How to Destroy a Rich Boy

Chapter Thirty-Three

"Why does this need to stop? What's wrong?" I questioned, feeling beyond confused.

Brandon let out a bitter laugh. "What's wrong?" he scoffed. "Oh, gee, I don't know, Soph, maybe it has something to do with the fact there's a boy out there who's crazy about you," he said in a hushed whisper.

 I raised a brow. "Crazy about me? He still can't stomach the idea of calling me his friend," I laughed as an amused smile pricked to my lips.

Brandon let out a disbelieving sound. "Soph, he cooked you a whole roast dinner. "Whether he knows it or not, he is way past the accepting you as a friend stage, trust me! That boy has settled himself rather snugly into the crush zone," he snickered.

I pondered his words for a second before letting out an ugly snort. "That's such bull-shit! Just because he bought me food and stuff doesn't mean he's whipped. I mean, you do that kind of stuff for me all the time?" I argued.

"I buy stuff for you, yes, but when I give them to you, I don't also look at you as though I want to dry hump your leg as well," he scoffed.

I cracked a smile at Brandon's strange phrasing. "I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to dry hump my leg,"

"If that's so then why doesn't he look at you normally instead of with those weird far-away, dazzled looking eyes of his, huh? He doesn't look at me like that, so explain that!" he argued as he crossed his arms.

I rolled my eyes and leaned my back against the wall in an exasperated manner. "Whatever, believe what you want. But I still don't get why this means we have to 'stop the plan'?"

"Simple, because I like Nathan. He's not the snobbish rich dick I thought he was. I mean, don't get me wrong, he is still a snob, but there's more to him than that. He seems nice, shy even, and I don't want to watch him get hurt," Brandon explained weakly.

Annoyingly his words resonated something in me and it soon felt as though my stomach was twisting around in painfully tight circles. 

I swallowed back the feeling as best as I could, enough so that I could raise a sassy eyebrow at Brandon. "And this has nothing to do with the fact you love him cooking for you?" I teased as I cracked a knowing grin.

He paused. "Okay, I admit that did play a part," he muttered.

"Ha, I knew it," I laughed as I threw a finger up in his face. 

He shook his head. "No, you didn't let me finish. My main reason for liking him is because I like the way he is with you. He makes you laugh," he shrugged. "You can deny it all you want, Sophie, but I know you like him a hell of a lot more than I do," he said as his eyes dug pointedly into mine.

I swiftly broke eye contact, no longer able to handle his interrogative gaze. I hated how a part of me agreed with what he was saying. Shamefully, over recent weeks, I've been starting to forget there was a plan at all.

I was honestly pathetic. I mean, what kind of person starts to like someone whose very first words to them consisted of calling them a hooker.

I cleared my throat and glanced back up at him with an easy smile as though his earlier words had no effect on me. "Actually, you know what, you're right. We should break up. The boyfriend thing was stupid, to begin with, so it's about time it came to an end," I said with a nonchalant shrug of my shoulders.

Brandon narrowed his eyes. "But what about the entire plan? You're not seriously going to continue with that too, right?" he asked cautiously, making sure to keep his voice low to likely prevent Nathan from hearing.