Chapter 24 Mia 2
Ava Reed
I yank my hoodie over my head so hard I nearly rip the damn thing. My fingers were shaking in frustration as I shove my arms through the sleeves, my pulse still pounding from what I saw.
I don’t even know who I’m more pissed at. Him, for letting Mia touch him, or myself, for believing, even for a second, that I was different. That we were different.
I scoff under my breath, dragging my jeans up my legs. How fucking stupid can I be?
Liam has always been smooth. Confident. The way he looked at me last night, the way he whispered my name like it was the only word he knew, of course it was an act. He’s a player, and I just let myself become another one of his games.
Fuck my life for real.
I slap my locker shut and take a deep breath, trying to push the anger down, but it keeps simmering, bubbling up, demanding an outlet.
The locker room door swings open, and I freeze when I hear the voices.
A few of the guys walk in, talking loudly, still hyped up from practice. I move quickly, stepping behind the row of lockers so they don’t immediately see me. I don’t know why I do it, maybe because I don’t want to deal with anyone right now. But then I hear his name.
“Dude, I cannot believe she had the balls to just show up like that,” I think Raymond’s voice says.
“Right? Like, what the fuck? You don’t just walk out on a guy like that and waltz back in like nothing happened.” Ethan joins in
I furrow my brows, my heart thudding against my ribs.
“Liam was so into her,” Logan adds, his tone more serious. “You remember how bad he was when she left? It fucked him up. That whole season was a disaster because of her.”
My stomach twists.
“Yeah, man. She broke his heart, and now she’s acting like she didn’t just disappear on him. Like she didn’t wreck him.” Raymond says
I exhale sharply. My anger shifting from Liam to Mia.
I was so damn quick to assume the worst about him. I was ready to believe that he was some smooth player, working me just like he worked everyone else. But if what they’re saying is true, if Mia really broke him like that, then maybe, just maybe, I was wrong.
And I fucking hate being wrong.
“Think he’ll take her back?” one of them asks.
There’s a short silence before someone snorts. “Hell no. Liam’s done with her. He didn’t even look happy to see her. I just hope Mia gets it into her thick skull this time.”
A slow smirk creeps onto my lips.
Oh, Mia.
My fingers tighten around the strap of my bag, my anger settling into something sharper. You just waltzed in here like you still had a claim on him. Like you could break his heart, leave him shattered, and then come back when it was convenient for you.
She thinks she can just reclaim him?
Let’s see about that.
I push my locker shut with a quiet click, a new plan forming in my mind. If Mia wants a game, I’ll play it better. Because unlike her, I’m not walking away.