Chapter 3
But as soon as she left, I got a text from her.
[Seriously? Seriously? Seriously? You still want him after I already hooked up with him?
[Emma, you're honestly so pathetic.
[Let me warn you, being totally lovesick never ends well.
[He's good for a hookup, but don't even think about dating him.]
Her laid-back attitude had me totally lost.
I texted her back. [Wait, you two aren't actually together?]
She sent me a shocked emoji.
[Oh my god, what are you even thinking? We just hooked up, that's all. Like I'd ever date him, I'm way too busy for that.
[Yeah, he's got some skills in bed, but honestly, there are tons of guys who can do the same.]
She sent me a screenshot of her chat.
[See? I've got a trust fund guy asking me out this afternoon, but I'm still exhausted from last night, so I'll just grab coffee with him and keep it simple.]
I was completely speechless by her words.
I kept my head down, having no idea what to text back.
Lucas suddenly walked into my room.
He sat down next to me, expressionless.
He opened his textbook.
Before my parents left, they brought in some fruit they'd cut up.
"Emma, Lucas, if you get hungry, just grab something from the fridge. No need to wait for us tonight," my mom said.
Before she left, my mom gave me a mischievous grin.
"Go get him, Emma!" she teased.
My dad pumped his fist at me. "My girl's the best!"
Yeah.
My parents had known for ages that I liked Lucas.
Even though they didn't really like Lucas, they still supported me.
"If Emma likes it, it's the best," they'd say.
Suddenly, my eyes grew hot with tears.
Mom, Dad, I was afraid I was going to let you down that time.
When I got back to my room, Lucas dropped the polite smile he'd put on for my parents.
The moment the front door clicked shut, his expression instantly changed.
He looked down at me, his gaze cold and distant.
"Emma, I want you to get this straight. I'm just not into you," he said coldly.
"So what, you think doing all this will make me owe you? Are you trying to guilt me into liking you?"
Lucas leaned in close, closing the distance between us.
His dark eyes sparkled with mocking amusement, full of teasing.
"You keep bringing me meals, dropping off fruit, and asking me to help with your homework.
"What, did I not make myself clear before?
"I have zero interest in you."
I pulled back, putting some space between us.
"You could've just refused," I said.
"What?" Lucas shot back.
"I said, you could've just refused," I repeated.
"You could've said no to my parents' hospitality, turned down helping me with my studies, and just told me to stop being nice to you."
Lucas let out a mocking laugh.
He slouched back into his seat.
"What, gonna cry now? Off to snitch to your parents again?" he sneered.
"So your mom's gonna call mine and say I was mean to you, huh?
"Come on, aren't you a little old for this? Still running to the parents every time?"
I looked at Lucas.
Suddenly, it felt like I'd never really known him at all.
Just a few days ago.
He was still messing up my hair and softly calling me "Emma."
But that day, he looked totally fed up with me, calling me a snitch who only knew how to run to the parents.
I took my textbook back from the table.
"Just go. I don't need you anymore," I said.
He stood up, his expression cold.
"Fine, you said it. Just don't come crawling back to my place and bothering me again," he said.
"And stop asking me to tutor you or help with your homework. I'm so over it."
I held back my tears.
"I won't," I said.
I wouldn't bother you ever again.
Lucas never really warmed up to anyone.
He was good-looking and smart.
No matter where he went, all eyes were on him.
He always kept people at arm's length.
Even when a gorgeous senior made a move, he always kept his distance.
Well, except for me.
About six months ago, I passed out at home because my blood sugar crashed.
My parents just happened to be out.
Lucas found me and, without a second thought, scooped me up in his arms.
That was the first time I'd ever been so close to him.
I could even see the tiny little hairs, like peach fuzz, on his face.
His breath was so close, it made my heart race and left me totally flustered.
Lucas looked down at me and chuckled. "Emma, why is your face so red? Are you running a fever or something?"
After that, things got a little more physical between us.
Sometimes our arms would bump together when we walked next to each other.
He'd use his forkto put food on my plate during meals.
Our elbows would brush against each other when we sat side by side.
He never pulled away from any of it.
So, I thought maybe he liked me, at least a little.
Later, I finally worked up the nerve and told Lucas how I felt.
He just gave me a gentle smile and said no.
"Sorry, Emma, I'm really not ready for a relationship right now. Let's wait until I graduate, okay?"
Even though he turned me down when I confessed, he still let me hang around him.
He even let my parents spoil him and do all sorts of nice things for him.
But now, to him, it was like I was just trying to make him feel indebted to me.
Looking back now, I was such an idiot.
My cousin didn't come home all night.
My mom said she'd gone to the neighboring city.
"She said she went to Yarrowville for a lecture, but who knows if that's true or not," my mom said.
Of course, it was a lie.
I checked her social media feed.
The club was wild, neon lights flashing, music thumping, everyone letting loose.
She was rocking bold makeup, dancing wildly in the crowd.
It looked like she made sure the family couldn't see this post.
I put my phone down, about to go to sleep.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
I went to open the door.
And there he was, Lucas, standing outside.
He already knew the code to our front door.
But now, he was ringing the doorbell instead.
He was obviously trying to act like he wasn't close to us anymore.
"Mr. Grant, Mrs. Grant, I need to talk to Emma for a minute," he said.