"What the hell was that about?" she asks.
"It was nothin'."
"It was not nothing, Colton! You looked like you wanted to kill him."
I shrug my shoulders and turn to her. "He shouldn't have put his hands on her!"
"Her. Who? Penny?" She stares at me in confusion. "What is it about her anyway? I thought ya'll were just friends. Did you two used to date or something?"
"So I've been told," I mutter.
"Are you still in love with her, Colton?"
I look up at her, but I can't seem to make my mouth move.
Ruby puts her hands on her hips like Penny always does, but it's cute when Penny does it. Ruby just looks like a complete bitch with attitude. "I need to know where this is going, Colton. We've been together for three years now, and you haven't even proposed yet."
"Propose? Shouldn't you be askin' yourex-boyfriendthat?" I can't help the chuckle that escapes my mouth. "Ruby, you and I both know what this is. I told you from the beginnin'."
"You want us to be just fuck buddies? That's fine. But the thing about fuck buddies, Colton, is that they actuallyfuck. And we haven't screwed since Penny came back into town."
Her words hit me hard. I narrow my eyes at her and ask, "What did you say?" Ruby Sue's eyes widen when she realizes what she just confessed to. We never slept together that night. She led me to believe we did, but now I know the truth. That night completely destroyed my relationship with Penny, and it was all a goddamn lie. "Get the fuck out my life, Ruby Sue, and stay the fuck out of it."
She holds her hands out in front her, claspin' them together as if she's prayin'. "Colt, please. You don't mean that."
"I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life," I tell her with a glarin' glance.
She storms off, and I pound my fists onto the lid of a dumpster. If only I had known the truth to begin with, Penny and I would have been able to continue what we had. Now she hates me, and there's not one damn thing I can do about it. I'll lose her forever…to fuckin' Tucker Hayward. He'll shape and mold her into the perfectStepford wife, and she'll probably be miserable for the rest of her life. And it's all because I didn't get my shit together and give Penny the kind of life she deserves.
I hear footsteps quickly approachin', and I look up to see a fumin' Penny stalkin' towards me. "Penny," I start, but she doesn't let me finish.
"Do you want to explain to me why you beat up my date?"
I shake my head slowly. I'm gettin' sick and tired of not bein' able to explain myself to her.
She folds her arms in front of her in a protective stance. "They think you broke his jaw, Colt," she says, her voice tremblin'. "So do you want to tell me why you did it?"
So she's only worried about Tucker.Great. Scratchin' the top of my head, I tell her, "No, I reckon I don't." I have plenty of reasons to beat the hell out of that asshole. One bein' that he's takin' what's mine.
Penny's eyes glitter with unshed tears, and it kills me inside. "I can't keep doing this with you, Colt!" she yells, throwin' her hands up in exasperation.
"Doin' what?" I demand.
"This! I can't keep holding onto a string that's getting ready to snap. I can't keep holding onto a past that isn't there. I can't keep holding onto you, Colt. It's not fair. It's not fair to you, and it's definitely not fair to me. We need to move on. I need to move on."
She turns away, but I don't let her get far. I grab her arm and whirl her around to face me. "And where exactly are you movin' on to, Penny? Tucker Hayward?" I ask, practically spittin' out his name in hatred.
"Maybe. So what if I am? At least he wants to be with me. At least he treats me nice. At least he…" Her voice trails off as a stray tear trickles down her pretty face. "At least he doesn't make me feel like I'm dying inside."
I slowly release her. "I make you feel like that?" I ask, completely rocked by her confession.
She nods once. "I feel like I'm trying to save you, Colton, but I'm pulling myself under at the same time. Only one of us is going to survive if we keep going, and I can't keep putting both of us through this. Colt, I have to let you go. I don't want to. I just...I have to. I don't know how to do that, but I need to figure it out. On my own."
She turns to leave, and a sudden panic rises through my chest. "What if I don't want you to let me go?" I blurt out.
Her steps hesitate and then come to a stop. "In my mind, I already have." She gives me a sad smile that makes my stomach drop. "The Colton James that I loved is gone. I've been holding onto someone who just doesn't exist any longer." She takes a deep breath before she says, "I'm leaving for New York in a few weeks. I hope you're happy without me here, Colt. 'Cuz that's exactly how I'm gonna try to be without you."
I watch her walk away, and it feels like my heart has been ripped out of my chest and stomped on. "Penny!" I yell. She doesn't come back. "Fuck!" I pace around as my mind races. Is this it? Is this over? I've been pushin' her away all this time, but now I want her to come runnin' back to me.I'm such an asshole.
