“I’ll wait for you outside,” he says after a long pause.
That makes my heart beat faster, damn stupid organ. “We don’t really have anything to talk about.” I’m trying to keep my voice down, but I feel like everyone is looking at us. It’s irrational to think everyone knows he spent the night with another girl and he’s here talking to me, but my brain is telling me that’s why I feel like everyone is staring at us.
“We have a lot to talk about. Please stop ignoring me,” he pleads, and I almost look over my shoulder. I hate the sadness in his tone, and my chest actually aches.
“I think enough has been said.”
“He didn’t mean it, Waylynn.” Oswald lowers his voice even more. “He… Our… I promise we’ll give you an explanation, but he’s so sorry. I’ve never seen him so sorry,” he implores again, and my stomach cramps up.
“I appreciate the sentiment and the apology, but I don’t need an explanation. See you around.” My throat tightens up the second I’m done speaking. I’m dangerously close to crying in class, but I’ve done that before, and the aftermath is too much to bear, so I grit my teeth and pretend I’m not sobbing on the inside.
“Don’t say that, Wavy,” Oswald beseeches, and I jerk away when he tries to lay his hand on my shoulder.
“Dude, take a hint,” the girl next to me scoffs.
I hate that she said anything to him at all, that she’s even witnessing this, but I also hope it makes him leave. “I won’t take a fucking hint. Mind your own business.” Oswald sounds completely different when he talks to her. I can’t let this escalate.
“If you leave, I will text you after class,” I bargain, but I’m lying.
“Don’t let him blackmail you into talking to him.” She sounds outraged for me.
“If you don’t answer, I’ll show up at the house. I’m not letting this go, Waylynn.”
“Jesus, restraining order anyone?” the girl jeers.
“Okay, just go. Everyone is looking,” I whisper and lower myself in the seat. Oswald lets out a huff and presses his lips to the side of my head roughly. I close my eyes because it surprises me, not because the ache in my chest subsides for just a second…at least that’s what I’m telling myself.
THE HEART WON’T LIE
Oswald
I leave her class,but only because I was upsetting her. I don’t give a fuck what any of those other people think. Memphis shoves himself off the wall as I exit. “What did she say?”
“I had to fucking bribe her to even talk to me,” I admit.
“With what?”
“I told her I would leave if she talked to me after.”
“Your bribe was leaving?” he questions flatly.
“The other chick called it blackmail. It was coercion if anything.” I don’t even regret it. I would do that and more if it meant she would listen to me.
“The other chick?” he asks.
“Some girl sitting next to her. I saw that fucker she went to lunch with too. He was eyeballing me.”
“So what are we doing?” Memphis dismisses the other guy, but he didn’t see the way he was looking at Waylynn when I found her in the dining hall with him.
“I told her I would wait for her, so I’m going to stick around until she gets out.”
“Did you tell her I was sorry?”
“Yeah.” I wince.
“What did she say?”
“That she appreciated the sentiment. Then she tried to tell me she would see me around.”
