Sharing Beatrice A Luna To Her Stepbrothers by Alexis Dee Book 3
Chapter 579 – Invited To The Party (Beatrice)
“Who spilled the beans?” I inquired, s*ucking in a deep breath to steady myself.
“Someone from school told me. You have no idea how she embarrassed me with her actions. I’m really sorry she did that to you. But why didn’t you inform me right away?” His expression showed genuine concern. The fact that he went out of his way to visit me at my apartment made me feel kind of special. But I didn’t want to nurture any expectations, not even hopes for a friendship with him.
“Why would I inform you? She’s your friend, and she targeted me because of you. So, I didn’t think it was right to ring you up and risk making her even angrier by saying in contact with you,” I responded, noticing his disp*leasure with my words.
“And you reckon dodging me will make your life better?” I understood what he was hinting at. I bit my t*ongue but held my emotions inside. It was already shocking that he had come all the way to my home to apologize for her actions.
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“I don’t know. All I know is I can’t handle being bullied just because I hang out with a guy whose best friend doesn’t approve of me,” I muttered, avoiding eye contact.
He fell silent for a moment, then leaned back and gazed at the sky.
“So, I’m that easy to ditch?” He quizzed, lowering his head to meet my eyes.
“No!” I shook my head hesitantly.
“Then why are you afraid to stand up for your friends?” He c*ocked an eyebrow, waiting for my response.
“I’m not afraid of anyone,” I replied, feeling a surge of anxiety as I realized I might be coming across as a coward.
“Then why shy away from being friends with someone who’s ready to stand up for you against anyone and wants to be your friend?” He crossed his arms over his c*hest and leaned forward, nearly making me gasp aloud.
“You want to be my friend?” I questioned, and as he nodded subtly, I followed up, “But why?” “Because, umm, I feel like we could really hit it off, and I like your vibe,” he replied awkwardly. I felt foolish for even asking why he wanted to be friends. It sounded like I was fishing for compliments.
I lowered my head and blushed. It wasn’t every day that Ronnie, of all people, expressed a d*esire to befriend you. I was honestly thrilled, but I kept my excitement to myself.
“Should I take your silence as a yes?” he leaned in even further, hands in his pockets, a smile playing on his l*ips.
“Sure,” I mumbled, shyly tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Friends, then?” He withdrew his hand from his pocket and offered it to me for a friendly handshake.
I stared at his muscular hand for a moment before nodding and extending my small, fragile hand. He shook it quickly and then grinned.
“Now, don’t worry about Balinda. If she tries bothering you again, she’ll have to deal with me,” he frowned slightly, emphasizing his seriousness.
That was exactly what I needed to hear. I’d been stressing out about school, and I knew there was no one better equipped to handle Balinda than Ronnie.
“So, what are you up to tomorrow night, by the way?” he asked, but before I could respond, an unexpected figure joined us.
“Are you making plans for tomorrow night?” It was Maddox, approaching us. My body tingled just watching him come closer. He had his hands tucked into the pockets of his black jacket, his blue eyes shining brightly.
“Hey,” Ronnie greeted him, indicating they’d already met. Of course they had. Ronnie’s father was the sheriff, and Maddox’s father was the mayor. They were both from wealthy families and knew each other well.
“Didn’t you receive the invitation for tomorrow night?” Maddox directed the question to Ronnie, blatantly ignoring my presence as if I were invisible. “Invitation? No, I didn’t,” Ronnie replied, his gaze flickering to me occasionally, perhaps to ensure I wasn’t feeling left out. It also seemed like he wanted me to know he was still paying attention to me.
“We’re throwing a party for our parents,” Maddox informed, his eyes briefly meeting mine before I quickly looked away.
“Oh,” Ronnie muttered, rubbing his forehead with two f*ingers, appearing slightly embarrassed as he now had to make a decision.
“And you’re both invited, along with your dad,” Maddox boasted, puffing out his c*hest playfully, and Ronnie chuckled, rubbing his hand against his stomach.
“Yeah, sure,” Ronnie agreed, then turned to me, an awkward silence settling between us until he added, “I’ll bring a plus one.”
My spine tensed at Ronnie’s subtle hint. Maddox followed Ronnie’s gaze, glancing at me. He seemed to understand, nodding hesitantly, as if struggling to come to terms with the fact that Ronnie wanted to bring the girl he disliked so much to a party he was hosting for his parents.
“Sure,” Maddox finally responded, making it abundantly clear, at least to me, that he wasn’t thrilled about the idea.
“So, you’ll be my plus one tomorrow at the party,” Ronnie smiled at me, right in front of Maddox, who had treated me like some disposable object he could kick around whenever he pleased.
The expression on Maddox’s face betrayed his shock, though he struggled to maintain composure until I nodded in confirmation, at which point it seemed like he couldn’t contain his reaction any longer.
“You know her?” he asked Ronnie, the disgust evident on his face.
“Yeah, she’s in my class and–” Ronnie paused, shooting me a smile before continuing, “and she’s my friend.”
I couldn’t help but blush at Ronnie’s gesture. I wondered how Balinda and the other girls at school would react to the news that Ronnie had befriended me. He was constantly pursued by others, yet he had chosen to befriend me. It was well-known that he only associated with Balinda because their fathers were friends and Balinda’s uncle was our principal. No wonder she always got away with being messy and never faced any consequences for her actions.