Wonderland

❄B23❄ Money Is Never A Problem For Engineers

Chapter Twenty-Three

Brayden's POV

Money Is Never A Problem For Engineers

November 14

"Where were you last night?" Berkeley asked, when we were having lunch at a pizzeria.

"With Heather," I replied, finishing my pizza.

"Heather," she repeated, as if she couldn't believe I'd said that.

"What? She's my best friend," I said.

"Why didn't you ask me to tag along?"

I rolled my eyes. "Because you hate hiking." I asked her last week if she wanted to go hiking with Tyler and I at Lincoln Park, but she had refused.

"So? I would've made an effort."

"Berkeley, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have liked it." Not even Heather liked it. Well, I mean, towards the end she didn't. Her behavior baffled me last night. She was so cheery earlier on, but then suddenly, towards the end, she wasn't. She stopped talking to me, and she looked as if she just wanted to die. I wasn't sure what I had done to make her so upset, and I was too afraid to ask. If there's one thing I've learned in life, it's to give people space when they're upset.

"I wish you would've asked me," she said, hurtfully.

"I'm not going to spend every waking minute with you, you know. We may be dating, but there is no way I'm going to hang out with you all the fucking time," I snapped, annoyed with her behavior.

"You surely seem to hang out with Heather a lot!"

"No!" I defended. "I've barely gotten to hang out with her ever since we got together."

"Sasha overheard Kane telling his friends that you took Heather to a butterfly garden last week. And you say you barely get to hang out with her."

Fuck. I can't believe Kane had said something about that to his friends. Lesson learned: never tell Kane anything.

"Compared to you, I really don't hang out with her much. And Berkeley, calm the fuck down. She's my best friend, and you know I'm against cheating. Plus, you don't see me complaining about you socializing with your ex." I see her talking to him all the time whenever she takes me to those stupid parties of hers, but unlike her, I don't think much of it because I trust her.

Sometimes, she makes me want to yank my fucking hair out.

Berkeley bit down on her bottom lip, her face red. I swear her eyes were wetter than normal, too. I suddenly felt bad for snapping at her. I sighed. "Berks?"

"Don't call me that," she said, through gritted teeth. "I really hate you right now. I feel like you like her more than me."

"If I did, then I would've asked her out ages ago. She's just a friend."

"That's what they all say!"

"Okay, I tried to make you feel better, but I guess it's not working. Why don't you come talk to me when you're out of bitch mode?"

Berkeley's mouth dropped open. "Pardon me?"

"Yeah, you heard me. If we're going to be in a relationship together, then I'd like it very much if I could get some trust. You make it seem like I'm player-which I'm completely not-and I'm actually pretty offended you'd even think of me that way."

"I never said that!" she exclaimed.

"Well, you certainly insinuated it." Not wanting to cause a scene in the middle of the peaceful pizzeria, I paid for our food before storming out of the restaurant without another look back at her.