We all sit there, pretending this isn’t a goddamn mess, three girls trying to act normal while my heart slowly bleeds out beneath the table.
I keep my eyes down, fork digging into the pasta.I’m not eating it, just moving it around to look busy.
I see what Reece did to Jace.The bruises are still spreading across his face, deep purple and menacing.A perfect match for the filthy shit that crawled out of his mouth.
Lola hasn’t said a word to Jace since he slid into his spot at the table, wearing that smug grin he’s perfected.He practices the casual act, voice low, eyes gentle, and quietly says, “Hey, Bells.”
Lola doesn’t look his way or offer him any food like she usually does.
He keeps trying to drop that nickname, like it still holds weight.
Second attempt.
Third.
By the fifth, he’s struggling, voice tight, ego bruised.
She still doesn’t look at him, calmly sipping her juice with a disinterest that makes silence seem harsh.
He gets it eventually.
Jaw clenched, he stalks away, muttering something under his breath about bitches and whatever cock-measuring contest he’s losing today.
He’ll probably find some easy fuck behind the gym to remind himself that he still matters.
Reece remains silent the entire time, sitting there with his elbows on the table and his jaw clenched so tightly it’s a wonder his teeth don’t crack.
Ten minutes go by before he gets up and walks away.
Finally, I can breathe again.
Enough to take a sip of water without feeling like it chokes me.
By the end of the day, I’m barely holding it together with a grip that makes my fingers ache.My smile is a crack in concrete, and my voice is barely more than a breath.But hey, I’m still standing.Sort of.
Aubrey and Lola stay close to me.
We pile into my car.My hands tremble too much to drive, so I sit quietly with keys in my lap.
Aubrey slides into the passenger seat, and Lola takes the back.
No one speaks for a second.
Aubrey turns to me, her voice gentle but steady.“So, how long has it been going on between you and Reece?”
I swallow hard.“I went to his place,” I say, staring at the steering wheel.“To do the assessment.You know… because of how my dad is with guys.”
They nod.They know what that means.
“We had sex there,” I say.“That was the first time.”
Lola lets out a soft whistle from the back seat but stays quiet.
I glance at Aubrey then down at my hands.My voice barely comes out when I say, “And I was the one in the library.That was me.”
Aubrey blinks, stunned.“Holy shit.”
Lola gasps so loudly I almost jump.“Wait, your Library Girl?”Her eyes go wide in the rearview mirror.“I thought that was some senior skank with no gag reflex.”She doesn’t stop there.“Babe, I thought that was one of the cheerleaders.You know, the ones who moan when they sip Gatorade.”
