“Hey.” Ashleigh drops her voice to a whisper. “Are you okay? What he did was really messed up, but you don’t have to do this if you don’t want.”
“Thank you, but I definitely want to do this.” I shake my head free of silly childhood memories and prepare myself for the battle ahead of me. “He’s not going to know what hit him when I’m done with him.”
Bullies bank on silence.
But if Nate thinks he can do whatever he wants while I sit back and allow him to step all over me, he’s made a gross miscalculation. People don’t up and abandon the life they’ve spent ten years building to move in with their parents because they’re winning at life.
No, no, no.
When choosing an opponent, it’s wise to find someone with something to lose. It makes it easier to predict their next move. Nate didn’t do that when he decided to mess with me. Because me? Well, I hit rock bottom weeks ago, and unlike Nate and his carefully crafted life, I don’t have anything to lose.
“So . . .” She drops her voice and glances over her shoulder to make sure none of our neighbors are within earshot. “What’s the plan again?”
I can tell she’s nervous, but much to her credit, she’s hiding it well. Her smile is the only thing giving her away. It’s vaguely reminiscent of Ruby’s from her pageant days. Gorgeous, but strained at the corners and a smidge too big to be natural.
“We’re going to watch and gauge the crowd at first, then we’ll act according to them. If they hate the HOA as much as everybody on the internet says, I’ll go with straight heckling. Add on to everybody else’s complaints and fan the flames of anger. If it’s more laid-back and polite, then I’ll have to be the chaos creator.” It’s a title I’d like engraved on my tombstone one day. I reach into my purse and pull out the letter Nate gave me along with a list of tough questions that will “stump your HOA every time” that I found on Reddit. “I’ll start going through the questions one by one until Nate looks like he’s ready to explode. No matter what, I’ll gently toss in little comments about blackmail just to watch him squirm. He’s banked on his stand-up, good-guy act. He’ll freak if he thinks I’m going to blow his cover.”
“And what do I need to do exactly?” Ashleigh asks before huffing the amber roller bottle she’s clutching in her hand.
“Nothing,” I reassure her. “You’re here to keep me company if this is as boring as I expect it to be and to make sure I don’t sleep through my moment.”
“Oh good.” The tension finally leaves her shoulders and color returns to her rosy cheeks. “I can definitely do that. I’m great company and I need like five melatonins and a hot bath before bed. No way will I drift off.”
I can’t tell if that’s a weird humblebrag or a cry for help, but before I can figure it out, her blue eyes drift over my shoulders and her eyes widen with unconcealed panic. A superspy she is not. However, I didn’t need to see her face to know Nate was coming.
Because while my brain is set on hating him, my stupid body is refusing to hop on board.
It’s almost as if the more he does to make me hate him, the more my physical awareness of him grows. Shivers trail down my spine while the hairs at the nape of my neck stand tall. My stomach flips while my thighs tighten, and I wonder if this is how it feels to lose the little that’s left of my mind. This man is driving me crazy, and the worst part about it is, I’m enjoying every single minute.
“Ashleigh, I’m so glad you decided to come.” Nate greets her from right behind me, the heat of his breath tracing the shell of my ear. “Would you mind if I stole Collins from you for a second?”
Ashleigh, the poor, sweet girl, looks between Nate and me like a deer caught in the headlights. As a reformed people pleaser, I recognize her expression all too well.
“It’s okay.” I smile, squeezing her hand in mine. “Why don’t you go save our seats and I’ll find you later?”
“All right. If you’re sure . . .” She still seems unsure about what to do, and for the first time, guilt begins to gnaw at my conscience for dragging this innocent bystander into my shit.
“I’m sure,” I tell her with confidence I don’t quite feel. “I’m not privy to HOA meeting etiquette, but he is the vice president of the board, and that might mean something in between these walls.”
I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I’m physically incapable of not insulting Nate anytime he’s near. Thankfully, my snark seems to get through to Ashleigh and a real smile pulls at her line-free face.
She pivots on a sky-high heel and struts down the hallway. Every person she passes stops what they’re doing to watch her go. It’s mesmerizing. I wonder what I’d be capable of doing if I possessed a power that strong.
“What are you doing here?” Nate’s terse voice pulls my attention back to the matter at hand.
I spin to face him, and long gone is the happy-go-lucky Nate from moments ago. No signs of laughter linger on his hard face, and his strong jaw is set as he awaits my answer. It’s hard to believe he’s the same person I used to consider my best friend. As much as I’ve tried to figure it out, I have no idea what happened to cause us to go from friends to enemies. All I know is that tonight won’t be the night we mend fences.
“Who? Me?” I bring my hands to my chest, almost missing it when his eyes follow the movement and linger on my cleavage for just a second too long. “I’m just a concerned neighbor. I don’t know if you know this or not, but . . .” I lean in and drop my voice to an exaggerated whisper. “Some of the board members are blackmailing residents.”
Fire lights in his hazel eyes and I know I have him right where I want him. Like putty in my hands.
Sucker.
“Don’t do this here.” His words are slow and quiet, like he’s speaking to a small child and not a contemporary. “This is not the time or the place for you to throw a temper tantrum.”
He may be trying to get me to see reason and leave, but he doesn’t realize that with a few simple words, he’s unintentionally triggered the absolute crap out of me.
Peter always accused me of throwing temper tantrums. Anytime I stuck up for myself or demanded answers he avoided giving, he’d manage to flip the situation in his favor. The last time he told me I was throwing one was in the parking lot outside our apartment. Right after I found out that he not only used me for years, but he’d also stolen and taken credit for my dream.
It was the last time I saw him.
It was the moment that caused my world to explode.
“Excuse me?” Anger not meant for Nate clouds my vision. “I am not throwing a temper tantrum. Children throw temper tantrums and I am not a child.”
“I mean, you did spray me with a water hose.” He pauses before adding, “Twice.”
“The first time was an accident!” If I knew it wouldn’t bring my parents shame, there’d be no stopping me from leaping across the space separating us and throttling the man in front of me. Peter was a liar and a cheater, yet somehow, Nate is still more infuriating. “And no matter how you cut it, the letter was a massive and unnecessary escalation.”