Filed to story: Once Upon a One Night Mistake Book PDF Free by Simone Shirazi
The two went on as Taliana changed, but she tuned them out. It wasn’t until Sebastian’s name came up that she started listening again.
“I didn’t see him the entire weekend,” Kelsey complained. “I mean, I saw the other three boys a couple times, and I hung out with Jude at the spa, but none of Sebastian!” She cut her eyes to Taliana, seeming none too pleased that she’d missed out on seeing him. “Aren’t you his girlfriend? The one with the criminal record and the scandalous pictures? Avilla, right?”
What fantastic things to be known for. Taliana couldn’t wait to get the hell out of high school. “You can call me Talia,” she replied, a little uneasily. “But, yeah, I’m his girlfriend.” It felt kind of weird to say those words now they weren’t a lie, but Taliana couldn’t deny it gave her a rush.
Kelsey either took no notice of the small smile that had suddenly appeared on Taliana’s face, or at least didn’t question it. “Were you guys even up there for the weekend? I didn’t see you or him at any of the parties.”
She obviously hadn’t been looking hard enough. “We were there.”
“And?” she pressed, putting a hand on her jutting hip as she shot Taliana an expectant glance.
“And, what?” Taliana had a feeling the whole clueless act wasn’t going to work, but she attempted it anyway.
“If you were there, why didn’t you come to any of the parties?” Coco asked for her friend, both seeming to close in on Taliana as they waited for an answer.
Taliana raised an eyebrow but refused to take a step back. Sure, they were a little intimidating, but she had at least six inches on them both. “We were, ah, a little preoccupied with other stuff.”
“Like what?”
Could they not read between the lines? “Well…”
“Come on, you can tell us,” Kelsey cooed, smiling at Taliana like they were best friends.
The same smile graced Coco’s face, though hers was far less believable. “Yeah, you can tell us.”
The more they pushed, the more Taliana was tempted to tell them to piss off, but fortunately, someone else beat her to the punch.
“Come on, ladies,” none other than Blair Bakhtiar admonished from a few feet away, causing the two to turn and look. “It’s honestly none of your business what she and her boyfriend did this weekend. Besides, I can’t see why you would even care. It’s not like he knows who either of you are.”
Coco clearly wanted to protest, but Kelsey’s hand on her arm kept her from doing so. Both knew a confrontation with the Queen Bitch wouldn’t turn out well, and since they obviously didn’t want to suffer the same fate Taliana had, the pair dipped their heads and stalked off toward the door to the gym.
Now that she and Taliana were the only ones in the vicinity, Blair turned her attention back to her. “Never tell those two anything,” she advised, throwing her hair into a messy ponytail. “If you do, be prepared for everyone and their grandmother to know your business.”
Taliana nodded, having no idea what to say in response. Or really, to the situation in general. Why the hell was Blair coming to her rescue?
“Just be careful who you talk to,” Blair continued calmly, as if she weren’t speaking to the person she’d tried to destroy. “Not everyone can be trusted. I’m sure Sebastian has already told you all about that.”
It didn’t take a genius to know they weren’t talking about trust in general. “He’s told me enough. And you’ve certainly done enough to the both of us.”
“I suppose you’re right about that,” she chuckled, tucking a few stray wisps of hair behind her ear. “I had my reasons for doing what I did. But I suppose even if I said I was sorry, you wouldn’t believe me.”
She knew Taliana well. “You’re right about that,” she said as she brushed past Blair, moving toward the locker room exit.
Blair’s humorless laugh followed Taliana as she pushed open the door. “It was worth a try. See you around, Stick Girl.”
Try as she might, Taliana couldn’t seem to stop Blair’s semi-apology from playing on repeat as she struggled through gym and her last few classes of the day. What Blair had meant by it, Taliana had no idea, and by the time the final bell rang, she had given herself a headache from thinking so hard.
The warm sunshine outside lifted Taliana’s spirits slightly as she made her way down the front steps of Georgetown Trinity, but it was the sight of Sebastian casually leaning against his car that truly made her feel better. The corners of his mouth tipped up when he spotted her, and Taliana’s heart flip-flopped in a way she’d never thought was possible.
It only took seconds to reach him, and she wasted no time throwing her arms around him. He stiffened momentarily at her sudden show of affection, but he loosened up a second later and returned the embrace.
“Thank god you’re here,” she mumbled against the soft material of his shirt, inhaling the scent of his cologne.
His chest vibrated beneath her cheek as he chuckled, and he lowered his lips to press a kiss to the top of her head. “Bad day?”
“You have no idea. It was honestly the day from hell. Next time you skip, I am too.”
Taliana reluctantly pulled back and made her way to the passenger’s side, yanking open the door and sliding onto the cool leather seat.
Sebastian joined her inside a moment later and turned the engine over. “What was so bad about your day?”
She sighed again and let her head fall back against the seat. “Where should I start?”
He shot her an amused look before checking his mirrors and backing out of the parking spot. “The beginning works.”
“That would be homeroom,” she began, “which I mostly missed because I woke up late, and I blame you for it. Thanks for keeping me up half the night, asshole.”
There was no missing his amused eye roll, but Taliana chose to ignore it.
“I had Calculus after that. A double period, mind you, so that should be pretty self-explanatory. In English, I got in trouble for falling asleep. I got hit with a book in Government-” Sebastian shot her a confused look, but she waved it off. “Don’t worry, I had it coming. Anyway, Physics kicked my ass like always, and lunch was boring without you and Michael around.”
“What about gym?” he asked when they’d finally pulled out of the parking lot.
Taliana cringed when Blair’s words came back to her, something Sebastian noticed.
“Jackpot,” he said, reaching over to squeeze her hand. “Tell me what happened.”
“I ran into Blair,” she mumbled. “Actually, she sort of saved me from an awkward conversation with a few girls in the locker room.”
When Taliana glanced at him, it seemed like he was hardly affected by the news. However, when he turned his attention to her after stopping at a red light, she saw his eyes had hardened. “Yeah? What did she want?”
Taliana paused, debating whether or not to tell him about the supposed apology Blair had offered. It wasn’t as if it meant anything, so what was the point of saying something that would only upset him? And honestly, she wasn’t up for dealing with a moody boyfriend.
“Nothing really,” Taliana lied, shrugging a shoulder. “She just said not to tell Kelsey and Coco anything that I didn’t want to end up on the front page of the
Washington Post .”