“Because you know me!” His voice breaks and the sound of it makes my chest ache. “You know me, Juliette. You know I would never do that to you.”
“I thought I knew Garrett too.”
The words hang in the air between us. Heavy and final.
Romeo’s face changes. “I’m not Garrett.”
“Aren’t you? He lied to me too.”
“I. Am. Not. Garrett,” he repeats, each word sharp enough to cut. “And if you can’t see the difference, then maybe we have bigger problemsthan Sienna.”
“Maybe we do,” I hear myself say.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I need time to think.”
“No.” He reaches for me but I step back. “No, JuJu, please. We can work through this.”
“I don’t know if we can.”
“Don’t do this. Don’t let her win. That’s exactly what she wants, to break us up.”
“You broke us up when you decided to hide things from me.”
“I made one mistake! One! And I’m apologizing! I’m trying to fix it!”
“I can’t do this right now.” My voice is shaking so badly I can barely get the words out. “I can’t, I need to go.”
“Juliette, please?—”
“Don’t.” I hold up my hand and it’s trembling. “Just don’t. I need time.”
“How much time?”
“I don’t know.”
“So what, we’re just on a break? We’re done?”
“I don’t know!” The words come out as a sob that I can’t swallow back. “I don’t know anything right now except that you lied to me and I can’t, I can’t think straight and I need space.”
“Fine.” His jaw is tight. “Take your space. But when you’re done spiraling and you’re ready to actually listen to me, I’ll be here.”
“Romeo—”
“I’ll be here,” he repeats. “Because unlike Garrett, I don’t give up on people I care about.”
He turns and walks back into the locker room, the door closing behind him with a metallic click that echoes in the hallway.
Leaving me standing there alone.
I make it to my car before I completely break down. Sit in the driver’s seat with my hands on the steering wheel, sobbing so hard I can barely breathe.
He lied. He hid things from me.
Just like Garrett.
My phone buzzes. Over and over. The vibrations loud in the quiet car.
