The CEO and Fate✔️

Chapter 18

She seemed angered by the nickname. "Oh, I don't know, Bambi. How about you explain to me if this is okay?" She snapped and she got up and shoved her phone in my face.

My heart dropped. I paled.

It was a text message from Gracelyn. And in it? A picture from a photographer of Jake hugging me protectively to his side at the party Saturday.

"Uh," I stammered. "That could be anyone?"

She looked at me incredulously. "Are you serious right now, Alexa?"

I stared at her, struggling immensely to answer the question. I had marched out here with a sensible and mature explanation for everything, but seeing her hurt and in disbelief threw everything out the window.

"Skylar, it's such a long story, I have no idea where to begin," I begged. "But I promise I didn't do any of this to hurt you."

"Sixty seconds," she scoffed.

"Jake hit on me when I first came here. And he's been after me ever since," I began, though it sounded so conceited when I said it like that.

"And what about after I told you that he was the only guy I have ever been in love with?"

I dropped my eyes, ashamed. "Well, Gretchen told me about that party. And I—I needed a date. He was the only person I could think of."

She threw her hands up in the air. "You're telling me you couldn't call up the courage to call your ex but you had no problem booty calling mine?"

"No, Skylar, it's not like that!"

She shook her head. "Alexa, this isn't me being petty. This is me being hurt. I trusted so much of my personal life with you."

"And I appreciate that—"

She threw me a withering look. "Don't give me that. Just don't. You can't appreciate my honesty while you went around fucking with Jake the whole time."

"But I," I stammered. "I don't like him. I never have. I wasn't lying about my ex."

Why couldn't the damn words come out the right way?

"Then why the hell did you string him along and then try and push me back to him? To ease your guilty conscience?" She snapped.

"No! Well, maybe—"

She scoffed. "I'm so stupid. I should've listened to the NYC motto to never get to know your neighbors."

"Skylar," I begged. "Your friendship has meant so much when I had nothing. Please don't say that."

"Clearly it wasn't worth as much as Jake's dick."

My mouth dropped. "No."

Behind her hurt, I saw devastation. And disappointment. About me and about Jake.

"Tell me," she said slowly, "What was your plan tonight? Was there even an ex for you to invite? Or did you just want to get my hopes up only to throw Jake in my face?"

I felt like I had been slapped In the face. That she thought that low me. Desperate, I blurted, "Blake's my ex."

Her eyes widened.

"I don't like Jake," I continued quickly. "I—I've known for Blake since high school. He's the reason I've continued hanging around Jake."

She took a deep breath. "I don't know what to believe, Alexa. And even if you're telling the truth, that just means you've been using us, and I won't tolerate that. And I definitely don't want that drama at my birthday."