, breathless.
“You called me a narcissist as well!” he fired, still chasing after me.
“You are!” I finally stopped, bending over, huffing and puffing with my hands on my knees. “And I’m not gonna apologize for that one.”
He came to a stop a few feet away, clutching his nose with one hand, a slight wince crossing his face as he panted. His eyes narrowed. “Oh, so we’re playing fact–fact, huh?” He let out a short, mocking laugh, removing his hand to reveal the swelling bridge of his nose, now tinged with purples and reds. “Then, okay, here it is. You think you’re beautiful and desirable? NO. A big, fat no. In fact, you’re so… so bland that you don’t even turn me on. I used to imagine Matrix every time I had to make myself look like kissing you was actually turning me on.”
I straightened, feigning a hurt expression before countering, “Oh really? It’s not my fault that you get turned on by boys instead of girls.”
He gave a pained scoff, his fingers gingerly touching his nose as he spoke. “Oh, please. Britney Spears turns me on, okay? And I’m bi,” he grumbled, his words thick with irritation and a nasal twang from his injury. “The reason you don’t turn me on is because you’re just… undesirable. Face it. The only reason people even notice you is because you’re Kaiden Sterwalt’s sister. Take him out of your life, and there’d be nothing left but infinite emptiness. No one would even look at you. You’d be practically invisible to everyone.”
His words hit me like a punch to the chest, but it wasn’t just pain I felt–it was anger too. I’ve always struggled with y temper, which is why I’d tried to avoid any drama with him. But now, he’d gone too far.
I stomped toward him and grabbed his collar, glaring into his eyes. “If being Kaiden’s sister makes me visible to people like you, then I would happily prefer to be invisible for eternity.” I let go of his collar, smoothing it out like I was brushing away dirt. “Oh, and one more thing…” I gave him a sly smile, leaning in. “I lied before. The guy I saw Matrix with wasn’t like Anthony Mackie. He was like Dwayne Johnson–enormously hot and desirable.” I added a playful pout for effect. “Good luck competing with that.”
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12:15 Mon, 14 Apr AM
Chapter 12
87%8
I took a long, deep breath, letting the satisfaction wash over me as I dropped my final line. “Funny, jen’t it? You cheated on me, and your boyfriend turned around and did the same to you. Karma’s really got her timing down.” I give him a life
wave. “Tit for tat
Brendan’s face was pale, except for the part painted red by his blood. 11is miile expresiion was caying it all. He was deep in thought–the same thought I was in when I saw him and Matrix kissing each other. He must be feeling the same as I did when I learned about his motive for dating me. I felt a little bad for him, because the way he was reacting, the way he zoned out, it was clear he loved Matrix. And as a person who got betrayed by their loved one, I could feel his pain. But here’s the plot twist–his pain will soon be gone, while my pain will remain forever, because I lied.
Everything I said about Matrix was a lie. He isn’t cheating on Brendan. In fact, I didn’t even step out of the Sterwalt Mansion this weekend, let alone spot Matrix with a hot guy. It was a made–up story to make Brendan feel a fraction of the pain I was feeling. It was my revenge. I knew from the very beginning that his whole story about Matrix blackmailing him was completely made up, and that’s why I also created a new story as a reply gift.
A woman can willingly blindfold herself and endure every kind of foolishness, stupidity, or madness. Because that blindfold is not an ordinary blindfold; it’s a blindfold made of love. But if you remove love from it, then she can see everything, crystal clear, and even if you try your ass off, you can never make a fool out of her.
To be continued…
