I Hate You More

by Alexandra Moody

“Ally,” Chase said, his eyes growing wide with shock as he realized what I’d just overheard.

“You may hate me,” I said, my voice quiet and detached as I stared at him with loathing. “But I can guarantee you this: I hate you more.”

“Ally,” he said in greeting. “Satan,” I replied.

“There was a time when you thought she was impossibly hot.”

I was a girl who lived her every moment by the plans she’d made in her diary. I didn’t like to go off script or make waves, but when someone disturbed my tranquil waters, they better believe I’d be coming for them like a tsunami.

Note to self: Ally’s eyes are hypnotic and should be avoided at all costs if I ever want to disagree with her.

I always thought of my brother as a sun and Chase as the thundercloud that followed it everywhere it went. But, when Chase smiled, he transformed into a star of his own that shone far brighter than I ever realized.

“I think you’re always going to drive me crazy, Ally,” he murmured. “But I think I’m starting to like it.” He pulled his hand back.

“I didn’t have a choice, Ally, because if I didn’t hate you, I would love you, and loving you would only break my heart.”

“And I do love you. I love you because the things that have happened between us were real, because we are what happens when things don’t go to plan.” He closed the distance between us once more until our bodies were but a breath apart. “And because I miss every damn thing about you, including every little thing I thought I hated. You are the most stubborn, most annoying pain in the ass I’ve ever known, but you’re my pain in the ass, and I’m not letting you throw us away.”