**Completed** Cole Galloway has always had just enough of an ego to believe that the women falling at his feet were deserved. With an abundance of charm and looks to die for, who wouldn't want him?
Wynona Caldwell. That's who.
When Cole sets his s...
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Wynn
My pulse hammers away as I re-enter the pole barn hand-in-hand with Ari Castillo. He may have his flaws, but the guy can't stand to see anyone hurt. It's a good thing he's here too because, despite my reputation for not giving a shiz what anybody thinks of me, it's quite the opposite right now.
I'm not okay.
Our classmates gape at us as we push through them, chattering about the new pieces they've gained for their gossip games. All around me I hear my name whispered alongside Wyatt's and Cole's. Apparently, I've been slutting it up with the two of them, half of South's football team and a couple of Dallas Cowboys.
Seems I really get around...
My throat tightens as tears threaten to form in my eyes, and I immediately hate myself for being so affected by my classmates and their vicious tongues. I want to be stronger—unfeeling. But the truth is, in this moment I'm just shy of broken.
Ari releases my hand, casually draping his arm over my shoulders and completely unafraid of what his associating with me might do to his rep. "Let's show 'em how much we value their opinions, huh?" he says quietly, with an arrogant wink. His eyes sparkle mischievously with the kind of twinkle that I know his mama dreads.
"We'll give 'em hell," I reply with a smile, drawing courage from Ari's significant confidence. My heart may be in pieces, but friends like these bless me far beyond what I deserve.
After a few minutes dancing with North High's most eligible bachelor, it's apparent that he might affect my reputation as much as I am his. We look ridiculous— a jolly green giant and a pregnant Playboy bunny dancing like a couple of morons. It's easy enough to ignore my problems when I have Ari dancing shamelessly before me like some sort of maimed giraffe. Every move he makes is off-beat, snapping his fingers out of time as he jumps and gyrates to the music.
"You look like you're being electrocuted, Aurelius," Mari giggles, playfully bumping her enhanced backside into my hip. Nash sidles up beside her in a getup that looks as if it got into a beef with a lawn mower, his clothing distressed in a fashionable manner beneath his gold chains. They're Kim and Kanye... genius.
"Jealous much?" Ari chides, flicking his leg out in a poor attempt to channel his inner Michael Jackson. It hurts to watch, and this is one of his better moves...
"As if!" Mari scoffs, patting my shoulder. "He's embarrassing, right?"
I laugh, bringing a scowl to Ari's face. "Oh, you ain't seen nothin' yet, little mama," he says, sweeping me into his embrace and leading me in circles.
Nash takes his cue from Ari, spinning Mari into his arms, and they begin dancing beside us. I watch as they move together, showing their affection for one another without hesitation. I can see the love they share, written plainly in the goofy grins they wear unabashedly, and I long for the freedom they have.
