The Lifeguard Hates You (Completed)

July Chapter 16

I sit outside on one of the picnic benches in shock.

My so-called-boyfriend is already someone else's boyfriend. So if he lied about his relationship status what else has he lied about? To be honest, I'm not that surprised. I'm more surprised at how surprised I seem not to be.

My stomach heaves again and I force it to settle. I will not be throwing up on my birthday unless I'm black out drunk.

I still couldn't believe it. Not the fact that Bryce had never broken up with Marnie like he said he did, but that Jay had been right. He was never going to let me live this down.

"Rory?" I hear Bryce ask. He's close to me, standing right beside me but I don't look up. Instead, I push myself up and try to walk away. "Come on Rory wait, let me explain!"

At this I whirl around to glare at him. "Explain? How the hell can you explain this to me? What else is there to say except: I lied?"

Bryce had the decency to look distressed. "That's not true. We were on a break, or at least that was what she told me..."

"Oh stop your lying!" I snap at him. "Tell me the truth!"

"I'm not lying, we were on a break! But I was going to break up with her for good, honest!" he starts but something on my face silences him. "Look, you can't tell her. Please. She'll kill me. And you don't want to know what she'll do to you."

"Fine, I'll keep your secret, but you have tell me why you did all this, the real reason," I order.

Bryce looks down to his feet, a redness on his cheeks. "Because I like you. I truly just wanted to be with you," he whispers.

My heart aches because I want to believe him. But the truth is, I don't. Not even a little bit. He's lying to me again. But I'm too afraid to ask him for the truth now, because it must be really bad.

Marnie bangs her way out of the house. Though she's been throwing every door open with a ferocity that's really not needed. She comes over to us with a dangerous smile glinting on her face. I don't know what she has to be so smug about, it's not like she knew he was cheating on her with me. I doubt the situation wouldn't have gone over so smooth if she knew.

"So I hear we're going to a party tonight," she says. "At Coog's."

She says that last bit with acid in her tone, like the place was beneath her. Like she hadn't spent most of her younger years drunk in that bar and puking in its toilets.

"Oh she's coming to my birthday party?" I ask turning to Bryce who's wincing at me. "Oh isn't that just wonderful?"

She must have heard the sarcasm in my voice because she slides up to Bryce and clings to his arm. "And why wouldn't I go? I'm his girlfriend," she snarls.

"Oh, I don't know? How about you surprised us all by showing up unannounced? I have my Earth and Body friends coming and I'm not sure they want to see you? And I didn't invite you. How about that?" I snap back.

Her eyes narrow at me. "Well maybe I needed to come back unannounced. Maybe I need to go to this party. To stop some stupid little bitch from thinking she's dating my boyfriend."

Okay. So maybe she did know.

"Come on now, Em," Bryce says. "I told you already, I'm not dating her."

He says it like it's a stupid idea. Someone like him with someone like me is ridiculous. It's amazing how quickly he went from "I only want you" to "you're not good enough". I take a step back so I don't slap them both.

"Besides, she has a boyfriend," he tells her and internally I wince.

"Yep," I find myself saying. "Of course, I have a boyfriend. Why the hell would I want yours when I have my own? Specially since you've made it clear that you can't trust yours?"

Bryce has the good grace to wince at that comment and Marnie clearly has nothing else to say to me for she simply walks away dragging Bryce with her. I wait for them to disappear into the house before I slump back down onto the picnic bench.

Great. I had eight hours to find myself a boyfriend. Couldn't be hard. Right?