Could it have been her?
“Patrick.” Melissa runs after me. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” I run my fingers through my hair. “I’m going home.”
“Don’t you want to go and get a drink?”
I turn toward her. She’s objectively gorgeous with long blonde hair and legs that go on for days. But I’m just not interested in her that way.
She’s made it more than clear that she is.
“I’m sorry if I ever made you think there could be anything between us.”
“Are you kidding me?”
That flash of anger reminds me so much of Vicki. I don’t want to go back to that either. “No, I’m not. And I never pretended to be more interested than I was. We went out a couple of times and that was it.”
Her lower lip wobbles.
But my mind’s in such a mess that I can’t even worry about her being upset.
“Anyway, I’ve got to go.” I walk away before she says anything else and make my way to the bus stop.
It’s a short ride home.
The kitchen is quiet—Dad’s not home yet, and Mum sits on the couch watching afternoon TV.
She frowns when I walk in and dump my bag on a chair.
“Are you okay?”
“Why?”
“You look … agitated.”
I sit next to her on the couch. “I thought I saw Cassie’s car today.”
Mum rolls her eyes. “If she hasn’t been here this past year, why would she suddenly turn up?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she delayed coming here a year?”
She sighs. “Patrick. We’ve been through this. For whatever reason, she decided to cut you out of her life. It was awful and cruel and hurt you deeply. I don’t want you rehashing this and going back to where you were at the start of the year.”
I meet her gaze. She’s right. I was a mess when we arrived here. All I wanted was to understand what had happened, and no one would give me any answers.
My beautiful girl dumped me.
Maybe today was wishful thinking.
Will I ever see her again?
13
CASSIE
Five years later
“Sophie Warren, you’d better hustle.”
