Shame clogsmy throat as I meet Sutton’s flat stare.
It’s no fucking wonder she hates me. What kind of douche calls a woman the wrong name in bed?
Only a total piece of shit.
Fucking fuck.
I deserve every bit of crap she’s given me and then some. She shared her body with me and…I don’t even remember it.
How is that possible?
She’s not the kind of woman you can easily forget.
I mentally recount my hookups over the last couple of years. Despite the rumors, I’ve never been as popular with the ladies as my teammates. The fact is, I was a late bloomer. I’d been too damn shy to talk to women freshman year and then sophomore year, I’d gotten shitfaced and—
Oh, hell.
My pulse throbs at my temple, a physical reminder of my dumbfuckery.
Is it any wonder she hates you?
“We have nothing to talk about,” Sutton says, ice coating each syllable. I stand there, at a loss for words, as she turns back to her friends. “I’m going to head out. Have fun.”
Maddie shoots me a scathing look and offers to walk with her, but Sutton waves her off, promising to text when she gets home. Then she turns on her heel and, without acknowledging me, disappears into the crowd.
Fucking fuck.
How am I supposed to fix this?
“You really screwed up,” Maddie says, tossing her blonde hair as she looks down her nose at me. “Sutton is an incredible person. She didn’t deserve to be hurt that way.”
“I know.” I shove my fingers into my hair and it’s all I can do not to roar in frustration. “If I could take it all back, believe me, I would.”
In a heartbeat.
If only that were an option.
The Black girl to Maddie’s left raises her brows expectantly. “Well, whatareyou going to do about it?”
Fuck if I know. I’ve made my share of mistakes at Waverly, but this doesn’t feel like one that can be fixed with “I’m sorry.”
“A simple apology isn’t going to cut it,” the redhead on Maddie’s right says. “Not with the way you treated her.”
No kidding. Sutton doesn’t strike me as the forgiving type, and the woman can hold a grudge, but I can hardly fault her.
“I know.” I duck my head, feeling about two feet tall, despite the fact that I tower over these girls. “I’m kind of figuring this out as I go. Until sixty seconds ago, I didn’t even know what I’d done to piss her off.”
Because you’re a jackass.
Before today, I’d have taken offense at the moniker, but now…
“Fuck.” The word explodes from my mouth, but the gymnasts take it in stride. One of the many benefits of partying on Greek Row: anything goes. “I’m sorry. I’m out of my depth here. I feel like complete shit and I know I have to make this right, but I don’t even know where to start.”
Maddie studies me, her expression thoughtful. “You could start by making sure she gets home safely.”
Shit. She’s right. There are emergency call stations all over campus, but it’s late and Sutton shouldn’t be walking home alone. There are all kinds of creeps out there. Drunk creeps. Pervy creeps. Creeps who might get it in their head to hassle a woman.
The lager I drank earlier sours in my stomach.
