I let out a shuddery breath. “Yeah. Right.”
“You got bullied?”
I nod.
“Things written on your locker, and pics and stuff?”
I shrug. “Also, some boys thought it was a good excuse to try and get me to suck their dicks.”
“Oh shit.” Her face pales. “Kade.”
“I punched their lights out.” I lean back in my chair, smirking. “That put a stop to that idea, at least.”
She laughs again. “You’re something.”
“So they tell me.”
She sobers up, reaches for my hand over the table. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”
“Thanks.” A weight has lifted off my chest, but the pressure has shifted to my damn head, because the pain that’s been hammering steadily at the back of my eyeballs suddenly flares, making me wince. I put a hand over my eyes, the light like splinters. “So there you have it. The reason why I’m such a dick.”
“You’re not a dick, Kade. Kade, hey.” Her chair screeches as she pushes it back and I groan. She kneels in front of me, strokes my knee. “You okay? Shall I bring the painkillers?”
I nod, and she’s gone only to return a second later with the pills and handing me a full glass of water. But after I hand her back the glass, she doesn’t move.
“What is today really about?” she whispers.
I wave a hand. “I wanted to show you,” I rasp, “I can be who you need. Someone…who’s not a brute. But I’m just a goddamn mechanic. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing. I want to be who you need, but I bet you could do better than me.”
She doesn’t speak, and the tension is amping up the pressure inside my head. Why isn’t she saying something? Does th
is mean she agrees with what I said?
Jesus Christ.
And when she does speak, my headache grows worse, because it’s not what I’d hoped to hear.
“I can’t do this anymore,” she whispers, her voice thick.
“Why the hell not? I’m trying, I…”
I fucking love you.
Dunno how else to get you back.
She looks away. “Look, the thing is…we had a fight, Kaden. You had these pics and messages on your phone from a girl I didn’t know. She seemed very familiar with you.”
“You mean like the million text and pic messages you have from this guy on yours?” Stop, Kaden. Goddammit, stop. But I can’t. “I think there were a few dick pics in there, too. Is he your new boyfriend?”
Shock tightens her face. “You checked my phone?”
“Why, it’s only okay if you check mine? Peek inside, make up your mind about me and walk out without giving me a chance to explain? That was okay by your book?”
She jerks up to her feet, hair tumbling in her eyes. They’re wide and shimmering with tears. “You remember, don’t you?”
“I remember everything. Every single fucking thing.”
Her eyes flash when she shoves her hair back. “The guy on my phone? That’s my ex, Trent, and I’m about to change my phone number to get rid of the asshole. But you know what? You talk of trust and changing, but you let me believe you didn’t remember what happened between us. You lied to me. Let me think that you… Oh God.”