Really? I can’t catch a damn break today… or this month… or my entire life.
“So it is true,” she blurts, her bright blue eyes glassy and red-rimmed. A tray holding a bottle of water, a fruit cup, and a salad shakes in her hands.
I try to dislodge myself from around Kaleb’s arm, but he flexes his muscles, pinning me in place.
This is not going to end well.
He sighs. From what I can see of his face, his expression is somewhere around sympathetic, but also too tired to care. “Not now, Rachel.”
“Why not? It’s not a secret. Everyone in the whole school is talking about it,” she demands, her chin quivering. Her sweet, singsongy voice sounds so wounded, I’m half expecting her to summon blue birds that will then dive bomb my head. “I didn’t want to believe it. Not my Kaleb. He wouldn’t do something like that.”
There’s a tic in his jaw that doesn’t bode well for Rachel’s delicate sensibilities, while everyone sitting nearby quiets to watch the live soap opera that’s unfolding in front of them.
This is so much worse than the time they were awkwardly talking near my locker. At least I could pretend my books and keychain were fascinating. Now, not only do I have a front row seat, I’m part of the show. I know I was just thinking about how I needed to help and support Kaleb more, but this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.
“That’s just it. I’m not your Kaleb anymore,” he grinds out, clearly trying to keep his voice low. “We broke up. The specifics of my current relationship are none of your business.”
Uh. He knows we’re not actually dating, right?
“But... you... you said that you needed time to grieve, so I gave you time. You didn’t say…” She stutters, her voice thick from the tears she’s holding back. “We were together for over a year... a-a-and we were friends for years before that. Why throw that away to date some girl you barely know that’s also sleeping with your best friends? And she’s not even ashamed of it! She’s cheating on you.”
There’s a low murmur from our audience, and I can’t tell if I should be insulted or not. Is it cheating if they all know about it?Wait, why am I worrying about this? We’re not dating!
This charade has officially bitten me in the ass, and I begin to explain, “Look, the rumors are—”
“I also told you I couldn’t be the boyfriend you deserve,” Kaleb interrupts me quietly.
“I don’t understand,” she whimpers.
That makes two of us. Why isn’t he telling her the truth?
His hands curl into tight fists, and then he relaxes them slowly. It’s one of the things I’ve noticed he does when he’s trying to contain his emotions. Even though the mask he wears isn’t sitting quite the same, there’s still so much more churning underneath.
He stares her in the eye and plainly states, “The guy you dated doesn’t exist anymore. Everything’s changed.”
Her shaking intensifies to the point where I really want to suggest she set the tray down, but I don’t think she’s too keen on acting on anything I suggest.
“Because of her?” she hisses, her face flushing so red her freckles are barely visible. “You’re turning into some kind of pervert because she can’t decide. Why? I love you the way you are. Why her and not me?”
The audience “oohs” and there are distinct murmurs saying how they always knew Kaleb was a freak under the nice guy act. No one is that perfect.
Pervert? How does me dating all the guys mean Kaleb’s a pervert? Not that it matters, because again, not dating.I ignore the obnoxious flutter in my stomach over the idea of me with all the guys.How would that even work, anyway? No. I need to stop thinking about this. I barely know how to friend, let alone girlfriend. Plus, they all wouldn’t want to date me…would they? Damn it! Stop!
I rub at the spot between my brows, my brain feeling like it’s going to explode.
“She has a name. It’s Callie,” Kaleb replies sternly, ignoring the fact that his reputation is going down in flames over a lie, “and it’s not an either or. Even if Callie wasn’t here, we’d still be broken up. My best friend died four months ago. There’s no coming back from that. I can’t pretend it didn’t happen, and I can’t pretend to be the same person. Let me go.”
Even though I know Felix is still with us, for now anyway, it hurts my heart to hear the pain in his voice. I place my free hand on his arm and give it a gentle squeeze, my mute attempt to tell him I’m here for him—even if this is a painfully awkward conversation to be in.
There’s an echo of curses around us, but it looks like the audience might be softening toward Kaleb’s plight. Thankfully, we don’t stay to find out what else anyone has to stay, using that mic drop to walk outside and toward our oblivious friends.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur, still unsure what the parameters of Connor’s super wolf hearing are.
“Don’t be.” Kaleb glances down at me. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
I look pointedly at the fact that our arms are still linked together while also ignoring that my boobs are definitely brushing against his bicep.
“Certainly didn’t help,” I reply wryly, then sigh as I ask, “Why didn’t you just tell her that the rumors aren’t true?”
