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Book: Other Side of Beautiful (A Beautifully Disturbed #1) by Sarah Zolton Arthur
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Authors: Sarah Zolton Arthur
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couldn’t the night have a do over? I’m her friend. If she can’t see anything else, can’t she at the very least see that I punched a dude out because she’s my friend? But Elle acts pissy instead of appreciative. The fight drained from me, I wait. She finally climbs into the passenger side and pulls the door shut.
I back up and pull hard on the steering wheel, driving forward to ease us back onto the right side of the road. I want her to say something to me, I think I deserve it. But she just sits there, teeth chattering. As we drive, I crank the heat all the way up, directing all the vents her way. My fingers painfully prickle, wanting to touch her while she rubs hers together vigorously in front of the blasting heat.
“Thank you,” she finally manages, although it might have come too late. I barely even glance her way. And turn up the radio.
Chapter 9
Ben
“You told me to ask her out.” I’m so pissed that even with my busted knuckles I take a swing at my best friend in the world. The guy had my back tonight and I take a swing at him. He dodges and lays a good one on me, knocking me on my ass.
“Stay down if you know what’s good for you, Hayes.”
Hayes, what the fuck? I can’t remember the last time he called me Hayes. But I also can’t remember the last time I took a swing at him.
“Asking her to come to Rounder’s is not asking her out. You suddenly forgot how to talk to a girl?”
“What would you know about—” He leaps on me and I don’t even bother to fight back. I cannot believe what I almost said to him. Collin of all people. There’s pounding in my ears growing louder and more frantic. But then, maybe it’s not in my ears. I don’t know. It’s like I blank out and blank back in. Then Kip breaks through our front door. He must have heard the fighting and rushes us, pulling Collin away from me.
“Go,” he says to me. We’re all breathing heavy.
“This is my apartment.”
Col looks so angry I see tears in his eyes. Kip lays a hand on his chest and the look softens just slightly. “Just fucking go. Please .”
Kip is good people. “Sorry.” I look my best friend directly in the eye. He nods. Probably about as curtly as I nodded at Elle tonight, and I leave.
Where the hell am I even going to go so late at night? I don’t know and don’t really care, I just climb in my Jeep and drive. Collin was right. Rounder’s isn’t a date. I just don’t know what to do around her. How stupid is that? My drive takes me down some back secluded roads with some pretty spotty reception, I realize when my iTunes radio goes out. After about fifteen minutes of silent wandering my phone flashes. Kelly. She doesn’t call me, so I answer right away. Something might be wrong with Elle.
“Is everything okay?” I ask without even saying hello. Smooth.
She giggles at me through the line. “Yes. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Because you don’t ever call.”
“We should really remedy that.”
We don’t even like each other half of the time. I’m nice to her for Elle’s sake and because I kind of feel sorry for her—those issues again. “What do you need, Kel?”
“Well, Elly and I are heading to Chicago on Friday for Pop Fest.” I don’t like the way she’s still calling her Elly when Elle feels so uncomfortable with the name. Still, I’m determined to keep my cool here and answer back instead, “You’re getting Elle to Pop Fest?”
“She’s doing it for me. She does what I ask. It’s how we work.” Okay, I don’t like that either. It sounds like she’s being taken advantage of, and not in the way I’d like to take advantage. “So anyway, I thought you’d like to come with.”
“Yes.” The word leaves my mouth before I even have time to contemplate why she’s asking me. The woman just gave me my in. Me and Elle in Chicago. At the end of this she’s either going to be my girl or shut me down. And the second I can’t accept as a plausible reality.
I back up and pull hard on the steering wheel, driving forward to ease us back onto the right side of the road. I want her to say something to me, I think I deserve it. But she just sits there, teeth chattering. As we drive, I crank the heat all the way up, directing all the vents her way. My fingers painfully prickle, wanting to touch her while she rubs hers together vigorously in front of the blasting heat.
“Thank you,” she finally manages, although it might have come too late. I barely even glance her way. And turn up the radio.
Chapter 9
Ben
“You told me to ask her out.” I’m so pissed that even with my busted knuckles I take a swing at my best friend in the world. The guy had my back tonight and I take a swing at him. He dodges and lays a good one on me, knocking me on my ass.
“Stay down if you know what’s good for you, Hayes.”
Hayes, what the fuck? I can’t remember the last time he called me Hayes. But I also can’t remember the last time I took a swing at him.
“Asking her to come to Rounder’s is not asking her out. You suddenly forgot how to talk to a girl?”
“What would you know about—” He leaps on me and I don’t even bother to fight back. I cannot believe what I almost said to him. Collin of all people. There’s pounding in my ears growing louder and more frantic. But then, maybe it’s not in my ears. I don’t know. It’s like I blank out and blank back in. Then Kip breaks through our front door. He must have heard the fighting and rushes us, pulling Collin away from me.
“Go,” he says to me. We’re all breathing heavy.
“This is my apartment.”
Col looks so angry I see tears in his eyes. Kip lays a hand on his chest and the look softens just slightly. “Just fucking go. Please .”
Kip is good people. “Sorry.” I look my best friend directly in the eye. He nods. Probably about as curtly as I nodded at Elle tonight, and I leave.
Where the hell am I even going to go so late at night? I don’t know and don’t really care, I just climb in my Jeep and drive. Collin was right. Rounder’s isn’t a date. I just don’t know what to do around her. How stupid is that? My drive takes me down some back secluded roads with some pretty spotty reception, I realize when my iTunes radio goes out. After about fifteen minutes of silent wandering my phone flashes. Kelly. She doesn’t call me, so I answer right away. Something might be wrong with Elle.
“Is everything okay?” I ask without even saying hello. Smooth.
She giggles at me through the line. “Yes. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Because you don’t ever call.”
“We should really remedy that.”
We don’t even like each other half of the time. I’m nice to her for Elle’s sake and because I kind of feel sorry for her—those issues again. “What do you need, Kel?”
“Well, Elly and I are heading to Chicago on Friday for Pop Fest.” I don’t like the way she’s still calling her Elly when Elle feels so uncomfortable with the name. Still, I’m determined to keep my cool here and answer back instead, “You’re getting Elle to Pop Fest?”
“She’s doing it for me. She does what I ask. It’s how we work.” Okay, I don’t like that either. It sounds like she’s being taken advantage of, and not in the way I’d like to take advantage. “So anyway, I thought you’d like to come with.”
“Yes.” The word leaves my mouth before I even have time to contemplate why she’s asking me. The woman just gave me my in. Me and Elle in Chicago. At the end of this she’s either going to be my girl or shut me down. And the second I can’t accept as a plausible reality.
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