Page 4 of Forgotten Prejudice

I scratched my jaw before shaking my head. “Actually, no, I don’t realize it. In case you forgot, I’m not rich like you two. So camping is a great option for me.”

While Zoe and Kai were rich like the rest of our classmates, I wasn’t, and sometimes, she loved rubbing it in my face. It was utterly stupid because I didn’t care for money. I went to school with them, thanks to my uncle, who was wealthy and paid my tuition to our prestigious high school, Beverly Bay High.

She sighed. “That came off wrong, I’m sorry.” Once again, her fingers returned to her curls. “Anyway, can you talk to him?”

Confused, my brows pinched close. “About what?”

“Maybe you can convince him to come with me.”

Her suggestion was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but huff. There was absolutely no way I’d ever do that. Even if they were a couple, Kai was still my best friend long before they’d ever met, and I wanted to spend time with him, too.

“Kai’s a grown man. He doesn’t need me to help him decide, and besides, it sounds to me like he has.” Zoe’s lips set in a hard line, and she didn’t seem pleased with my answer, but she’d have to live with it. “Anyway, I’m beat. I think I’m gonna go—”

“Isn’t it about time you gave up on him?” She cut into my words, and I stopped in my tracks.

“What are you talking about?” My nerves kicked in.

“He’s straight, Chief.” Her words turned my blood cold, and I looked at her with shock.

How did she know?

“Oh my God,” she gasped. “Please don’t look so scared. I’m not trying to be mean or anything.” She sounded genuine as she reached for my arm.

Not letting her touch me, I stepped back, and she sighed.

“Shit. I didn’t mean to push you into a corner, Chief. It’s just that…” Looking around, she bit her bottom lip and then returned her eyes to me. “We both love him, but he’s with me, so please don’t make it harder. I’m trying to be patient, but it’s getting really hard.”

Getting really hard? What was she even talking about? She was the one in our way, not me. Right?

“You don’t have a chance with him, and you know it, too, or you would have confessed to him by now. Right?”

Even though she was speaking the truth, I was too shocked to respond properly. “How did you find out?” I asked after finding my voice.

“It’s the way you’re looking at him,” she explained, then offered me another pitiful smile. “Don’t worry. He’s too dense to notice.”

I wasn’t worried but scared. Absolutely terrified that Zoe, of all people, was the one to know my secret. Suddenly, breathing became hard, and I wanted to puke every bit of alcohol I’d consumed since the evening began. Already humiliated enough, I held myself back together and got my ass out of there before Zoe could spit another word.

She’d already said enough, anyway.

If Kai were to find out, my whole life would be ruined. I wasn’t even joking. I couldn’t picture myself without him or, worse, hated by him. My throat hurt from swallowing back tears, and my eyes stung, so I turned my walking into running and didn’t stop until I reached my uncle’s house in Malibu. Once there, I took off my clothes, put on my wet suit, grabbed my board, and went on to do the one thing that kept me sane.

Hours later, I stepped out of the water. The sun was about to rise, and the first seagull calls filled the pink-washed sky as I sunk my board in the sand and sat down. Unfortunately, surfing didn’t help as I’d hoped, and my thoughts were still raging, trapping me inside my own head.

“Do you know what I like about sunrises?” My uncle’s voice was followed by the warm touch of his hand, which grabbed my shoulder. A second later, he sat beside me.

“No,” I answered his question, even though I knew it was rhetorical.

“If your eyes get to witness one, it means you lived to see another day.”

That was Aiden Sage for you right there. Never once did he manage to disappoint me with one of his inspirational quotes. I had no fucking idea where he got them from, and despite them always being ridiculously heavy, they were genuine and often comforting.

“You’re too young to sound so old,” I huffed. The dude was only in his thirties.

“Maybe,” he chuckled, then moved his hand to grab the back of my shoulder. “So, what’s bothering you enough to make such a beautiful sunrise look so sad?”

Taking a deep breath, I slumped my shoulders as I exhaled.

“Just… things.”