Liri: Hey, I’m gonna leave if you want to ride back with me. Liam might want to check on Killian, he just left, and he was um…upset—I think.
Hayley: What about?
Liri: Something I said to him.
Hayley: He’ll be fine. We’ll talk tomorrow. Liam will drop me off before work.
He’ll be fine but what about me? I instantly regret every word I said to him. I want to drive after him and take them back. I hate feeling like this. I’ve been here one week and already I am exhausted and wish I could go back to the safety of my bedroom and my mother’s arms.
Getting into the driver’s seat of my car, I try to fight the tears, but they come steady as rain. Why does this feel like I broke up with a boy I wasn’t even dating? I wipe at my cheeks and start my car. I drive around aimlessly. Maybe I am looking for his stupid car. I start to drive out to the clearing and see if he went there but then I get mad at myself. Why am I wasting so much time and energy on a guy who doesn’t want anything more than to torture me because he gets off on it in some sick way?
No more.
I stop at a gas station and fill my car up. I’m tempted to get on the road and drive home to where I can hide away. I can’t do that though. Instead I pick up some ice cream. When I get to the dorm, I pull off my jeans and put on my honey bee leggings and a tank top. I climb into my bed with my ice cream and my laptop, and I watch Vampire Diaries while I cry. I mourn the idea of what could have been if Killian were a good guy, but he’s not. He’s a jerk who is a skilled kisser who knows how to seduce goodie goodies like me.
**
The next day I awaken with puffy eyes and a swollen lip where Killian bit me. I don’t let him bring me down though. I shed my tears and now I am ready to move on. I shower and go to breakfast alone in the cafeteria. Jackie is sitting alone with a textbook. She sees me and she actually smiles. I smile back at her even though it feels odd to do so. I grip my tray and carry it to her table.
“Hey,” I say, softly.
“Hey,” she replies and rolls her eyes. She moves her bag over a spot and says, “Come on. Sit down. No use in us sitting alone.”
“Thanks.”
“You look like shit.” She laughs.
“Ah ha. You’re sweet.”
“That’s what they say.” She sneers and bites into her apple. “This in no way means that we are friends though.”
“Definitely not,” I agree and take a bite of my sausage.
“So Hunter…he was cute.”
“He’s nice.”
“You should go for it.”
“Why, because you don’t want me with Killian?”
“I don’t care who Killian fucks. You aren’t as bad as I thought you were and maybe you deserve better.”
“Careful there. It almost sounds like you care.”
“I still don’t like you.” She gives me an amused grin and goes back to her book.
“Noted.”
Hayley, Woodrow, Misty and, Porter start filling up the other chairs around us. I can’t even hide my shock when Porter kisses Jackie on the cheek.
“Hey you.” Woodrow kicks my foot under the table.
“Hi.”
“You and Hunter…?”
“I think so.”