Lahat ng Kabanata ng Choosing You: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

PIPERIt’s been a few days since the somewhat drive-in movie and I’m still smiling. At me and Ethan’s antics. Sabrina’s teasing, despite my desire to avoid it at the time. All of it. My life is exactly where I want it to be. Great friends. Head in the clouds. It feels like nothing can go wrong.“You must really love your job,” Bryce says.I try to hide my smile but it’s to no avail. “So much,” I say instead, with a smirk.“Did you have a good time Saturday,” he asks. I nod. “Sure. And you? I meant to say goodbye before we left the movie but Sabrina got this bright idea to go to a diner and once she mentioned pancakes I was suddenly starved.”He laughs. “No worries. At least you said hi when you saw me. Most of the time people around here pretend they can’t see the IT guy.”“I know what you mean,” I reply. “I’m only just now meeting new people. I think I was invisible until I met Sabrina.”“Doubt it,” he says, with something else in his voice besides polite conversation. He clears h

PIPERI used to wonder if true happiness was an illusion. Something in your mind that tricks you into thinking, “Yup. this is it. I’m happy.” Like all that talk of endorphins. Or brain chemistry lectures that Sabrina repeats back when we’re having lunch. Something scientific that creates the feeling of happiness. I’d hate to break it to her that she’s wrong. That all her psych classes haven’t prepared her for the truth. There’s nothing scientific about the way I feel. Yeah—okay—I’m sure someone somewhere can try to explain what happens mechanically in the body, yada, yada, yada. But right now, the only explanation I feel for riding cloud nine is Ethan’s words at dinner.I love him. Already I know that to be the truth. And it’s scary as hell, but exciting. I’m flooded with overwhelming joy at the thought of being in love. Well, there’s that. And the way he’s staring into my eyes, with the same look he had in them back at the restaurant when those words left his mouth. I keep replaying

PIPER“If you’d picked up your check yesterday instead of riding Ethan’s dick,” Sabrina laughs, “we might already be at the salon.”“Ha-ha,” I reply. “And for the record, he likes it when I ride him.”“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” she says, laughing with me as I climbed the library steps.“Just hurry up,” she adds.“You aren’t coming?”“So you can stick around longer? No. I’m going to wait in the hot sun so you hurry your ass along.”“Don’t worry,” I tell her, pulling the doors. “I won’t make you late. It’ll just be a second.”Tapping her wrist and imaginary watch, she encourages me to get a move on. Walking with a purpose, I do just that, entering the library and going for the office. It’s empty when I get there, but there’s a drawer for the weekly checks that we’re allowed to go in to get what we need. I move across the small room and tug at the small handle when I get there. My check is behind Bryce’s but I grab it, and shut the drawer, turning on my heels to meet Sabrina outside. Howeve

PIPERI’m still frozen in place. Sabrina just threw a punch and now Jordan has his arms wrapped around her and he’s lifting her off the ground, as she’s flailing around. Not so much to protect Shaina, who’s in shock by Sabrina’s force and precision. But more for the other girls because my best friend isn’t done. She’s ready to take on anyone else with anything to say, including the girls that just announced all the dirty deeds they’ve done with my boyfriend. Spoiler alert: they’re all similar to things I’ve done with him as well.“You’re awfully silent,” Paisley says happily, over the loud chatter of girls still screaming at Sabrina. Looking at Paisley's body language, not just the elated sheen on her eyes, but the relaxed set in her shoulders, and the way her mouth is quirked up, she’s enjoying this.“What do you want me to say? This is disgusting.” “It’s all fun and games. It’s just a party. Maybe you two should have thicker skin if you’re going to date guys like this,” she spits.

PIPER“Do you want to talk about it,” Bryce asks, as he sits outside my dorm. We’ve been idled there a few minutes. And I just can’t bring myself to get out the car. Did that really just happen? The stupid game of never have I ever? What about perfect Aurora and her close-knit relationship to the McKays? They want her for their daughter-in law? No what’s worse is that I found all of this out after realizing that I’m in love with Ethan McKay. I am. Head over heels, gaga over the guy. I was going to tell him everything. And it turns out, we may not even have a real shot. He may not want us to, because he probably doesn’t feel the same. I thought he did. A few times, I thought he was close to saying those words, but they never came and now I’m wondering if the reason is because he's holding out for something better.I can’t think about it now.“Nothing to talk about. Guys suck.”Bryce laughs. “Maybe I need a little context.”I shake my head, not wanting to live through the night again. “