“Clay, honey, is that you?”
“Hey there, Ms. Larsson.” Donny waves.
I turn around. “Mom, hey. What are you doing here?”
“Anthony and I thought it would be romantic to have our date at the Carnival.” She shakes her head, a happy smile on her face. “What are you doing here? I thought you were at the water park.”
My heart pounds in my chest. I wipe my sweaty palms on my shorts. “Nah. My friends and I thought we’d hang out here for a bit.” The word friends sounds bitter on my tongue. I don’t want to be associated with these bullies anymore.
Mom glances over at Donny and the others. “Oh, hi, Donny. Don’t be shy. Come over here and say hello.”
Behind Donny, Chris tugs on Lex’s hand. Madison sidles up next to me and leans against my arm. Lex gives me a small smile and walks away.
There’s no other way around it. I’m the villain in someone’s story. I don’t even have the guts to stop my friends from hurting the beautiful boy in front of me. Regret fills my heart as I introduce Madison and the others to my mother. I want nothing more than to push past them, chase after Lex, and wrap him up in my arms. He’s so tiny, I know he’d be perfect, cradled against me. Damnit. Why do I have to be so afraid?
One day.I promise myself. One day, when I find the courage to be my true self, I’ll find Lex and ask for his forgiveness. I just hope by then it won’t be too late.
Chapter 2
But what if I find a Daddy?
Felix
(Present Day.)
“Jeez, how many books do you own exactly, Felix?”
“Not enough.” I giggle.Wait till he sees my romance movie collection.I lightly push Theo to the side and slice the tape with my dull pair of scissors. Opening the box, I pull out the contents and arrange my babies on my shelf. Gah! They look so beautiful there. I run my fingers over the spines and smile. “Never enough.”
Theo, my brother’s boyfriend, reaches for the large text on the bottom shelf. “Is this a yearbook?” he asks, flipping it open and spotting all the handwritten notes on the first few pages.
I nod. “Senior year. When I was sixteen.” Just a few months after Mom had passed.
Theo reads through the first several notes before arching a brow. “Lex? Who’s Lex?”
I roll my eyes and raise my hand.
“Isn’t Lex a nickname for Alexander?”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t graduate with the brightest bunch. Felix, Fe, and Lix were too complicated for them. I guess it’s better than Kid Genius. But one day, some jock asshole called me Lex and the others around him laughed. So, he started calling meLex Luthorbecause I was so smart, and Lex was obsessed with human intellect, or at least that’s what I tell myself.”
Theo arches his brow again. “And you think some asshole jock knew that much aboutLex Luthor?”
I bark out a laugh and shake my head. “No, probably not. There’s no way Donny was some closet nerd.”
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I notice my chat group pings with a new notification.
Ash: Please tell us you’re in town now!
Riley: We can’t wait to finally meet you later tonight!
Smiling, I shoot off a quick message.
Felix: Made it here safely. See you tonight at the club. I’m bringing my favorite pjs just for the occasion.
Ash: Yay!
Riley: See you soon.
