Getting Wilder ✔️

BONUS: Brad POV

Hello everyone! Your friendly asocial creature is back :D
This is the Brad pov for chapter seventeen: a cocktail of emotions. Read and enjoy!

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"I look like I'm trying way too hard."

Kailey sighed. "That's because you are, Brad."

I took a deep breath, gazing at my reflection in the mirror and then at the clock mounted on the wall to my right. It was four, I still had almost three hours before the party started. I studied my white t-shirt and brown leather jacket carefully, wondering if it was too corny. 

"Maybe I should go for something simpler," I spoke under my breath as Kailey gave a frustrated sigh. I glanced at where she was sprawled on the bed. "Like...you know to look more...approachable."

"Honey, I'm sorry to break this to you but there is hardly any situation under the sun where my brother would approach you out of his own free will," her eyes darkened as if in sadness and she shook her head. "It would be much better if you just apologized to him instead of this extravagant shit."

"Do you think he would listen?"

"No," she said, "he likes Wilder. A lot. And with everything you have pulled, I do not see any reason why he would suddenly agree to date you."

"Which is why I didn't want to invite Collins," I said, feeling a surge of jealousy as I turned to face her. She propped herself on her elbow and gazed at me questioningly as I continued. "But of course, you had to invite Kendra who will, of course, arrive with him."

"Which might actually work in your favour, dumbshit," she said, rolling her eyes. "That way Nico would see that Wilder is with Kendra and he should probably get over him. Then you can be nice for a change."

"What about Collins?" I asked hesitantly, "does he like Nico too?"

She pursed her lips and sat straight, averting her eyes. "I don't think he will make a move so it shouldn't matter."

She didn't elaborate further and I wondered if there was something that she was hiding. I raked a hand through my hair and sighed. "I hope I'm not imposing on him too much. But somehow I can't help feeling that maybe if he would just forgive me..."

My words trailed off. I still remembered that day in the school parking lot when I had tripped him over and read his journal for the entire school to hear. The thought seemed to freeze my chest, enclosing my heart in an icy cage. I wasn't sure what had made me be so cruel. I had been jealous of the way he had talked about Collins, and that envy had paved way to petty wrath. 

Watching him suffer had only given my fickle ego a savage thrill of pleasure. I had acted on petty and bitter jealousy and hurt him badly in the process. I wasn't even sure if he could find it in himself to forgive me. Especially considering the fact that my stupid mistake had made Collins swoop in and save the day and also take him home. 

'If you ever hurt him again you've got hell to pay, Jones.'

Collins' warning still rang clear in my head. I hadn't hurt him on purpose. I had simply been desperate for him to see me as more than his childhood bully. But it looked like the scars I had etched had been too deep. 

"Just get him here and...I'll take care of the rest," I said to Kailey as she rolled her eyes again. She rose to her feet, crossing her arms in front of her chest and glared at me.