Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Gemma's Halloween Party
I am seeing stars, my body shaking again, waves still rolling through me like they don’t know how to stop. My legs feel like jelly beneath me as Vincent grunts one last time, his breath hot against my skin, and says it again, rough and unfiltered, “I love you, Elle.”
The words land heavy. Too heavy for a moment like this.
I don’t know what to think. I don’t even know what I feel.
A loud knock hits the door, sharp and sudden, breaking everything. “It’s me!” Gemma calls. “Are you guys done? Matt is looking for you!”
Vincent turns his head toward me, still catching his breath. “Gemma knows… about us?”
“All my girls do.”
He bursts out laughing, like this is all some kind of joke, like we didn’t just cross a line we can’t uncross. We scramble to get dressed, moving around each other in that awkward, too-familiar way. I let Gemma in—she’s seen me naked more times than Vincent has anyway.
She slips inside quickly and shuts the door behind her, locking it without even thinking. I can feel Vincent’s eyes on me the entire time as I pull my clothes back on, like he’s memorizing something.
“You’ve never seen her this naked in this much light?” Gemma teases, giggling. “Take a spin, baby!”
I laugh, because it’s easier than thinking, and I spin once for him. Vincent is sitting at the foot of the bed, elbows on his knees, grinning up at me like nothing is wrong.
Then it hits me again, sharp and ugly.
I stop. “Stop fucking telling me you love me when you cum!!!”
Vincent’s smile drops, his face tightening. “Can we not talk about that in front of Gemma?”
I shake my head and walk into the bathroom, zipping up my jeans, leaning over the sink. My reflection looks off—mascara smudged, lips swollen, eyes too bright. I feel like the worst version of myself.
What the hell have I turned into?
I hear Matt’s voice outside. Gemma must have opened the door. She tells him I got sick, and Vincent backs it up, saying he found me and called her. Hearing him lie like that, so easily, makes something twist deeper in my stomach.
And then it hits.
Hard.
I barely make it to the toilet before everything comes up. My body jerks as I throw up, acid burning my throat, my eyes watering instantly.
Matt rushes in, trying to hold my hair, but I already have it clenched in my fist. I yell at him to leave me alone, my voice breaking through tears.
I’ve never felt this bad about cheating before. Usually I’m already checked out, already gone before I cross that line. This… this is different. This feels like I’m tearing something apart while I’m still inside it.
“Get out, Matt, please!” I beg, wiping my mouth. “I want to be alone!”
He hesitates by the door, clearly torn. “If I leave, it looks bad. If I stay, you’re going to get mad…” His eyes shift to Vincent. “Why are you here? Why were you looking for Elle?”
I rinse my mouth, grab a new toothbrush from under the sink, and brush hard, like I can scrub this whole night out of existence.
When I turn around, they’re staring each other down. Matt in the doorway, Vincent standing now, shoulders tight, jaw set.
“I needed to talk to Elle about something that happened before you two started dating,” Vincent says.
Matt’s eyes snap to me. “What happened between you and my best friend before you became my girlfriend—and how many times?”
He already knows. I can see it in his face.
“We had sex,” I say, forcing it out. “At the dunes. Then again after my first soccer game…” I stop myself. I’m not telling him about tonight. I can’t. “Be mad at me. You were all over Tish, playing games to make me jealous so I’d go out with you. That’s bullshit. You either like me or you don’t. Everything else is just noise.”
“You slept with my best friend… two times?”
“Two or three—whatever. Fuck, it’s four, okay? Four times.” I let out a breath. “And honestly? I’m probably not going to stop.”
The second it leaves my mouth, I regret it. I cover my mouth, but it’s too late.
Matt’s face turns bright red, his chest rising and falling fast.
“Did you two just fuck right now?” he demands, pacing a few steps into the room. “Is that why I couldn’t find you?” He stops, staring at me like he’s seeing me for the first time. “Oh my fucking God… Vincent told you he loves you. It wasn’t Gemma, was it? Did he say it again tonight?”
His eyes gloss over for a second. Then something in him just shuts off.
When he looks back up, his face is cold.
“You’re fucking nothing,” he says. “Just some poor girl from the wrong side of town. My parents were right—have my fun and get out. Why do you think Andreas never made it official? You have no money, no future. You’re nothing. Just a whore.”
“You know nothing about her!” Gemma snaps from behind him.
“Shut up, Gemma,” I say quietly. “Let him talk. Go on, Matt… anything else?”
“I hope you wrapped it up, Vincent,” he adds with a cold laugh. “Don’t let this two-bit tramp trap you with a baby.”
“I can’t have kids, you dumbass,” I snap, louder now. “Why don’t you walk away before I hurt your ego?”
Colt and Nick appear in the doorway, drawn by the noise. Erika and Tish follow, then Andreas pushes his way in. The room suddenly feels too small, too full.
“Fuck you, bitch!” Matt snaps. “I’ve been nothing but nice to you!”
“Nice?” I laugh, sharp and empty. “You couldn’t fuck me right if you tried. I’m glad I don’t have to fake it anymore. Looking at you makes me dry as the Sahara. I should let Vincent fuck me in front of you so he can show you how it’s actually done.”
A few of the guys laugh, low and uncomfortable. That’s all it takes.
Matt snaps.
He pulls his arm back like he’s about to hit me.
I’ve seen that look before. I know exactly what comes next.
Andreas moves fast, stepping in and shoving him back hard. “We don’t fucking hit girls, man! What the fuck is wrong with you?” He shakes his head. “Even mean ones like Elle!”