TWISTED FATE (Twisted Path Book 1)

Chapter 36

Shane

"Shane Montgomery, you lying bastard. Where the hell have you been spending your nights?"

The words slam into me before I even see her. Amanda's voice is sharp enough to slice through the crowded hallway, drawing instant attention. A hundred heads snap in my direction at once.

Fuuuck.

I turn just in time to see her storming toward me, her blonde hair whipping over her shoulder, her designer coat hanging open as if she's just arrived at school. She looks furious—eyes narrowed, lips pressed into a thin, bloodless line—but underneath all that, she looks hurt.

And I hate that I don't care... because there was a time not too long ago when I did.

I straighten, keeping my expression neutral. "Amanda, this isn't the time—"

"The hell it isn't!" she snaps. "I went to Conner's house last night looking for you. That's after your father told me you've been staying at his place for the past week. Imagine my surprise when Con's housekeeper tells me that not only haven't you been staying there, but that she hasn't seen you over there in weeks. Weeks! So enlighten me, Shane—where exactly have you been?"

Students start to gather, slowing their steps, glancing at us with wide, eager eyes. They're here for the show. The queen of the school is making a scene, and there's nothing people love more than blood in the water.

"Finally. Some entertainment," Conner mumbles under his breath, a chuckle escaping him as he casually leans back against the lockers to watch the shitshow that's about to unfold.

Nick, on the other hand, tenses beside me. I'm sure he can guess exactly where I've been, but he also understands how critically important it is that the truth remains a secret.

"I don't owe you an explanation, Ames," I say, forcing my voice to stay calm. "We're not together. We haven't been for a long time. You have no right to demand any answers from me."

That only makes her angrier.

"No right?" she repeats, voice rising. "I'm your fiancée, Shane! Or at least I was supposed to be, before you decided to throw everything away for some pathetic, small-town whore."

A sharp, electric crack of silence falls over the crowd.

And then I see her.

Becca.

She stands twenty feet away, caught in the middle of the hall, her eyes wide with shock and something deeper—fear. Beside her, Felicia and Jocelyn are frozen, their gazes darting between Amanda and me like they're watching a car crash in slow motion.

Everything inside me screams to go to Becca. To reach for her. To tell her none of this matters, that she's all I care about. But I can't. Not here. Not now. Not with Amanda tearing into me like a woman scorned and the whole goddamn school watching.

Amanda's gaze follows mine, her lips curling in disgust the second she spots Becca. And then, loud enough for the entire hallway to hear—loud enough to ensure the damage is done—she laughs. A cruel, cutting sound that sends a hush over the crowd.

"So it's true, then." She crosses her arms, her voice dripping with scorn. "You've been slumming it with her." Her sharp gaze swings back to me, eyes blazing. "Becca Franks? Seriously, Shane? Her?"

Becca flinches.

And that? That fucking kills me.

"That's enough," I say firmly, trying to keep the growl from tearing through my chest. Without hesitation, I grab Amanda's wrist—firm, but not rough—and start walking down the hall. I need to take control of this situation. Fast. Before Amanda does any more damage. Before my pretty girl gets caught up in any more of Amanda's vitriol.