Fallen Crest Alternative Version

“What?”

He shrugged, but I hurried out of Mason’s arms and down the stairs. Their basement was crowded, overly crowded, and I had to shove my way through until I found Becky. She was dressed in her hockey cheerleading outfit, and she stood in a corner. Her arms were crossed over her chest and a glower on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

Relief flickered over her face, but then the glower returned. “I thought you were coming to Adam’s game.”

My heart sank. Oh crap.

“Oh, come on, Becky.” Adam pushed through the crowd and threw an arm around her shoulder. He had a red plastic cup in one hand, and I saw the glaze in his eyes. He was already tipsy. “She’s got bigger and better friends than us now. Yeah, her boyfriend’s not playing, but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t support him over her friends. I mean, he’s her boyfriend and the rest of us are just her loser friends. Right, Sam?”

Becky’s glower doubled. Adam’s cocky smirk turned into a sneer. He pointed his cup at me. “You might want to remember who your friends were before the Kades came into your life.”

My mouth fell open. Where had this come from? “Are you kidding me? You’re mad because I didn’t come to your hockey game?”

He rolled his eyes and turned to scan the crowd. Then he rolled his shoulders back, and he looked ready to continue partying. Becky seemed to shrink beside him as she watched him also. She bit her lip and her hands were twisted around each other. I sighed on the inside. She still had feelings for him.

He jerked a shoulder up. “Whatever, Sam. You’re busy. I got it. You’ve got your life.” He flashed me a smile, and I took two steps back from it. The uneasiness inside of me doubled. He was pissed, but there was something more. Then he shook his head, and a disgusted sound came from his throat before he strolled away. Becky and I watched as he already had a girl in his snares. She’d been watching him the whole time, and as he sauntered over to her, her whole face lit up. Adam didn’t even have to try. He touched her waist, and the girl melted for him. It wasn’t long before he tugged her further into the crowd. The lust on his face couldn’t have been missed, but it was mixed with arrogance.

Adam was dangerous. I saw it in that moment. Chills went down my spine because he was angry with me, but I wondered who he was going to take it out on. I looked at Becky. The blood had drained from her face, and she had both of her hands pressed to her lips. Her eyes were fearful as she turned to me. “Sam.”

I wrapped both arms around and hugged her.

She clung to me. Her head pressed into my shoulder. “I love him. I know it’s stupid. I don’t know why I still do, but I do.”

I smoothed her hair down and swept a hand down her back. There were no words I could give her. If Mason turned his back on me, I wasn’t sure how I would handle it either. I made soothing sounds as I continued to hug her. “It’ll be okay, Becky. One day at a time. Think of Rex. You like him, right?”

She pulled back, but tears streaked down her face. It messed up her make-up, and she tried to smooth it away as she hiccupped. “I know. I do. I do really like him, but…” Then she drew in a ragged breath and dropped her voice down. “He’s not Adam. No one’s Adam. Ugh. I can’t get over him. Every time I think I can, he’s so sweet to me and I’m back where I was. I’m in love with him, Sam. Can someone fall out of love?”

I looked up at that moment at the stairway. Mason was coming down. He had two rolls of plastic cups in his hands. Logan carried the rest behind them and both held their own drinks. I sighed. I didn’t know if I could ever fall out of love with Mason.

“I have no idea, Becky.”

Her face fell at my words.

“But you can try.” My words were more insistent now. “You’ll have to try. Adam doesn’t love you back. You have to try.”

She sniffled and hiccupped again. Then she groaned. “There’s Rex.”

The stoner was bobbing his head in rhythm with the bass. His baggy jeans were low on his hips, and he had both hands pushed into his pockets, which made them slip another inch lower. Everyone had on tee shirts or tight tops for the girls, but Rex wore a sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. There were holes and rips all over the sweatshirt, but it made the pretty boy stoner look rough.

Becky sighed beside me. “He’s so hot.”

Something told me Becky was going to be fine. Whether or not Adam cared, he was going to lose her heart. My own swelled up in pride. It was about time Becky got her own happiness so I patted her shoulder and pushed her towards Rex. “Go on. Have fun with your beau.”

Her nose wrinkled. “I thought you didn’t like him. He’s a pothead?”

“Mason was right. I think Rex is what you need right now.”

Her eyes lit up. “Mason said that? About me?”

Rex stopped beside us now. His head never stopped bobbing, and his eyes never left Becky. His lips were curved up in a soft smile. It was the same smile that he always had whenever Becky was with him, which were the only times I saw him.

I leaned closer and yelled over the crowd, “If you hurt her, I will set your car on fire.”

The soft smile transformed into a full one. It blasted me. “I wouldn’t expect anything else. Kudos to you, Dudette Sam!” He winked before he curved an arm around Becky’s shoulders and pulled her away with him.

She glanced over her shoulder and waved at me. ns class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">