All the Pretty Lies Page 3

  “You think that was over Sarah?” April asks.

  “Oh I’m sure it was.” I nod.

  “Wonder how she found out?”

  “If I had to guess, he probably spread the word. It was obvious he was doing it to fuck with Annika, so of course he wanted her to know.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. What an ass.”

  “What happened to two sides to every story?” I remind her of her earlier comment.

  “I still stick by that. Annika is a piece of work. I doubt she’s innocent in all of this. Still, she didn’t deserve that bullshit.” She gestures to the table of guys that have started to disburse.

  “Agreed.”

  “Anyway, we should go find Cam.” She picks up her half empty tray as she stands.

  “Yeah.” I mirror her actions, grabbing my tray before following her to the trash.

  I briefly wonder where Callum took off to, but then quickly realize that I really don’t care. He made his own bed, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to feel bad that someone called him out for it.

  “Hey.” I’m surprised to see Camila heading toward us as we exit the cafeteria. “How’s Annika?”

  “Don’t know, don’t care.” Her nostrils flare. “You know, after I stood up for that bitch, she had the audacity to tell me that I made it worse by embarrassing her. What the fuck!” She throws her hands up.

  “Are you kidding me?” I gape at my friend.

  “Whatever. I’m still glad I did it. Those dick faces need to learn they can’t speak to women that way.”

  “You were pretty incredible in there,” I tell her, looping my arm through hers as the three of us make our way down the hallway. “Stick a fucking fork in your eye socket.” I laugh.

  “That was pretty good, wasn’t it?” She smiles.

  “Amazing.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  CALLUM

  “SON OF A BITCH.” MY fist hits the locker with so much force it rattles the entire group of lockers around it.

  I’m pissed. No, I’m fucking furious. Annika started this bullshit and then she has the audacity to come at me like that, in front of half the fucking school. She clearly does not realize who she’s messing with. She thinks she can play my game, when in truth she’s not even on the same game board.

  “Hey, man. That was some crazy shit. I can’t believe she came at you like that after the shit she pulled.” I turn to see my best friend, Tripp, lean his shoulder against the locker next to mine. “Bitches be crazy.”

  “She’s lucky I didn’t bare all her shit for everyone to see. I fucking hate people like her. Fake as fuck,” I grumble.

  “You’re the one that was dating her.”

  “I claim temporary insanity.”

  “Or maybe you were thinking with the wrong head.” He gives me a knowing smirk.

  He’s not wrong. My initial interest in Annika was her appearance. Long legs, big tits. She’s never had much more to offer than that and I knew that going in. The fucked-up thing is, I truly was only in it for the sex, so I’m not sure why the shit she pulled with Blake last week has bothered me so much. I think deep down I was actually starting to like the girl.

  “Maybe.” I offer up a half shrug.

  “You good?”

  “Me?” I question like it shouldn’t even be a question. “I’m fine.”

  “You punching your locker doesn’t really say fine to me.”

  “Well, I couldn’t very well punch what I wanted to, now could I?”

  “I guess not.” He straightens. “Don’t let her bullshit get to you. She’s nothing but a self-absorbed, spoiled little girl and everyone knows it.” He clasps my shoulder. “But I will say, sleeping with her best friend was bold. Not sure I would have had the balls to do that.”

  “I regretted it right after,” I admit. “I thought it would make me feel better.”

  “And did it?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I’m going to take a wild guess and say no.”

  I nod in confirmation.

  “Doesn’t help that Poppy called me out on it seconds after Sarah pulled away.”

  “Poppy?”

  “Yeah,” I grumble. “She was outside as Sarah was leaving.”

  “Damn, now that’s someone I wouldn’t mind sinking my teeth into, if you know what I mean.”

  “Careful,” I warn. I may not be friends with Poppy anymore, but she’s off limits and everyone fucking knows it.

  “I’m just saying.” He holds his hands up. “I bet that girl is a freak in bed.”

  “Tripp.”

  “My bad. Geez, what is it with you and that girl anyway?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You say nothing, yet anytime anyone talks about her, you get all fucking weird.”

  “I just don’t want people fucking with her is all.”

  “You sure that’s it?” He cocks a brow.

  “What the fuck else would there be? We used to be friends. I guess I’m still protective of her.”

  “Protective.” He says the word slowly like he’s trying to figure out if that’s really what it means.

  “Don’t start your shit.”

  “So Poppy laid into you then, did she?” He circles back around to our initial conversation.

  “Yeah, and the fucked-up thing is, I knew she was right before she even said it all. I was using Sarah to hurt Annika. Even I know how messed up that is.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re growing a conscience on me now,” he jokes.

  “Fuck you, man.”

  “I’m just saying. How many times have you slept with a girl knowing your intentions weren’t exactly honorable? This really isn’t all that different. Just comes with a sweet case of fuck you to your ex.”

  “Come on, we better get to class.” I turn, over this conversation.

  Pinning my gaze forward, I immediately spot Poppy coming down the hallway toward us. There are tons of other people filtering through the space but she seems to be the only one I can see. Her thick brown hair gently brushes her bare shoulders as she moves. She’s wearing an off the shoulder, lacy top that puts her milky skin on full display. My eyes dart to her exposed collarbone and I swallow hard. There’s not much I can say about Poppy these days other than fuck is she beautiful.

  She’s got her two best friends at her side, per usual, and they’re talking amongst themselves like not a single other person exists.

  Without a word, I turn and head the opposite direction. She no doubt witnessed the shit that just went down, considering her little spicy friend had a go at a couple of my buddies in the process, and the last thing I need right now is her smart mouth spewing her judgements at me.

  “What the fuck, man?” Tripp calls out seconds before he changes course and catches up with me. “Sixth is that way.” He hitches his thumb over his shoulder.

  “Actually, I think I’m gonna head out.”

  “Wait, you’re leaving? In the middle of the day?”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time,” I grind out, pushing my way through the double doors that lead outside.

  “So what’s the plan?” Tripp continues to follow me as I head around the back of the building to where my car is parked.

  “My parents won’t be home until late. They have some fundraiser bullshit tonight,” I say, knowing I don’t have to explain that to him. My mom is one of those ‘save the world’ types and is constantly dragging my father to all these charity galas and fundraisers. She even makes the entire family volunteer at a soup kitchen on holidays. “Thinking I might dip into my father’s whiskey stash and lounge by the pool,” I finally finish my thought.

  “Well fuck, guess I’m coming with.” He tugs open my passenger door and climbs into my car, not bothering to wait for an invitation.

  I shake my head, tugging open my own door before sliding in behind the wheel.

  I’M ON MY SIXTH GLASS of whiskey, or maybe it’s my seventh, I have lost count. Tripp took off about an
hour ago, and since then I’ve been laying here by the pool, getting drunker by the minute.

  I feel quite content in my solitude. That is, until what sounds like two people arguing finds its way into my quiet space. Cocking my head up, I look around, trying to figure out where it’s coming from.

  That’s when I recognize one of the voices and my ears instantly perk up... Poppy.

  She sounds upset, really upset. And based on the way Stella is screaming back at her, I’d venture to say she’s not very happy either. Then again, when has Stella Harris ever really been happy?

  Throwing my legs over the side of the lounge chair, I push myself upright, wobbling slightly before finding my balance. Fuck, I might be drunker than I had realized.

  Making my way to the privacy fence that separates my backyard from Poppy’s, I peer through the wood planks, not able to see a damn thing from where I’m standing. I’m about to go back to my chair when the porch light flips on and Poppy comes storming out onto the back deck, entering my line of sight.

  Even from here I can tell she’s been crying, and for some reason the thought is like a punch to the gut. We may not be friends anymore, but that doesn’t change the fact that she was my closest friend through most of my childhood.

  I still don’t really remember what happened between us. One day we were friends, and the next it felt like she was avoiding me. I lashed out, said some pretty fucked up shit to her one day in the hallway. I guess you could say that kind of solidified the end of our friendship.

  I watch as she leans forward, pressing her palms just above her knees as she works to calm herself. I’m tempted to say something, to let her know I’m here, but when Stella steps outside behind her daughter, I lock my jaw shut.

  “You know, it wouldn’t hurt you to show me a little respect. I am your mother.” She crosses her arms in front of herself.

  I watch Poppy straighten and slowly turn toward Stella.

  “You sure as hell don’t act like a mother so why should I respect you like one?”

  “You best watch your tone, young lady.”

  “Or what? You’ll disappear every night? Leave me here by myself day in and day out? Show me what life would be like without you?” Sarcasm drips from every word.

  “I gave up my entire life for you.” Stella jabs a finger toward Poppy.

  “Yes, I know. Because you tell me so every single day.”

  “You act like your life is so bad.”

  “I never said my life was bad. But what do you want from me, Stella?” I don’t miss the way her mom flinches. “Do you expect me to be grateful that I’ve pretty much had to raise myself?”

  “Now you’re being dramatic.”

  “Am I?” Poppy throws her hands up. “You’re never here. You’ve never been here. And then you want to come at me and question my life choices.”

  “I’m just saying, a weeklong trip with no parental supervision...”

  “Will be like every other day of my normal life,” Poppy interrupts. “Don’t act like you care all of a sudden. We both know you don’t. You’re just worried about money. Well, don’t be. Dad already paid for my part of the trip. He did so weeks ago.”

  “You went to your father?” Stella’s lips purse like she ate something sour.

  “Well, you weren’t around for me to ask. Besides, when I told him about it, he offered.”

  “This isn’t about the money. When I was your age...”

  “Yes I know, Mom.” Poppy groans in frustration. “You got pregnant. I’ve heard the story a million times. But newsflash... I’m not you. Or have you not figured that out yet?”

  “You don’t have to be like me to get pregnant.”

  “No, but you do have to have sex.”

  I stumble back a step, wondering if I heard that right.

  “Oh don’t act all innocent with me. I’m not stupid.”

  “Well apparently you are, because I have never had sex, Mom. Truthfully, I’ve been too afraid to. Too afraid to repeat your bad choices. Too afraid that history was meant to repeat itself and then I’d never escape you. So, if you’ve done one thing right, you’ve taught me not to turn myself into another cliché.”

  Poppy Harris is a... virgin?

  I’m so taken aback by this news that I miss the next thing she says.

  I knew she didn’t date a lot and that she’s pretty selective about who she lets take her out, but I never realized she was still a virgin. In fact, I can’t wrap my head around it even after hearing her say it out loud. A girl who looks like that, having never been touched...

  My groin instantly stiffens.

  Fuck...

  “Even still, I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I refocus just in time to hear Stella say.

  “Well, I’m eighteen and the trip has already been paid for, so I’d like to see you try to stop me.”

  “I’ll take your car,” Stella threatens.

  “You can’t. It’s my car, in my name, that my father bought me.”

  “You live under my roof. You live by my rules.”

  “What rules? You realize the only time you swoop in and try to act like a mother is when there’s something coming up that I really want to do. It’s like you can sense my excitement and you can’t wait to squash it. Do you hate me that much? That you have to punish me for getting to do things that you never did?”

  “I don’t hate you.”

  “No, you just resent me.”

  “Poppy.”

  “You know what, just go. I’m sure Dan or Joe or whatever the hell his name is tonight is growing impatient out front.” Her hands go to her hips. “Oh, did you think I missed the dress or the way you smell like you bathed in perfume?” She chokes out a laugh.

  “Keep it up and you’ll find yourself in need of somewhere to live.” Stella waves a finger in Poppy’s face.

  “Yeah, like you would kick me out. If you did, who would clean or do the laundry or I don’t know, go to the grocery store every once in a damn while?”

  “I work. I pay for all of this.” Stella gestures around herself.

  “Correction, Dad pays for all of this. But good job trying to take the credit for how we live. Maybe it’s you that might need to find somewhere else to live. I am eighteen after all. My child support is gone when I graduate. Then Dad will finally be free of you. I can’t wait to see what happens when that day comes.”

  At that moment, someone lays on a car horn, the sound causing me to jump slightly.

  “He’s growing impatient,” Poppy taunts.

  I watch Stella, indecision on her face.

  “When you get pregnant and ruin your life, don’t come crying to me.”

  “Pretty sure I’m not as stupid as you are, but thanks for trying to group us in the same category.”

  With that, Stella spins on her high heels and stomps back inside, slamming the door behind her.

  Poppy turns out toward the backyard, her fists balled at her sides. Just a few moments ago she seemed so strong, so sure of herself. But now? Now she looks more like a terrified little girl. I watch her sink to her knees, dropping her face into her hands. Moments later, her soft sobs fill my ears.

  I slowly start to back away, feeling like I’m intruding on something a lot more personal now. Unfortunately, my inebriation has me misjudging my steps and before I realize what’s happened, my foot catches on the side of one of the lounge chairs, and I go tumbling backward, hitting the water with a loud splash.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  POPPY

  “SO WAIT, HE WAS LISTENING to you?” Camila draws back in the passenger seat, seeming appalled by the information I just shared.

  “I mean, I don’t know for sure. But he had to have been able to hear us, right? I mean, it’s not like we were quiet or anything. And then less than a minute after my mom walked inside, I heard what sounded like someone falling into the pool followed by muttered curses and the sound of their back door sliding open and closed. Seems a little suspect, doesn’t it?”


  “Why would he do that? Why would he stand there and eavesdrop like that?”

  “Because he’s Callum Hanson,” April chimes in from the backseat. “That man does whatever he wants with no regard for anyone else.”

  “Yeah, but he sure is fine,” Camila tacks on. “Man, the things I would do to that man.”

  “Camila!” April reaches through the seat and smacks her bicep.

  “What? I’m just saying. That man is yummy.”

  “He’s also a complete asshole,” I interject.

  “You just think that because of how he treated you freshman year. He’s always been super friendly to me,” Camila admits.

  “Probably because he’s trying to fuck you,” I mutter.

  “And I’d let him.” Camila smiles widely. “Though I will say, eavesdropping on you is not cool. I’m surprised you didn’t march over there and tell him off.”

  “And what if it wasn’t him? Then I’d end up making a bigger ass of myself.”

  “Since when has that ever bothered you?” she fires back.

  “Shut up.”

  “I’m just saying.” She shrugs.

  “Whatever.” I blow out a breath. “I don’t even care anymore. It’s not like he hasn’t heard me and my mom go at it before.”

  I purposely leave out the part where I admitted to being a virgin. I’m hoping that maybe he missed that part. Not that it’s some big secret or anything, but I don’t really like the idea of him knowing such intimate details about my life.

  “Did you see her this morning before you left?” April asks, pulling the conversation back to my mom.

  “No, she was out all night... Again.”

  “I’m sorry, P. That stinks.”

  “It is what it is.” I shrug. “I just want to forget all about my mom and have fun with you girls this week.”

  “Just don’t get pregnant and ruin your life,” Camila mocks in her best Stella Harris impression.