Chapter 22

With each passing day, it got closer to the charity event.

Logan and I dove into action once Principal Donna approved our funding, which she sliced down as mercilessly as she could that what was left would only attend to less than half of our budget with a pat on the back and a ‘make it work’ to go with it. Since we couldn’t complain, we got to work, trying to find a way to reduce the fixed budget so we could somehow, make it work.

We also had to find extra volunteers to make things easier, as it was not possible to handle all the workload ourselves. My mom had offered to help, since the event would be on a Saturday. I thought about introducing Logan to her then as we were now officially dating.

I was still a little giddy just thinking about it. It had been almost three weeks but it still managed to make me blush when he referred to me as his girl, which he seemed to like doing. I especially couldn’t stop thinking about our make out sessions; they were getting really spicy now. The other day at his place, I’d screwed around and taken off my top mid make out and words couldn’t describe my excitement at the look that had graced Logan’s face. His pupils had dilated and his eyes had gotten hooded. The way he’d grabbed me ravenously made the butterflies in my stomach to flutter like they were on drugs and I swear they had to have died from all that fluttering.

Trent still frequented my house and my mom, being the amazing woman that she was always welcomed him in even though I told her not to anymore. I was getting tired of explaining to him that Logan and I were serious now. He didn’t seem to care, his argument being that I liked him first and I could like him again.

He also didn’t seem to understand that I didn’t hate him. I just didn’t want him like that anymore.

So, I’d resolved to ignoring him. If you couldn’t fight them, ignore them.

I’d just come out of Biology when Aimee almost collapsed into me. “Lexi!”

I spun around to see her running towards me, even though running in the hallway was strictly prohibited. She finally came to a stop, bending over her knees and panting like a dog in heat. “Jesus, you walk fast.”

“What’s up?” I asked her, my brows furrowing.

“You won’t believe what I just heard,” she panted.

I almost rolled my eyes at her dramatic entrance because Aimee lived for the theatrics. Without it, she was incomplete. “I’m hungry, Aimee. Spit it out.”

She straightened, looking me in the eye. “There have been rumors spreading since this morning about how you’re using Logan to gain popularity.”

I could’ve sworn my heart skipped a beat. “What?”

“I heard it for the second time today about five minutes ago,” she murmured, pity in her eyes.

One of the reasons I was skeptical about dating Logan was because I absolutely disliked being in the spotlight. It was only right to be hesitant. He was the most popular boy at school and I was the smartest girl in school. I mean, come on, it didn’t get more cliché than that. The idea of everybody knowing who I was and being in my business didn’t appeal to me. And would you look at that, I was right.

“Well, what do you think?” I asked her, searching her eyes. It would absolutely break me to find out that my best friend also thought I was an opportunistic hoe.

“I know what you are, Lexi and I know what you’re not.”

Well, that was comforting. I swallowed, trying to calm myself by taking deep breaths. “It’s just stupid rumors. They don’t matter.” Oh, how I hated being the center of attention. I hated walking through the hallways with eyes focused on me and me being the topic of discussion. It made me anxious and anxious Lexi was not fun to be with.

“They wouldn’t,” Aimee added, biting the left side of her cheeks from the inside. “if there weren’t also rumors that you’re secretly dating Trent as well.”

“Jesus freaking Christ,” I snapped. “Who on earth started these ridiculous rumors?”

“I have no idea.”

What was wrong with teenagers? Didn’t they have anything better to do than go around spreading rumors about—

Wait a minute. I was dating Trent was well? Why hadn’t I thought of that?

My legs carried me forward and I marched around in angry until I found who I was looking for. I found him in the cafeteria surrounded by his minions whose mouths probably stunk from all the ass-kissing they were doing.

“I need to you to you,” I announced with a huff, hoping my eyes adequately displayed the anger that was bubbling inside me. “Now.”

Trent’s brows raised, his lips still stretched in the laugh that he’d been engaging in when I showed up. He gestured to his companions to leave us, a king in his own turf. I scoffed.

“What’s up, Fireball?” he chirped once they all walked away, smiling.

“I’m guessing you’ve the rumors making rounds about you and me,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest, intentionally leaving out the part about me and Logan. “Did you start them?”

His face was a mask of confusion. “What rumors?”

I didn’t believe him one bit, mainly because Trent as popular and as such, nothing in school went past him. Even if he hadn’t started them, he certainly didn’t make nay effort to quell them. “Don’t give me that shit, Trent. We both know you know what I’m talking about.”

He stared at me blankly for about five seconds before scoffing a low laugh. “Alright, I’ve heard. What about them? They’re not that bad.”

My mouth fell open. “They’re not that bad? Trent, they’re saying I’m a two-timing opportunist. How’s that not ‘that bad’?”

He made a sound at the back of his throat that sounded terribly like he was mocking me. “Aw, come on, Fireball. Don’t be like that. It’s high school, not real life. Everyone says stupid shit in high school.”

The fact that he was brushing this off so easily was beyond me but I wasn’t in the mood to argue with him. “I just want to know if this was your doing.”

He actually had the heart to look hurt. “I would never do that to you. You know that.”

Sincerity swirled in his eyes, so much so that I didn’t know what to believe anymore. On one hand, he’d been pestering me for weeks to take him back so it wasn’t that farfetched that he would do something like this and on the other hand, I did know him and I knew that he would not stoop to this level. He was better than that.

“I don’t know anymore, Trent. Everything is so messed up.” Tired, I slumped my shoulders, the weight of the situation pulling me down. I missed the time when my life was peaceful and quiet and all I had to worry about planning my next Logan attack.

Suddenly, Trent’s arms were around me and were pulling me close in a warm embrace. I didn’t think about the fact that we shouldn’t be this close, only melted into him and let him hold me as tightly as he could.

Terrible idea because the next thing I heard was my name and when I turned around to find the voice, I found myself staring at a very pissed off Logan.