Bad Romeo (Starcrossed #1)(81)
Author: Leisa Rayven

She stops what she’s doing and stares at me. “Cassie, that boy is so hung up on you, you might as well be a coatrack. It might take him a little while to realize he can’t live without you, but he will. Trust me.”

I sigh and push my eggs around the plate. “So, what do I do when I see him today?”

“Act cool.”

“I don’t know how to do that.”

She puts her plate on the table and sits next to me. “Just … act polite. Be friendly but not familiar. If he brings up your relationship, then talk about it. If not, stick to neutral topics: the weather, politics, sports teams, how much you want to ride his throbbing hard cock. Hang on, wait.” She frowns and holds up a finger. “Scratch that last one. He knows about that already.”

I laugh and try not to wince in disgust as I eat the rest of my terrible eggs.

“He’ll cave, Cassie,” Ruby says and picks up her fork. “Trust me. He probably cried himself to sleep last night and can’t wait to see you today so he can declare his undying love. There may even be a proposal.”

I roll my eyes as she scoops some egg into her mouth and immediately gags. “Oh, fuck me! That’s disgusting! Why didn’t you warn me?”

I wear my most innocent expression as I sip my juice.

I have to admit, I take a little extra care when I get ready for class. I apply more makeup than normal, take time to straighten my hair. Wear a boob-hugging top and an ass-hugging skirt.

I didn’t think I’d ever be one of those girls who’d use her looks to make a man realize he’s missing out on total hotness, but apparently I am. And yet, one of the reasons we fought is because I need him to want more than just my body.

Hypocrisy, thy name is Cassie.

By the time I take my seat in history of theater, I’m a mess of nerves.

It turns out my anxiety is unwarranted. Holt doesn’t show. At first I think he’s just running late, but by lunchtime I have to accept he’s ditched for the day.

I can’t believe it.

I thought that he’d have mulled over our situation by now and would have wanted to talk, but yet again, he chooses to simply avoid the issue.

Mentally labeling him a bastard doesn’t lessen my disappointment, but I do it anyway.

He doesn’t call all Thursday afternoon or night, and he doesn’t come to class again on Friday. By the time Saturday rolls around, Ruby is sick of me compulsively checking my phone and muttering obscenities under my breath when I see that it is, in fact, working.

“Cass, will you please chill the fuck out? Give the boy some time. He has more issues than People magazine. You can’t expect him to magically become well adjusted just because you want him to be.”

“I know that, Ruby. I’m being unrealistic and unreasonable, but why won’t he call?!” I slump against the couch and put my head in my hands. “I mean, seriously, I’m going insane not speaking to him. How can he just drop all contact? I don’t understand.”

“Boys are bizarre.”

“It’s like I don’t mean anything to him.”

“I’ll go out on a limb and say that’s not true.”

I sit up straight. “I’m going to call him.”

Ruby snatches my phone. “No, you’re not. You’re coming to the spa with me, so you can stop obsessing over him for a few hours. I can’t trust you not to call him if I leave you alone.”

“I miss him.”

“I know.”

“I want to know that he’s missing me, too.”

She sits and puts her arms around my shoulders. “Cassie, he misses you. I’m sure of it.”

I’m getting more and more sure she’s wrong.

On Sunday, I feel numb.

Well, most of me feels numb. My hoo-hah is hurting like a sonofabitch because yesterday Ruby convinced me that getting a Brazilian would take my mind off things with Holt.

She wasn’t wrong.

For the half hour it took to rip out my pubic hairs by their roots, I completely forgot about Holt and focused on how many ways I could hurt Ruby without getting arrested. I eventually came up with twenty-three.

Now she’s giving me a pedicure to make up for it, but she’s still on my shit list.

My phone rings, and we look at each other as we grab for it at the same time. It flips into the air, and we both bat at it like cats until she catches it and hands it to me. I glance at the caller ID and quickly deflate.

“Hi, Elissa.”

“Cassie! Thank God you’re there! Is Ethan with you?”

I look at Ruby. “Uh … no. Why?”

Ruby frowns and leans closer so she can listen in.

“I can’t get a hold of him, and when I spoke to him on Thursday, he sounded terrible. Now he’s not answering his phone. I’m afraid he’s really sick and can’t get to a doctor.”

“You haven’t been home this weekend?” I ask.

“No. I’m staying with Mom and Dad in New York until Tuesday. So you haven’t seen him?”

I run my hand through my hair. “No. We kind of … well, we had a fight on Wednesday. I haven’t seen or spoken to him since. I thought he was just avoiding me.”

Elissa pauses. “It’s possible. That’s something he’d do. But he usually answers when I call, and he’s not. Can I ask you a really huge favor?”

My stomach knots. “You want me go and check on him?”

“Yes, please, Cassie.”

Ruby shakes her head vehemently and mouths the words “no fucking way,” while waving her hands wildly.

I groan and put my head in my hand. “Elissa, I don’t know. The way things were after our fight … I just don’t think he’d want to see me right now.”

“Cassie, I wouldn’t ask if there was anyone else that could do it. You’re his only friend.”

“What about Jack or Lucas?”

“Are you kidding me? It’s nine a.m. on a Sunday. They’ll still be passed out in a garden bed somewhere, half drunk. Besides, if Ethan is sick, do you really think Jack or Lucas would be capable of helping him?”

She has a point. I screw up my face and take a deep breath. “Okay, fine, I’ll go and check on him. But if I die from an overdose of extreme awkward, you’re paying for my funeral.”

“Oh, thank you! You’re amazing. Call me when you get there and tell me how he is.”

“Wait, Elissa! I need your address.”

“You don’t have it?”