Her laugh comes out dry, brittle enough to snap in half.
"Do you really think I just enjoyed beltingYou Belong With Meon repeat? Right there in the car, every ounce of emotion I had poured into it, no matter how out of tune I was?"
She scoffs, eyes blazing hot enough to burn straight through me.
"No, Zach. That was me screaming at you —hey, asshole, I'm right here. Look at me. I'm the one who gets you. I'm the one who belongs with you."
She swallows hard, her chest rising and falling like she's been holding this in for years.
"I was the girl staring at you like you held the entire damn universe in your hands. And all it took was one look from you — one — and I was done for. I turned into a puddle right there, every single time."
Her voice cracks, anger battling with grief.
"And I was stupid enough to believe in little daydreams—pathetic, naive fantasies—that maybe you liked me too, you just hadn't figured it out yet. That maybe you just needed to get your hookups and your parties out of your system, and when you were done playing around, you'd finally look at me... and choose me."
Her lip curls.
"Everyone saw it. Your teammates, your friends — hell, the entire town knew I was stupidly, pathetically in love with my hockey-golden-boy best friend. Everyone could see it but you?"
"I swear—" I can barely shake my head. "I didn't know. I swear I didn't know." The words come out rough, but true.
Caroline just gapes at me, scoffing, an incredulous huff escaping her.
"Fine. Let's say you were that clueless, that blind. Whatever. Let's even pretend you really thought it was one-sided. I stilldon't get why— why didn't youjust tell me? Why didn't you risk it? Because if you had told me you liked me, Zach, I would've told you'me too'without even blinking."
Her chin lifts, eyes flashing with something between anger and heartbreak.
"But instead of telling me, instead of waiting or pining like a normal person, you decided—what? 'Guess I'll just hook up with every girl who blinks at me while I wait for my best friend to magically confess first'? Was that the plan?"
Her laugh this time is soft, bitter, final.
"If that's what love looks like to you, Zach, then screw your version of love. I don't want it."
I can't move. Can't breathe.
My brain goes dark, like someone yanked the power cord out — nothing but static and ringing, every thought scattering like shrapnel.
Fuck. Say something, idiot.
But I can't. This is the first time in my life I have absolutely nothing. No smooth comeback. No excuse.
How the hell do I get through to her? How do I make her believe me?
She's still standing there, arms crossed, glaring at me like I'm the villain of her story — and maybe I am. Her stare is sharp enough to cut me open, pinning me right where I stand.
I guess this is what people mean when they sayif looks could kill.I'd be dead on the spot.
It takes Caroline throwing her arms in the air and stomping toward the door to finally knock me out of it. "It's not true. I... I didn't do that. The hookups, I mean."
She freezes, her hand hovering near the doorknob. Her head snaps back so fast I almost hear it.
"What?"
I exhale hard, squaring my shoulders before I take a slow step toward her. Confidence — or what's left of it — rolling off me like I'm walking into overtime.
Yeah, I wasn't planning on telling anyone this. Ever.
But if she's going to walk out of here still believing I was out screwing my way through the entire female population of Florida, then I've got no choice but to burn that lie down right here.
