Dare You to Hate Me by B. Celeste (classic fiction .txt) 📕

or see at parties on occasion, and they both know it. That’s probably why Dad would worry I’d get distracted. You can’t let people who mean nothing to you get inside your head because none of them matter.

Ivy does.

She always has.

She reluctantly agrees. “Fine. If she doesn’t want to come here, I’ll understand. We can figure something else out.”

She’d want to?

As if she can read my mind, she says, “I never understood why her parents were so resigned with her. It always made me so angry. She was such a sweet girl, Aiden. You know how much I adored her. I doubt that’s changed any, but time…it can certainly impact a person.”

My jaw ticks. “For now, wait until I let you know what she wants before you bring it up to Dad. And don’t tell her parents, I know you still talk to them.”

There’s another momentary pause. “I ask about her, you know. But they never have anything much to say. That’s all we talk about in passing because somebody needs to ask about her in this town.”

I don’t know what to say to that.

“I’m glad she has you again, baby boy. She needs someone in her corner. That was always you for her, and I’m glad it’s no different now. Fate has a funny way of reminding us what’s important in life, doesn’t it?”

Squeezing my neck before nodding a few times, I click my tongue. “I’ll talk to you later, yeah?”

“I love you, Aiden.”

“Love you too.”

When I click the END button, I stare at the blank screen for a minute before sliding it into my back pocket and heading inside as the professor goes through attendance.

I already know what Ivy is going to say when I tell her about Thanksgiving, which means I need to convince her—tell her to think of herself for once. But I feel for her situation. If I were in her shoes I wouldn’t want to go back to that place either.

Someone bumps my arm, and I look up to see Caleb looking at me with pinched brows. He mouths, You good?

I can only manage to nod, paying attention to the lesson and telling myself I’ll figure shit out with Ivy when I get home. But the infectious woman with a fiery personality consumes me like always.

Some people grow from the chaos because that’s how they survive, and others thrive in it because chaos is all they know.

Ivy does both.

But being a survivor doesn’t mean she’ll want to come back to the house that holds most of our memories, and the more I think about it, the more I realize I’m not sure I want that either. We’re building new ones together that could mean ten times more if she’ll let it.

This is why I’m Chaos, she’d once said.

I don’t mind if she spreads her mayhem around me because I think it’s one of the things I missed most about her.

When I glance up again, I see Caleb smirking at me. I lift my middle finger enough for him to see and he has to clear his throat to fight off the chuckle that escapes his lips.

Fucker.

Chapter Fourteen

Aiden

By the time I get home from Everly’s, it’s pitch-black and quiet. Most of the guys are off doing their own thing, and Ivy is already curled up on her side of our bed. Christ. Our bed.

Dropping my shit onto the desk in the corner, I peel off my sweaty shirt and dig through my dresser for new clothes. “You’re in bed early.”

The bedding shuffles. “It’s not that early.” A moment passes. “I was tired but wanted to wait for you to get back. Caleb said you were mentoring someone tonight when I was making some dinner.”

I huff out a noise, tired from the long day and sore from the rough practices we’ve been having. “What else did he tell you?”

Silence greets me as I collect the rest of my things. When I turn on my heels, she’s sitting against the headboard and watching me with hesitation.

Lowering my clothes, I ask, “What?”

Her tongue runs across her bottom lip. “I don’t talk to him that much. I made dinner and some dessert for everyone and then I came downstairs after. There are peanut butter energy balls on the counter up there. I tried following a healthier recipe knowing you guys probably have to watch what you eat.”

Fuck me. “You can talk to him however much you want, Ivy. Caleb’s a good guy. He just has loose lips. Worse than DJ sometimes, which says a lot. If the guys weren’t chill, I wouldn’t live here. Doesn’t mean I’d trust those fuckers if you decide to hang out with them though.”

A small smile threatens to move her lips upward at the corners. “Worried your friends will like me more than you?”

I walk toward the door, gripping the edge before giving her a once over. It isn’t until then when I realize she’s wearing one of my shirts. It may not be my jersey, but the sight still goes right to my dick. “I know they will. There’s no competition.”

Blinking back her surprise, she grips the blanket in her fists and then flattens out the wrinkled material. “Oh.”

I snort at her dismal reply, not gracing her with one in return as I walk to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I’m hungry and need to grab something before settling in, but the stronger hunger gnawing at the pit of my stomach isn’t for food.

Deciding on just a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, I throw my clothes in the hamper and head back to my room. She’s on her side facing the door, her eyes trained on me when I enter and not leaving as I click the lock into place, turn off the light, and walk over to my side of the mattress. Her attention brands itself to my skin, and the feeling is nothing like when other girls follow my every move.

“I talked to my mom today,” I