Chapter 29: CHAPTER 29
Amy heard an interesting rumor.
Apparently, while they were parading Kelly around the school, Cross cornered Clara to a wall and held her hands. The bell had rung, so no one heard what he said afterward, but from a distance he appeared rather serious. And Clara annoyed.
Amy didn't like that.
But it was the other rumnor-the one that claimed Clara boldly sat on Cross's lap during frst period...that was the one that put her in a rather delicate mood.
It explained a lot.
Like why, in the next period Cross had decided to end things with her. Their closet arrangement broken. Just like that. He probably set his eyes on Clara and put her on the shelf until he satisfied his curiosity. Amy felt her heart simmer with rage.
Hypocrite.
She pretended to give her good advice, and then did the complete opposite.
Yes, a big hypocrite.
She acts like some calm, self-controlled girl seeking for a "serious" relationship, but then leaves Jacob to chase after Cross.
A deceiving hypocrite.
She tells her to move on from Cross, only to move onto him herself. Amy clenched her pen, pressing it onto the desk until the tip cracked.
It was pretty obvious Clara wanted Cross. At least to her. She had seen the sparkle in her eyes when he teased her. Just friends? Please. Clara was desperate for his attention, and Amy had been stupid enough to fall for her bet and hand her the perfect excuse to go after him.
Still, as hypocritical as Clara was, she'd been right about one thing: Cross wasa player. Which meant his interest grew and waned. Eventually, the attention he gave Clara would dissipate like the morning mist.
Two things made Cross run: time, or the threat of commitment. That had been Amy's mistake. She'd let her feelings show too much. Her open relationship with James had been the perfect set up to convince him she was comfortable keeping things casual. No pressure. No strings attached.
The plan was simple: keep him close until he eventually got attached. And for a while it worked.
She made it easy for him, offering herself in ways he didn't have to put in effort. You can't be intimate with someone for long and not develop any kind of feelings.
But apparently, even that hadn't stopped him from messing with other girls. Which made it all that more annoying that he was clearing out his schedule for Clara.
Whatever. It was temporary. Clara should count her minutes. By the end of the month he'd be bored again, just like always.
A chair creaked beside her. Rubi dropped into the seat with a self-satisfied grin.
"We should've avoided Clara, she ruined everything," Rubi fussed.
Amy side-eyed her. Despite the complaint, Rubi's sigh was one of contentment. Of course she felt great, her plan to humiliate Kelly went perfectly. To think that girl really hadn't checked a mirror in all those periods. She really was gullible. Too bad Clara wouldn't fall for a trick like that.
"I tried to warn you," Amy said flatly
"I know. I was hoping David was nearby to see Kelly, but it was Cross instead..." For a moment, Rubi looked the smallest bit disappointed. Then, she leaned in, grin widening as she witnessed Amy's scowl. "Speaking of --are you going to do anything about it?"
Amy clicked her tongue. "He'll be bored with her soon, especially when she doesn't sleep with him."
"But why wait? Why not do that thing you always do when girls start getting their hopes up?"
Amy pursed her lips, pensive. She'd been planning on doing something else, but maybe it was better to start off with something...milder. Something that would show her where Cross's head was at in all this. I mean, just how much was he actually interested in Cross?
"Come on," Rubi rged, nudging her on. "I'll even write it for you. You won't have to be there, he'll never know it's you."
Amy's gaze flickered to the printer across the room, already picturing the words spilling out in black and white. "How fast can you finish it?"
Rubi giggled, the sound light but edged with satisfaction-as if she took comfort in not being the only one tangled in jealousy.
"How does today sound?"