She's Bad News

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Corinna’s POV

“How did this happen?” I mumbled, walking behind Aaron and Jesse into the house, eyeing the party guests dubiously.

“What?” Aaron asked, slowing his walk so that we were next to each other.

“Nothing,” I mumbled as Jesse threw a glance over his shoulder and winked at me, obviously happy that I’d agreed to go with them even though it had to be temporary insanity on my part.

Aaron chuckled and threw an arm over my shoulders, leaning closer so he could be heard over the crowd. “Listen, I know you don’t really want to be here but Dave’s here and so is Jessica. It wouldn’t kill you to have some fun every once in a while.” His smile disappeared and when I looked up at him, his eyes were serious. “Jesse worries about you, Cor, all the time so maybe just pretend like you’re enjoying yourself?”

I let out a sigh as we moved into the living room of the big house. “I’m not much of an actress,” I mumbled, but I sent him a half-hearted smile anyway, telling him that I’d try.

His eyes glazed over slightly as he looked down at me, his smile becoming slightly lopsided. “Have I told you that you look beautiful tonight?” he asked, his voice husky.

“Are you putting the moves on me right now?” I asked with a roll of my eyes, shrugging my shoulders to remove his arm but he wouldn’t budge.

“I’m just being honest, Cory.”

I let out a long sigh and shifted so that I was facing him, his arm sliding across my shoulders but not leaving them as I planted a hand on his chest. “Aaron, you’re clearly a great guy. You’ve been really nice to me since I got here and I appreciate that but you’re seriously wasting your time. I’m not going to go out with you so please consider giving up,” I said as diplomatically as I could, trying to appeal to his common sense.

“I have considered it,” he said with a shrug before leaning in closer to me once more, his chocolate eyes lit with sincerity as his lips tipped into a small smile. “Very briefly, I’ve considered it but then I’ll see you or think about you and I realize that I’ve never liked someone the way I like you so no, I’m not ready to give up yet. I’m not sure if I ever will be.”

My eyes widened and my pulse picked up speed as his words reached inside of me, warming my heart just slightly. After a beat I let out an exasperated breath and said, “You’re so lame,” pushing on his chest so that he was forced to drop his arm from around my shoulders. I shook my head as he just grinned at me and I felt my lips tip up into an answering smile. “And you’re impossible,” I said, feeling a laugh bubble up in my throat but it died suddenly when my eyes shifted to the side and caught on Tyler Flynn’s green gaze.

He was sitting on a couch just off to Aaron’s right and he was looking at me like I’d just committed a crime. I frowned and tilted my head to the side, wondering why his eyes were blazing like that and why his mouth was turned down in a scowl. My gaze shifted to the girl sitting beside him and I took an involuntary step back when my eyes collided with Rachel’s deep blue ones, everything inside of me going still at the sight of her.

I watched as her lips curved into a satisfied smirk and she reached over to wrap her hands around Flynn’s bicep, leaning close to whisper something in his ear. My gaze rested on her hands on him, feeling an odd burning sensation in my stomach that made me frown. 

Whatever she said to him had an effect because the fire in his eyes burned even brighter and a muscle in his jaw started to tick furiously as he stared at me.