Claimed By My Ex's Evil Rival

3.

Sloane

The kiss finally ends, and somehow, I feel worse. Alessia pulls away with a bright smile, her hand still resting on Jace's neck, while his teammates laugh, slap his shoulders, and make kissing noises like a bunch of stupid horny teenagers who have never seen two people touch lips before.

I stand there, clutching the stupid bottle of water I brought for him, as Jace looks at me. For one tiny, pathetic second, I wait for him to explain, to look horrified, to tell everyone to shut the f**k up because the girl he just let kiss him is not his girlfriend. Instead, he looks away, and my heart cracks like somebody has reached into my chest and squeezed until I can't breathe. I turn around before he can see me cry.

“Sloane!”

“Sloane, wait!”

I keep walking, but his footsteps catch up with me near the corridor leading away from the rink. I wipe my cheeks furiously, pissed off that I'm crying over a man who apparently can't tell the difference between his girlfriend and a bottle of f*****g Gatorade.

He grabs my wrist. “What's your problem?”

I stare at him, mostly because my brain seems to have temporarily disconnected from the f*****g Wi-Fi. “What's my problem?” I repeat.

“Yeah. Why are you walking away like that?”

I let out a disbelieving laugh. “Are you seriously asking me that?”

Jace sighs, glancing back toward the rink. “Don't start, Sloane. It was nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“I grabbed the water she offered. Everyone was joking around. It's not that deep.”

I blink a couple of times. “You kissed her!”

“Alessia kissed me.”

The words leave his mouth so casually that I almost admire the audacity. “Oh, my God. You're right. Silly me. I forgot your lips are legally classified as public property.”

“Can you stop being dramatic for five f*****g minutes?”

I feel something inside me sink. This is Jace, my Jace, the boy who once cried because he thought he'd lost me in a crowded shopping mall when I was eight, the boy who used to hold my hand beneath the dinner table and whisper that I was his favorite person in the world. Now he's standing in front of me, acting like I'm an inconvenience because I don't enjoy watching another girl shove her tongue down his throat.

“Wow,” I whisper.

“Here we go.”

“No, seriously. Wow.”

“What do you want me to do? She kissed me. I can't control everything people do.”

“Could you at least have pulled away?”

He opens his mouth, but before he can answer, Thea storms around the corner. “OH, f**k NO!” I swear the temperature drops ten degrees as she marches straight toward Jace, her eyes blazing.

“You absolute waste of pretty hair. Did you seriously just kiss another girl in front of your girlfriend and then tell her she's being dramatic?”

“She kissed me,” Jace snaps.

“And you apparently forgot how neck muscles work? You couldn't turn your head? Step back? Push her away? f*****g hell, were you frozen in place like Elsa?”

“Stay out of this, Thea.”

“Stay out of this? b***h, I will get so far into this business, I don't f*****g care.”

“I'm talking to Sloane.”

“And she's hurt because of you, you discount Prince Charming!”

Oh, she's mad.

Then Alessia appears behind us, her perfect blonde hair in place. Her face falls into an expression of tender concern. “Oh, Sloane. I'm so sorry.”

She reaches for my hand, but I pull it away. She looks wounded for half a second before giving me a small, sad smile. “I promise you, Jace and I are just friends. You know that, right? Everyone was teasing us, and I suppose I got carried away. I shouldn't have kissed him. It was stupid of me. I'd never want to hurt you.”

Thea makes a noise that sounds suspiciously like a lawn mower choking on a brick. “Then why the f**k did you do it?”

Alessia flinches. “I just explained…”

“No, you gave us the deluxe bullshit package with a pretty little bow on top.”

“Thea!” Jace barks.

She whirls on him. “Don't you f*****g THEA me!”

Alessia bites her lip, looking between us. “Please, don't fight because of me. People were shipping us, and I think we both got caught up in the moment. It didn't mean anything.” She gives me another apologetic smile before adding, “Please don't be angry with him, Sloane. You know how guys get when their teammates tease them. Sometimes they do silly things just to fit in.”

I stare at her, impressed by the audacity of this blonde f*****g fairy tale villain. “So you kissed my boyfriend to please your shippers?”

Her smile falters. “That's not what I meant.”

“Then what the f**k did you mean?”

“Sloane,” Jace warns.

I turn to him. “No. I want to hear it. She kissed you, you let her, and now we're all pretending it was some innocent little accident?”

“Because it wasn't a big deal!”

“Then why are you acting like I'm insane for being upset?”

“Because you're making a scene over nothing!”

The words hit me harder than his shouting.

Alessia gently touches Jace's arm. “Please, Jace. She's obviously upset.” Then she turns to me, her blue eyes travelling slowly down my body, from my sweater to my waist and hips. She takes her sweet f*****g time before meeting my eyes again.

“Look, Sloane, I don't want to be mean, but have you ever considered his position?”

I laugh in disbelief. “What position?”

“His career is taking off. He's becoming a big deal, and people are watching everything he does.” She gives me a sympathetic smile that makes me want to slap it off her face. “He needs someone who fits his image. Someone fit, energetic, confident. Someone who can keep up with him and doesn't turn every little thing into a problem.”

My face burns. She doesn't call me fat directly. She doesn't need to. Her eyes have already said it for her.

“Someone who looks good beside him,” she adds, tilting her head. “You know what I mean, right?”

“Alessia,” Thea snaps. “You conniving little bitch.”

“What? I'm trying to help!” She widens her eyes innocently. “I'm sure Jace loves Sloane. But love isn't always enough when you're building a career. He has to think about his future.”

I turn to Jace, waiting for him to tell her to shut the f**k up, but instead, he sighs. “She's not completely wrong, Sloane. You need to understand the pressure I'm under.”

I stare at him. “Are you f*****g serious?”

“Sloane.”

“No, tell me. Is that why you won't hold my hand in public? Because I'm not fit enough to be your girlfriend?”

“Don't twist my words!”

“Then explain them!”

Jace drags a hand through his hair. “God, you're always doing this! You're always comparing yourself to Alessia, saying you're not pretty enough for me. Then you get upset when I tell you to stop being insecure!”

My stomach drops. “I never asked you to compare us.”

“You don't have to! You do it yourself, constantly. And now I'm supposed to answer for every f*****g thing you think about your body?”

“Because you make me feel like I'm something to hide!”

“Maybe because you act like you're ashamed of yourself!” he fires back. “How am I supposed to convince you otherwise when you don't even believe it?”

I go still as Alessia presses her lips together, hiding what looks suspiciously like a smile.

Jace looks at me, frustration hardening his face. “I need someone who can handle my world without falling apart every time something happens. Someone confident. Someone steady. I can't keep reassuring you every five minutes.”

My eyes sting. “So you agree with her?”

He hesitates, barely for a second, but I see it.

Alessia sighs softly. “Sloane, please don't make me the villain here. I'm not saying you're ugly. I'm just saying that being with someone in Jace's position comes with expectations. You can't expect him to put his whole future at risk because you're not comfortable with yourself.”

“Shut the f**k up!” Thea explodes. “You don't get to insult her body and then pretend you're doing her a f*****g favour!”

But Alessia only shrugs, and Jace still doesn't defend me. Something inside me finally snaps.

“I'm done,” I say.

He frowns. “What?”

“We're over.”

His expression changes instantly. “Oh, for f**k's sake. You're breaking up with me over one stupid argument?”

“No. I'm breaking up with you because you let her kiss you, blamed me for being hurt, and then stood here while she tore me apart. And you joined in.”

“Sloane, stop being dramatic.”

“I'm not.”

He laughs bitterly. “Who else is going to want you? Seriously. You're a nerdy girl with no confidence who thinks she's fat every time she looks in a mirror. You can't even take a f*****g joke. Good luck finding someone willing to put up with all your bullshit.”

My hand moves before I can think, and I smack him across his right cheek.