Read Online Project Paper Doll by Stacey Kade - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stacey Kade
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Zane. You know, his mom abandoned him. She stuck around for Quinn, but not for him .…
Son of a bitch. I could feel the burning mix of humiliation and rage rising up inside me. People talking about me behind my back in the guise of pretending to care or wanting to help—was that ever going to go away?
“Just trying to look out for you, man,” he muttered.
Yeah, but he was one of the few. Everyone else was just in it for the entertainment value, something to add a little interest to an otherwise boring day. And I didn’t want to talk about it, even with Trey.
Rachel was waiting in the parking lot next to her car when we pulled in. She was all smiles, waving at Trey as though she hadn’t demolished him only last night. He sprang out of the car, barely taking the time to put it in park first.
“Baby,” she cooed, throwing her arms around him.
Dude. He should rip his heart out of his chest and toss it on the ground. Save her the time and effort.
I grabbed my backpack, got out, and slammed the door.
Rachel pulled away from Trey. “Zane,” she said in greeting. She patted Trey’s shoulder. “I hope Trey explained everything from last night.” She was smiling, but I could see the calculating going on beneath the surface and maybe more than a little anger. She wasn’t happy she’d had to work so hard to win Trey back to her side. Good.
I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything.
“So you’re still on board with our little plan?” she asked.
“Asking Ariane Tucker to Bonfire Week and then what? Pouring pig’s blood in her locker?” There had to be a catch here somewhere, I knew it.
Rachel gave me a disgusted look, probably at the idea that she’d repeat a trick so close to the one she’d pulled yesterday with Jenna. “No. It’s like we talked about. Take her to Bonfire Week.”
“Except for the party at your house,” I said. There was no way Ariane rated highly enough on the social scale to receive that invite.
Rachel’s eyes sparkled. “No, especially the party at my house.”
Uh-oh. “And then what?” I demanded.
She lifted her shoulders and gave me a wicked smile. “Nothing. Not our fault if she falls for your charms and you suddenly and publicly change your mind and dump her…loudly.”
I sighed. Rachel couldn’t guarantee a good party without a show, and humiliation was her specialty. I’d been into it once. Feeling better by making other people feel worse. But after living with my dad constantly on my back for the last year or so, I’d lost my taste for it.
But if I refused now, she’d probably send Jonas, who wouldn’t hesitate to follow through. And then it would become all about me, poor messed-up Zane. What happened to him after last year? He’s no fun anymore. Blah, blah, blah. All the whispers and looks of fake concern that I hated.
Saying yes, though, would mean Rachel had me under her thumb, like Trey. My dad was already attempting to run my life; I didn’t need someone else telling me what to do.
A fierce wave of white-hot fury flooded up through my chest. I was trapped. Son of a bitch. I would not be backed into this corner.
“Hello? Zane? You in there?” Rachel waved a hand in front of my face and then exchanged a faux-concerned look with Trey, playing her role to perfection.
Unless… In a quick flash, the all-too-familiar pieces of the scheme—Rachel, a plan, a victim, Ariane Tucker, humiliation—fell together in a slightly different order; one I was willing to bet Rachel had never considered.
Maybe Rachel should get a taste of her scheming world from a slightly different angle. Nothing too dramatic—I wasn’t an idiot. Just something to make her think twice. I might not be able to get my dad off my back, but Rachel was a different story.
I smiled grimly. “Sure,” I said. “I’m in.”
Trey nodded in happy approval. Rachel squealed and threw herself into Trey’s arms and then promptly winked at me—long, slow, and seductive—over his
Son of a bitch. I could feel the burning mix of humiliation and rage rising up inside me. People talking about me behind my back in the guise of pretending to care or wanting to help—was that ever going to go away?
“Just trying to look out for you, man,” he muttered.
Yeah, but he was one of the few. Everyone else was just in it for the entertainment value, something to add a little interest to an otherwise boring day. And I didn’t want to talk about it, even with Trey.
Rachel was waiting in the parking lot next to her car when we pulled in. She was all smiles, waving at Trey as though she hadn’t demolished him only last night. He sprang out of the car, barely taking the time to put it in park first.
“Baby,” she cooed, throwing her arms around him.
Dude. He should rip his heart out of his chest and toss it on the ground. Save her the time and effort.
I grabbed my backpack, got out, and slammed the door.
Rachel pulled away from Trey. “Zane,” she said in greeting. She patted Trey’s shoulder. “I hope Trey explained everything from last night.” She was smiling, but I could see the calculating going on beneath the surface and maybe more than a little anger. She wasn’t happy she’d had to work so hard to win Trey back to her side. Good.
I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything.
“So you’re still on board with our little plan?” she asked.
“Asking Ariane Tucker to Bonfire Week and then what? Pouring pig’s blood in her locker?” There had to be a catch here somewhere, I knew it.
Rachel gave me a disgusted look, probably at the idea that she’d repeat a trick so close to the one she’d pulled yesterday with Jenna. “No. It’s like we talked about. Take her to Bonfire Week.”
“Except for the party at your house,” I said. There was no way Ariane rated highly enough on the social scale to receive that invite.
Rachel’s eyes sparkled. “No, especially the party at my house.”
Uh-oh. “And then what?” I demanded.
She lifted her shoulders and gave me a wicked smile. “Nothing. Not our fault if she falls for your charms and you suddenly and publicly change your mind and dump her…loudly.”
I sighed. Rachel couldn’t guarantee a good party without a show, and humiliation was her specialty. I’d been into it once. Feeling better by making other people feel worse. But after living with my dad constantly on my back for the last year or so, I’d lost my taste for it.
But if I refused now, she’d probably send Jonas, who wouldn’t hesitate to follow through. And then it would become all about me, poor messed-up Zane. What happened to him after last year? He’s no fun anymore. Blah, blah, blah. All the whispers and looks of fake concern that I hated.
Saying yes, though, would mean Rachel had me under her thumb, like Trey. My dad was already attempting to run my life; I didn’t need someone else telling me what to do.
A fierce wave of white-hot fury flooded up through my chest. I was trapped. Son of a bitch. I would not be backed into this corner.
“Hello? Zane? You in there?” Rachel waved a hand in front of my face and then exchanged a faux-concerned look with Trey, playing her role to perfection.
Unless… In a quick flash, the all-too-familiar pieces of the scheme—Rachel, a plan, a victim, Ariane Tucker, humiliation—fell together in a slightly different order; one I was willing to bet Rachel had never considered.
Maybe Rachel should get a taste of her scheming world from a slightly different angle. Nothing too dramatic—I wasn’t an idiot. Just something to make her think twice. I might not be able to get my dad off my back, but Rachel was a different story.
I smiled grimly. “Sure,” I said. “I’m in.”
Trey nodded in happy approval. Rachel squealed and threw herself into Trey’s arms and then promptly winked at me—long, slow, and seductive—over his
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