ZOE BELL PART 71

We end up in Aeropastle, and while the other boys check out clothes, I take Curtis to the perfume table.

"This is my favorite," I say, spraying my wrist with cologne that I knew he had.

"You like wearing the male cologne?" He teased.

"No, I like smelling it on very attractive boys."

He smiled as he sprayed himself with it. "Am I attractive?"

I give him a playful smile. "Very, very attractive." I lean in and inhale his scent mixed with the cologne. It is heaven! He pulls me into his arms and I feel like a school girl having her first crush. It’s ridiculous! But my happy moment is soon erased when I’m being yanked from Curtis’s arms. I looked up into the livid face of Mason, and I fell his fingers clamp around my upper arm.

"What are you dong Zoe? Why are you here with Curtis?" He’s pulling me out of the store because the workers are giving him dirty looks for yelling.

"I don’t know Mason. When you can tell me what you’re doing with Amber in Arizona, maybe we can talk. Now let me go!" He is looking at me with disbelief when Curtis and Zagger are on each side of me, glaring at him.

"What did you just say?"

"You heard her. Now let her go before you have one less arm to run with." Curtis was livid too. Eyes bright, pupils dilated, and arm muscles bulging, preparing to do some damage.

"I’m her boyfriend, dude. Back off. This doesn’t concern you."

"I’m her brother, it concerns me. Let her go, now." Zagger’s voice sent chills up my spine, and it must have had a similar effect on Mason, because he let go of my arm and took a step back.

Some girls I knew from school walked by with worried looks on their faces. "Let’s take this outside. If you get us banned from the mall, I will never forgive you guys." I tugged on Curtis’s arm and he let me lead him outside, back to his car. I look back and find the boys following closely behind.

"Does someone want to explain what’s going on for me?" Mason asks when we’re all positioned in a half circle behind the Chevelle.

Zagger looks at me and must know that I didn’t want to talk from the expression on my face. "Curtis and I were at a party in Arizona a few days ago, and we saw some things that would prove to a worried girlfriend that her boyfriend is cheating on her."

Mason won’t look at me, and he knows that he is totally busted. I know he’s going to pay for it. Big time. That was my plan.

"Can I have a minute alone with my girlfriend, please?" He asked, looking at me and raising his eyebrows.

"I wouldn’t be so sure about titles at the moment, man." Curtis kisses me so suddenly that by the time I have a chance to react, he pulls away from me and walks far enough away to give me privacy, but still keeping an eye on me. Zagger hesitates, and I give him a slight nod before he joins Curtis with Zane and Alex.

"What did they tell you?" Mason asked.

"They told me enough that I don’t trust you anymore." I cross my arms and lean against the car.

He looks down at his feet. Embarrassed, I assume. "I kind of got caught in a trap, which is no excuse for what I did, but just tell me what I have to do to gain your trust back." He steps closer to me and his hands move to my waist.

I turn my face away from him when he tries to kiss me, but I let his hands stay on me.

"It’s not something I can put a price on Mason. You have to prove to me that you deserve my trust. And why would I after you cheated on me? I thought you were, like connected, or something like that to me? What happened to that?"

He groans. "What did they tell you?"

I ignore his question and ask one of my won. "Why did you do it? Doesn’t the connection we have make me the only girl for you? Maybe you were only playing me, and you fed me a bunch of crap. That’s what this is, isn’t it?"

"I do have a connection with you! This, what we have, is so real. I love you so much it hurts, Zo!"

"Not enough if you go to other girls for love. And you lied to me."

"I’m sorry. I really am. Please let me have another chance? I promise I won’t disappoint you again. On my life, I swear it."

I can see that he is sincere, but that doesn’t mean it fixes my broken heart. And it most definitely doesn’t mean that I trust him again.

"I guess you’ll just have to take a number. I’ve got more guys on my plate than I can handle right now, and you just lost the top slot. I need some time."

I push his hands off my hips and Curtis is next to me before he can do or say anything else.

"I’m ready to go home," I say, and Curtis has me in the car before I can say goodbye.

There were lots of names directed to Mason on the way home that came from Curtis blowing off steam. I tried to just ignore him, since I felt horrible for agreeing with what he was saying. We got back to my house and he snapped out of his trance and back into his sweet as pie attitude that wanted to keep me company.