Chapter 2

I had barely stepped out the door.

And there was Jayden, carrying Shirley in his arms like a princess.

He looked refreshed and pleased with himself; she looked flushed and glowing.

She'd been curled up against his chest, but the second she saw me and Martin, she hopped right down.

“See, I told you Amelia was already awake!”

Jayden looked at her, all charm and sweetness, his eyes full of adoration.

“I just didn't want you struggling to walk, that's all.”

“Though looking at you now, I guess I didn't try hard enough. You've still got the strength to stand.”

Shirley laughed, shy and coy, and gave his chest a soft little punch of mock anger.

“You're so bad. I don't like you anymore……”

Jayden caught her small hand and kissed it lightly.

“I'm bad, I'm bad. Just don't cry next time, okay?”

The two of them, wrapped up in each other like no one else existed.

I bit down hard on the soft flesh inside my cheek and just wanted to slip past them sideways.

But Shirley grabbed me, all wide-eyed innocence, a challenge in her expression.

“Amelia, don't you want to know how many of the ultra-thins Jayden and I went through?”

I stood where I was and looked at her.

She took my silence for defeat, her eyes gleaming with triumph.

“Jayden and I used four whole ones!”

“And you, Amelia? How many did you and Martin use?”

“Let me guess……at least three, right?”

Jayden glanced at Martin, standing a little behind me, and scoffed:

“Him? Three times? He'd be lucky to manage one.”

“And Shirley, you're really selling me short here.”

“Amelia's my girlfriend. She'll be my wife someday. There's no way she'd let another man touch her……”

“We used them up.” I cut him off.

Jayden didn't understand at first. Then his brows drew tight.

“Amelia, are you telling me you and that broke little nobody……?”

Shirley wrapped both arms around his and cooed at him:

“Jayden, don't be angry.”

“Amelia's obviously just lying to you!”

“Here, I'll just go in and check. Easy.”

Shirley came running back out shrieking, her voice full of shock.

“Oh my God! Jayden, this little sidekick of yours is really something!”

“He and Amelia actually used the entire box!”

Jayden had still firmly believed I would never betray him.

He never imagined I'd actually done it.

He looked at Martin, whose eyes I couldn't read, and ground his back teeth so hard they nearly cracked.

Watching him like this, I only found it funny.

“Wasn't it you who told him to sleep with me?”

“So what is all this now?”

Jayden hadn't expected me to say that. His face went dark, and unwilling to believe it, he yanked me to one side and grabbed my collar.

Buttons popped loose, and the bruises at my collarbone came into view.

Jayden stared, disbelieving.

“Amelia, are you doing this on purpose to get back at me?”

“Just because I didn't believe your little prank yesterday?”

I looked at the man about to lose his mind in front of me and simply shook his hand off.

“You still think this was a prank?”

“Whether it was or not, why don't you go ask your precious childhood friend?”

Jayden turned to Shirley.

Her eyes welled up, and she shook her head, explaining:

“Jayden, it wasn't me……”

I shook his hand off and walked straight toward the elevator.

Seeing me leave, Martin moved to follow, but Jayden blocked him.

Shirley, meanwhile, came chasing after me in tears.

“Amelia, let me explain, I didn't mean for any of it……”

She was running too fast and tripped over her own feet.

And on the way down, she shoved me.

I couldn't get out of the way. I slammed into the corridor wall, and blood seeped from my temple.

“Ah!”

Shirley's scream snapped Jayden out of his scuffle with Martin.

He rushed over, pulled her into his arms, his voice tight.

“Are you okay? Did you hit anything?”

Shirley touched her head weakly. “I'm a little dizzy.”

Jayden's eyes filled with worry. “I'm taking you to the hospital right now.”

He carried her past me without so much as a glance, leaving only a warning behind.

“Amelia, you've gone too far this time.”

“Think long and hard about what you did wrong.”

“Shirley and I will be waiting for your apology.”