Chapter 40: 𝓐𝓻𝓮 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓚𝓲𝓭𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓜𝓮 𝓡𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓝𝓸𝔀?!

Fuck!

This was a mistake.

Coming here was a mistake.

If they had dinner at the house, her eyes wouldn't be burning with hot tears begging to be released. Her heart wouldn't have fallen to the bottom of her stomach and shattered into a million pieces all over the floor around her.

She averted her eyes and harshly wiped the tears away. Her throat aches with a sob threatening to burst out of her. It was like she was one of the characters in her favorite Wattpad books. What they thought was unwavering love turned into the worst heartbreak a human could experience.

She was an emotional wreck. She was snapped out of her reverie when her mom laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. She faked a smile for her and it hurt when she swallowed. She wanted to get out of there. Let Cory have his makeout session with the woman way more in his league.

Cory turned to Kendall who was looking smug with her arms crossed and her lips formed a smirk, her eyes following Gracie.

"Did you know she was watching?"

Kendall scoffed and shook her head. "Of course. She needs to see that you belong with me."

Cory yanked his arm away before she could touch it. He sprung out of his seat and sprinted toward her. She was about to follow her parents into their car before he caught her by her wrist. He could tell she was tired; there were dark circles and bags under her eyes which were tearing up.

Gracie wasn't making eye contact with him. Instead, her eyes were on her white converse. She knew that she already broke off whatever was going on between them months ago and that he had the right to move on. She expected him to be with Kendall, but seeing them kiss like that made her heart sore.

Cory used his thumb and index finger to lift her head to face him. "I swear to you that she's the one who kissed me. I didn't want her to."

"It's none of my business. Whatever we had is over. You can kiss whoever you want."

"But I—" He thought about it. He looked over his shoulder to see all of his friends watching him. Kendall's eyes were shooting daggers at the side of Gracie's head. He turned back to Gracie who was spacing out again. "You said I could kiss whoever I want?"

"Yes."

Gracie's voice lowered to a whisper. She spun on her heels to open the doors but didn't get very far before she felt a hand on her arm. She turned around and before she could blink, Cory's lips melted into hers.

She was taken by surprise at his response. She didn't know what to do with her hands at first. They hung limply by her sides while she awkwardly leaned into the kiss. Gracie didn't know what got into her at that moment but her arms automatically found their way around his neck.

Her heart was performing somersaults and she didn't know how to control it. An unfamiliar feeling stirred inside of her. She couldn't pinpoint what it was. Fervor? Desire? Yearning? She was obsessed with the feeling of his arms holding her tighter to deepen the kiss.

Cory's tongue hesitantly touched her lips. It created butterflies in her tummy at the thought of him being considerate of her comfort. She slightly opened her mouth to give his tongue access. Even with his warmth that seeped into her, Gracie still managed to think about the characters in the romance novels she read. The passion. The love that was hidden behind the first kiss.

She realized she kept referencing those Wattpad books, but those were the only experiences she had — even if it was through a fictional couple.

It was at that moment when she realized — this was her first real kiss. Her first kiss ever with her boyfriend in high school was different. She didn't know how to kiss and she kept stepping away because it was awkward, but this was more passionate. Gracie actually felt something.

"Are you kidding me right now?!"

Gracie quickly pulled away, but she absentmindedly touched her lips, the feeling of his kiss lingering.

"Didn't I tell you to stay the fuck away from my boyfriend?"

"I'm so sorry! Y-y-you're right. I'll j's go home."

"No!" He reached out to grab Gracie's wrist again, but turned back to Kendall.

"Cory? What's the matter?"

"I apologize, Mrs. Summers. Can you give us a minute? This won't take long, I promise." Once Gracie's mom got back in the car, Cory turned back around to face Kendall. "When are you gonna get it through that thick head of yours that I am not your boyfriend? I'm not interested in you. I never was."

"You're seriously picking her over me?"

"Yes, I am. It was always her. Not you. Thank you for giving me your number that night. I thank myself for putting it in wrong because if none of that happened, I wouldn't have met her. So thank you, but we're done."

All of Cory's teammates started 'oooooh'ing at her as she crossed her arms and stormed off.

He shook his head at her childish behavior, but refocused his attention on Gracie who was holding in a laugh.

"I'm sorry about that."

Gracie was relieved that bitch was gone and out of their lives. She could freely hang out with Cory and his friends without worrying about Kendall telling her to stay away.

"Thank you for saying all that."

Cory played with her hair and stuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "I meant every word."

She wanted to kiss him again. She wanted to remember the feeling of their lips molding together, but then she remembered that her parents were waiting in the car behind her.

"I gotta go before my dad gets mad. But..."

Gracie's eyes found his lips and swallowed the saliva that was building up in her mouth.

"Maybe you can come over... tomorrow night and we can watch a movie or... something?"

Her hands were sweating, but she subtly wiped them on her pants. It wasn't until after those words left her mouth that she realized she asked him out.

"Or we could go out. We don't... necessarily have to stay in. W-w-we can do whatever you want."

Cory's smile grew at the thought of them hanging out again. He didn't care if they hung out at her house or went to the movies. As long as he got to hold her in his arms all night. Maybe kiss her some more. "I'd love that."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• [ A/N ] ❀ Proofreading & Editing by Julie_ProofEdit