“I know what you mean,” Bekah whispered.

Lexi hardly believed her. Bekah was another Danielle…another Kate. Everything they had was normal and expected. There was no way that she could have even a semblance of understanding as to what she had gone through. “The lying really got to me. I was terrible at it. Jack wasn’t.” Lexi knew she was reminding her about the lying just to be cruel. She wanted Bekah to ask Jack questions about it. She wanted to make her uncomfortable. She just couldn’t stand the idea of sharing a feeling with this girl. It felt wrong. “He didn’t understand why I wasn’t okay with lying to my boyfriend, when he thought we were so perfect for each other. When he thought that there would never be another girl as amazing as me,” Lexi added spitefully.

Bekah’s blue eyes met Lexi’s, and the understanding that had been there only seconds before was replaced by the deep loathing Lexi had seen the last time lying had been brought up.

“Well, if it isn’t my two favorite girls,” Jack said coming up to them seemingly out of nowhere. It was obvious in his absence that things hadn’t gone well. The tension in the atmosphere could be cut with a dull butter knife. Bekah looked pissed and Lexi would rather be anywhere else right then. She always had a strange effect on people, but Jack hadn’t considered what kind of toll that would take on Bekah.

Bekah glared up at him as the last words left his tongue. Lexi just smiled weakly, not entirely sure how to take that statement.

“Uh…I brought your suitcase,” he told Lexi offhandedly, attempting to make conversation. “I thought we could just go to Bekah’s before the party tonight, and you could change there. Her place is right around the corner.”

Lexi arched one eyebrow in disbelief. He actually believed that she was going to go to this party? After the disastrous conversation with Bekah and the embarrassing confrontation with Ramsey, there was no way she ever wanted to hang out with these two again. “Oh, well I’m not going.”

Jack opened his mouth to protest, but Bekah got there first. “What do you mean you’re not going? You already said that you would go.”

“No, I never actually said that. Everything was just kind of decided for me,” she reminded them. The events of that afternoon had transpired so quickly that Lexi hadn’t even had time to decline the party invitation.

“But Ramsey assumes you’ll be there,” Bekah told her.

Lexi wasn’t sure why Bekah was trying to get her to go to this thing. She obviously didn’t like her, and that was just fine with Lexi. All Lexi really wanted right then was an extra-large New York-style pizza, sweatpants, and endless hours of super sappy chick flicks. “Well, he’ll just have to get over it. I can’t make it.”

“What do you have to do?” Jack asked.

“Family stuff.”

“Aren’t you spending the rest of the week with them?” he continued to probe her.

“Well…yeah.”

“Then you can come out for one night with us,” Bekah told her, standing and possessively entwining her fingers with Jack’s.

Lexi thought she might vomit at the sight. Her stomach was rolling and she didn’t like it. She just needed to get away. She needed to get away right now.

Something was up with Bekah, and Lexi knew it. This girl couldn’t be everything she acted like she was. Her emotions were all over the charts. She took every statement as if it were a personal blow against her. And Lexi was just trying to be honest! Well, so maybe she was telling the truth a little too blunt, because this girl got under her skin. But who cares?

As soon as she had met Bekah, Lexi knew that this couldn’t be the girl that Jack was going to marry. He could not be with her. The sweet and innocent act only went skin deep, and Jack could do better. He had dated her after all…well, kind of.

With all these thoughts rolling around in her head, Lexi knew that the best thing for her would be to get away as soon as possible. She didn’t want to do anything to sabotage their relationship if this was what he really wanted. If Jack had wanted Lexi, then he would have tried to make things work between them. But he hadn’t. And Lexi had to deal with that fact. She had to deal with knowing that he hadn’t chosen her. He didn’t want her.

It hurt. Damn, did it hurt! But she couldn’t do anything to change it.

But the other side—the less logical side—kept wondering why, if Jack did want Bekah, did he almost kiss Lexi last night? Why did he come home a day early from his trip to see her, and not tell Bekah about it?

That was the side that agreed to go to Ramsey’s party. The side that wanted to know if Jack still cared about her the way that she cared about him. If perhaps, Bekah was just the next best alternative.

CHAPTER 8

MAY THREE YEARS EARLIER

Lexi stared wistfully out the backseat window across the changing terrain. The rolling hills eased into a flat expanse anticipating the coming ocean front. She could almost smell the distinct scent of salt mingled in the air. Decrepit signs, interspersed amongst the neon bulbs flashing from the street side, caught her eyes briefly before they locked onto the next tethered old business vying to compete with the beach community only twenty minutes away. Palm trees had started springing up about forty-five minutes back, and Lexi’s desire to be beach-side, sprawled out with the sand between her toes, had grown exponentially since then.

“Babe, chill out. You’re doing that thing with your hair again,” Clark said snatching her hand from her face and clutching it in his.

Startled out of her daydreams, she glanced into Clark’s soothing green eyes. He had on a green intramural soccer shirt which only intensified the gorgeous shade.

“Sorry,” Lexi said biting her bottom lip and suggestively raising her eyebrows at him, feeling the all too familiar desire to kiss him creep through her.

He traced the palm of her hand with his thumb and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “We’ll be there soon. I know you’re anxious.”

Lexi giggled looking at him coyly across her shoulder. “Oh yes, I’m very…anxious.”

He smiled warmly back at her, but was interrupted from responding by Seth. “None of that lovey-dovey shit back there. We’re not even putting you two in the same room. The walls are too thin for all that,” Seth said laughing as both their faces turned to pouts.

“Whatever, Seth,” Lexi said leaning forward across the center of the seat. She ignored Luke seated in the passenger seat ogling the cleavage bulging out of her low-cut halter top, and ruffled Seth’s hair. “You can’t honestly expect us to stay off of each other.”

“I’m not expecting it. No. But you can do that shit during the day. There isn’t enough space at night for you two to be in the same room.” Lexi leaned forward farther giving Seth a decidedly better view of her rack. “And,” he responded taking in the full view of her, “if you think that,” he pointed at her breasts, “is going to change anything, you’re wrong.” Despite his comment, she could tell his breathing was getting shallow. Men!

Clark grabbed her waist in his hands and pulled her back towards him. He snaked an arm around her shoulders, drawing her into him, and kissed her passionately. “I think we’ll make up for it. Don’t you?” he asked nibbling on her bottom lip.

A small moan escaped her mouth, but she pulled back shortly afterwards. She didn’t mind being flirtatious around their friends, however, she had to draw the line somewhere. Clark rarely liked where the line was drawn when it came to PDA. She let her gaze shift back out the window as they reached Seth’s parents’ beach house.