Class begins, and I’m forced to pay attention to the teacher at the head of the room, but my eyes keep straying to Dimitri. He did something…nice. Maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe he is the kinder one of the two brothers after all.
By the time class is over, I’m buzzing with anxiety. “Dimitri,” I say quickly as he stands to collect his books.
He picks up a pen and tucks it behind his ear, paying no attention to me as he stacks his notebooks in order.
I continue with, “Why d-d-did you hurt him?”
“Sometimes people deserve it,” he simply states.
I frown at his response. So maybe he didn’t do it just because Brett messed with me. Maybe he did it because Brett is just an asshole and probably pissed him off in some way. And then a new thought enters my mind. What if Dimitri is lying about protecting me? Maybe he’s playing all of this off so that I don’t think he actually does like me.
Dimitri begins to walk out of the room, and I quickly call out his name. His entire body is rigid as he slowly turns his head to look at me over his shoulder as if I’m nothing more than an afterthought. “Yeah?”
“Thank you,” I blurt out.
And then he turns and walks out like it was nothing even if what he did meant the world to me and then some.
I’m dying to tell my best friend what happened, but she’s running late to our PE class. While I’m getting my gym clothes out of my locker, I overhear Chloe and her friends talking in the next row of lockers.
“Oh my god, his accent,” Chloe croons. I know it’s her based on her whiny, baby voice that she constantly uses. “I could listen to him talk all day.”
My stomach immediately drops at her words. And instead of simply just casually eavesdropping, I begin to hang on to every word she says like my life depends on it.
“I met him after the fight,” she continues. “It was love at first sight.”
“I thought you guys broke up?” another girl asks.
“Oh, yeah, I dumped him,” Chloe confirms. “It just wasn’tgoing to work out. We’re just two completely different people at totally different stages in life.”
I roll my eyes at her words.
“So, is it true? Is he huge? Britney said he’s the biggest she’s ever seen.”
Wait, Dimitri has been with two girls already?
“Oh yeah, it’s true,” Chloe says.
“I figured. He is, like, a foot taller than all the other guys in our school,” someone says.
“Tall and hung,” Chloe says with a sigh. “Well, anyway, I’m dressed, so I’m gonna go practice some cheer routines in the gym,” she says before I hear her footsteps receding.
“So, who is he dating now?” someone asks in a hushed whisper.
“Me, but don’t tell Chloe,” a girl says, but I can’t tell who she is by just her voice.
“Okay, I won’t. But, Lucia, isn’t she gonna be mad when she finds out?”
“I don’t care. It’s worth it,” Lucia says before giggling.
“Did you make it past third base yet?”
“Not yet, but tonight is the night. I’m borrowing my mom’s Oscar de la Renta little black dress. There’s no way he’ll say no to that.”
I press the palm of my hand against my chest, which is suddenly hurting at the thought of Dimitri and Lucia having sex later.
Just then, Darby walks in, overhearing some of the conversation on the way over to the bench I’m currently sitting on. “Who are they talking about?” she questions.
“Dimitri,” I whisper.
