The Bad Boy ✔

Chapter Twenty One-It's all a game of Cat and Mouse

Chapter Twenty-One

I didn’t know when it happened. Falling for Jace that is.

It was embarrassing in a way that I couldn’t explain. Ever since Mum had died, I had taught myself to never allow myself to get my hopes up too high. I mean, it was obvious from the start that Jace and I would never end up together-besides, he told me more than enough times that he didn’t see me as more than the other half of his deal.

The truth of the matter stung.

All my life, I had laughed and joked about the love-forlorn girls at school. I mean, we weren’t getting married, there was certainly nothing to be moping about. In fact, the closest that Jace and I had ever come with our relationship was just good friends. There was no flirting and there definitely wasn’t any attraction between us. Sure Jace was good-looking, but logic and society clearly dictated that we wouldn’t ever develop into more.

Most people would tell me that I was overreacting. And yes, I admit that maybe I was, even just a little. Jace was not my boyfriend and I was not his girlfriend. However, despite the obvious reasoning that my mind was spitting down at me, my emotions seemed to have more control over my actions.

I was hurt. There I said it. It hurt and it humiliated me.

When Jace kissed me, I felt something that I had never felt before. It was as if a light switch had been turned on and a million bulbs had lit up inside my body. And then, everything that I had felt had been crushed by Jace. He didn’t like me back but more importantly, the kiss had been a mistake to him. And maybe, it had been a mistake for me too.

There was something about puking over your own boots that signalled that somehow, you had hit rock bottom. For a long time, I just stood there, hunched over and stared at my boots. I could feel eyes on me and most importantly, I could feel Jace’s burning gaze on the top of my head.

Tears prickled at my eyes but I blamed it on the fact that I had just emptied out my stomach-which consisted of cocktails and a few snacks-and not because I was feeling like the biggest wimp of the century. Then, as if nothing had happened, people turned back to their conversations and incessant laughter-almost making me believe that I didn’t matter.

“Shit,” Jace muttered under his breath. Then he reached out for my arm. “Are you okay?”

I wanted to bite Jace’s hand and then shove him to the floor. But I didn’t. Instead, I pulled myself up and nodded slightly. Truthfully, I felt horrible. My head was aching and my stomach did painful twists. All I really wanted to do then was go home and sleep for eternity, never remembering this night at all.

“Come on,” Jace sighed. He tugged at my hand. “Let’s go get you cleaned up.”

My mind was too muddled to protest and I followed Jace as he led me down the hallway. We passed people who didn’t even take notice of me. It seemed to emphasise the shameful fact that I had acted out the way I thought my worst enemy-Beth-would have. I, Marilyn Jenson, really had made a big deal out of nothing.

Jace walked through the hallways as though he knew his way around. I frowned. It shouldn’t even matter to me. Bianca and Jace were friends for longer than I had known him. Of course he would know Bianca’s house. It was the same way that I knew Eliza’s house inside-out. There was nothing to be jealous of, really.

It was empty at this part of the house. It seemed as if Bianca had made sure that this part of her house was off-limits to guests and I understood why. Bedrooms-slept in-occupied the end of the second storey. Jace walked with long strides to the last door at the hallway and pushed open the door. Then he turned around and motioned for me to follow.