Page 50 of Under the Influence
She winks at me, wrapping her tiny hand around Nash’s neck, pulling him in for a kiss.
This is her version of “game on.”
She shoves her backpack against his chest, “Carry my shit, boyfriend.”
“You can call me Mr. Langdon,” Nash says, taking her bag. “And I said you belonged to me. I never said I was your boyfriend.”
I laugh at them as she stalks off, Nash close behind. “This should be good.”
Lainey smiles, “I think Nash is finally about to meet his match.”
“She’s a feisty one,” I agree. “If anyone can handle him, it’s her.”
“How great would it be if she dethroned everyone and became queen—I don’t know—shark?”
“All she needs is for them to respect her. Cori will be fine. Besides, if he hurts her, I’ll kick his ass. I owe him a good right hook.”
Lainey’s brows knit together in confusion, “What happened to Switzerland?”
I think back to him shoving Avery in her kitchen. He can forget Switzerland when it comes to that girl.
“Can’t be nice all the time.”
She laughs, “Our definitions of nice are totally different.”
I turn my gaze back through the glass windows to the Shark table, but my sudden interest doesn’t go unnoticed.
“You could be less obvious,” Lainey sings. “People are starting to notice.”
“Notice what?”
“Your infatuation with Avery Sinclair is causing quite the ruckus in the girl’s locker room.”
Oh, whatever.
“I don’t care what people say.”
“Yeah, well, since you don’t care about what people say, I guess you don’t care what I heard about why she isn’t here.”
After our moment at the playground, I’m starting to worry more. She was really upset. So I don’t care about rumors, but I do want to know what Lainey heard.
“I’m sure it’s bullshit, but what did you hear?”
She pushes her phone into her back pocket, “Just that there is only one reason they’d both miss school like that.”
I stare at her, unsure of what she means.
She pats her stomach, and I laugh. Only because I know that’s ridiculous. Avery isn’t pregnant.
“You know that isn’t true.”
She shakes her head, shrugging her shoulders, “It’s always the ones you’d never expect.”
“So the rumors are that Avery is pregnant with Carson’s baby, but I’m her side piece?”
Lainey grins, pulling her phone out to answer another text. “Basically.”
Wow. It’s crazy how shit gets twisted around here when all I did at her party was give her a bandaid.
