Chapter 46
I blink. Once. Twice.
My voice comes out hoarse and shaky when I speak. “What did you just say?”
Peter leans forward and takes both of my hands in his. I let him, and they’re limp in his grip.
“I’m hopelessly, irrevocably in 1-” He’s unable to finish his sentence and bursts into laughter, his entire being shaking from the intensity of his amusement.
I hiss and snatch my hand out of his grip.
“You’re such a dick.”
He wheezes. “Did you…see…your…f–face?” He howls, actual tears running down his cheeks.
“You looked terrified!”
“Yeah, the thought of being with you terrifies me,” I snap. “I don’t think you should be happy about that.”
“Oh, come on,” Peter says, still chuckling as he wipes his face. “We would be magic together.”
“Barf.”
He clutches his chest. “First, you reject me; now you’re adding salt to the wound.”
I sigh, massaging my temple. “I don’t have time or energy for this, Peter.”
“True. You need to get to work on fixing your dress.”
I snort. “Yeah, right.”
He shrugs. “You made it, didn’t you? Pretty sure nobody can fix shit like the original manufacturer.”
“It’s in tatters,” I emphasize.
He checks his watch. “So you’ve got about twelve hours to work.”
Something tiny prickles my skin. I can fix it.
I shake my head, bouncing the thought out before it can take root. “I’m going home.”
Peter sighs. “Do you know why I publicly made fun of you so much after that whole stunt with Nathan back in school?”
I pause. “That’s random.”
He nods. “Well?”
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13:03 Fri, Oct 3
Chapter 46
I shrug. “I don’t have a clue.”
“Because you spent the entirety of high school before that hiding in the shadows. No one knew you existed. That move you made on Nathan was the boldest thing you’d ever done, and I knew that when he rejected you, you would retreat to your shell again till you graduated.”
He shrugged. “So I made sure neither you nor anyone else would forget you existed, and it was impossible for you to hide.”
My jaw drops. “What the fuck?”
Peter smirks. “Genius, no?”
I lean forward and smack his shoulder as hard as I can. “No! That is the most psychotic thing I’ve ever heard! The last months of high school were hell for me!”
His smirk turns into a sheepish smile.
“I had good intentions?”
I smack him again.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” he groans, rubbing his arm.
“Dumbass,” I mutter.
He sighs. “The point I’m trying to make is that you tend to run and hide when the going gets tough.”
“Yeah, that’s how animals in the wild survive.”
He shrugs. “I would argue that were not in the wild, but that wouldn’t be quite true.”
I scoff. “Yeah.”
“Whatever. Dude, you’ve been in love with my brother since you were sixteen, and now you have a chance to be with him. Are you seriously telling me that you’re going to let some snake in human skin ruin that chance?”
I wrinkle my nose and hold up one finger. “First of all, I am not in love with Nathan.”
I hold up a second finger. “Secondly, you and I know there’s no ‘chance.‘ I was never going to win.”
I hold up a third finger. “And lastly, I’m starting to think your brother isn’t who I thought he was, and he deserves the snake.”
I hold up my fourth finger. “Lastly, don’t call me ‘dude.“”
Peter throws his head back and groans. “Ughhhh. Dude, what is it going to take to make you stay?”
I shrug. “Nothing.”
Pater looks at me for a tense moment, and I match his gaze. Then he shrugs. “Fine.”
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13:03 Fri, Oct 3
Chapter 46
I blink. “Fine?”
“You can go if you want. If there’s no part of you that still wonders…that still wants to see what this competition could bring out. If you truly think your dress is irredeemable, if you know you’re done with everything–the friends you’ve made, fune’s easy healthcare, and your budding relationship with Nathan.” Peter shrugs. “You can leave.”
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7 days ago
I hope Peter and Eliza fall in love…
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