Free Scattered Colors by Jessica Prince Page B

voice said. I could only guess it belonged to Cassidy. “Why aren’t you sitting with us like you always do?” Her tone was whiny, and I struggled to suppress an eye roll.
    “Didn’t feel like it,” Parker answered blandly, not bothering to turn around to address the group crowding our table.
    “Who’s your friend?” I could hear the venom laced through her words but decided that maybe, if I were to be polite, she wouldn’t have a reason to target me for the rest of the year.
    I spun around in my seat and got my first glance at the beautiful blonde standing there. Her icy smile didn’t hold an ounce of kindness.
    “Hi, I’m Freya.” I extended my hand for her to shake. She stared down at it like it was carrying some sort of flesh-eating disease.
    “Cassidy,” she responded curtly.
    It seemed pointless, but I continued trying to kill her with kindness nonetheless. “You’re the captain of the Sassettes, right?” I tried hard not to choke on that god-awful name. She just stood there scowling at me, like I was something she’d scraped off the bottom of her shoe before turning back to Parker.
    “Are you coming over tonight, Park?” Her fingers reached out and began running through his thick hair before he jerked away from her. “My parents are still out of town. We have the house to ourselves all night, baby.”
    There was no misunderstanding what she was getting at, and the bottom fell out of my stomach as I studied the glob of food on the plate in front of me. Parker turned around and glared at her with such intensity that, if it had been me on the receiving end of that look, I’d have run back to my table. “I’m not coming over tonight or any other night, Cass. We’re done. You need to get that through your damn head.”
    Cassidy’s flirty demeanor disappeared completely, replaced by what I could only guess was white-hot rage. “That hasn’t stopped you from jumping in my bed every other day, has it? What? Is your new little toy already giving it up to you?” Before I had the chance to formulate a response to her insult, she spun to me and leaned in. “Wow, I have to hand it to you. You spread your legs a lot faster than anyone I know. Don’t think putting out so fast will actually make him stick around.”
    Parker was on his feet in a heartbeat. “Watch your fucking mouth, Cassidy,” he ground out between clenched teeth.
    “Obviously, he’s enjoying his little white-trash romp,” Brynn laughed callously. “He’ll come back just like he always does, Cass. Don’t worry.”
    Parker was still staring Cassidy down as she stepped up to him and placed a hand on his arm. It was a simple gesture, but the familiarity in that touch caused a pang of jealousy to shoot through me. It was a ridiculous reaction, but I wanted to smack her hand away, like she had no business touching what was mine. But Parker Owens wasn’t mine. Everything she’d just said had made that abundantly clear.
    To my relief, Parker pulled his arm away from Cassidy’s touch and glared at her. At his rebuff, her back straightened and her chin lifted in the air. Obviously Cassidy was the kind of girl who was used to getting what she wanted and, judging by the scowl on her face, she wasn’t happy with his reaction.
    “What the hell is the matter with you?” she demanded. “ We’re your friends, not these losers. Or have your forgotten that?”
    “I’d call you a lot of things, Cassidy, but trust me, friend is not one of them. Right now, bitch is at the top of the list, just in case you were wondering.”
    Her face reddened with anger and I was afraid her head was going to explode as she narrowed her eyes. “So, what? You’re choosing them over us ?” She asked the question as if she couldn’t possibly fathom him picking anyone over her and her crew of spray-tanned Barbie dolls.
    “You’ve made the choice pretty damn easy.”
    “You’re an asshole,” she seethed.
    “And you’re barely tolerable when your