Chapter 45
I groaned mentally, realizing what I just admitted for the second time that night. I took a seat across Adam and took the burger from the tray, unwrapping it and stabbed the drink's plastic lid with a straw. I took a long sip, letting the soda prick the insides of my mouth and relishing the feel of it trickle down my throat.
I looked up, sinking my teeth into the burger and took a bite. Adam was staring at me with his eyebrows furrowed and a fry sticking out of his mouth while he chewed on it slowly, deep in thought.
"What?" I asked once I swallowed down the food and downed it with some more soda. He shook his head at me and an amused smirk appeared. It was the mischievous kind that makes you question yourself and regret ever starting the conversation in the first place.
"Someone got jealous," he teased and I could feel a blush coming up, causing me to avert my eyes elsewhere. Anywhere but his dimple decorated face.
"I was not jealous." I muttered in a weak attempt to defend myself. I was embarrassed because first, he wasn't even my boyfriend. Hell, I'm not even sure he likes me in that way. I'm plain old Case while he's him.
Go figure.
I'm the girl that's always been living in the dark while he practically owns the spotlight. He's the Golden Boy while I'm Dumbo. Not the cute one either.
"You know my mother received another envelope with a bunch of money again last night." He announced aloud, cutting my train of thoughts short.
I can feel my heartbeat escalate and I quirked an eyebrow, trying to come off nonchalant about it.
"Oh?"
He nodded in apprehension, unaware of my attempts at trying to even out my breathing. I'm terrible at acting.
"Yeah, it's been going great since the money started coming in but I can't stop worrying on where it came from and more than that, who it came from."
I started thinking frantically. He found out. Shit, he found out. He knows it's me. He won't let me fight anymore. Or worse, he won't accept any of the money anymore.
Suddenly, just like that, a fry flew and hit me on the forehead snapping me out of the silent anxiety attack.
"Stop staring off like that, it creeps me out, you freak!" He teased with a playful tone and surprisingly, I didn't even feel offended by the name calling. After all, I did introduce myself as a freak when we first met.
"Jerk," I decided to play the ‘who gets the last insult' game. "Bitch."
"Man-whore."
"Hoe."
"Dickhead."
"Ass-hat."
"Fucktard."
"Imbecile."
I fake gasped at that one and he pursed his lips, trying to hold in a laugh.
"Child molester!" I cried out in fake horror and he couldn't seem to take it anymore. He bursted out into a round of laughter, making me join him in a guffawing mess and tears started to escape at how hard I was laughing.
"Okay, you win." He backed off and I smirked triumphantly. Beat that, you assholes. He muttered something as his eyes roamed my face, drinking in every detail of my features. My face was flushed from laughing so hard and my probably rosy cheeks ached at how wild my smile was.
"Cassandra Johnson, I think I might have fallen for you."
And just like that my world froze and everything stilled. I choked on my drink, trying to soak in what he just stated. Did he just confess his feelings for me?
What?
I stared at him long and hard with wide eyes.
"Come again?"
He sucked in a breath before repeating his statement, making my heartbeat kick up a few notches.
I gaped at him, my mouth opening and closing like a dying koi.
When I finally conjured up a decent sentence and was about to voice it aloud, someone cut me to it and made my whole body go rigid.
No. Not now. Not today; anytime but today.
You can't do this, I muttered mentally towards the Fates but I realized too late that the Fates were as cruel as the sense of the word goes. I turned around to face the familiar scowl that was etched on his annoying face.
"Ah, the annoying little Ms. Fighter," his gruff voice greeted as I got out of my seat and turned, gritting my teeth and prepared myself for a fight as I faced a very familiar sexist guy.
This guy has no shame, I thought, staring at the eyes of my opponent from the previous fight in the competition.
Well fuck, I thought when Adam decided to answer him for me.
"Who the fuck are you?"
