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Backing away from him, I wiped my tears with my hand. "I can't do this," my voice shook with anger and hurt. "I can't deal with my dad. He was with another woman and didn't bother to tell us."
Jake looked at me, his eyes full of understanding. "Then don't," he said simply.
"What do you mean?" I scrunched up my face.
"I mean, don't deal. Or do and talk to me or Frankie."
My phone rang. My father was calling me back. I sent it to voicemail. He called two more times before I shut off my phone.
"I choose to not deal." I clicked on the TV and tried to watch Gordon Ramsey.
"Fine by me." Jake leaned back and pulled on the recliner.
Two minutes later, Frankie came barging into the room with his phone in his hand. "You called Dad, hung up on him, and then don't take his calls? What is wrong with you, Mal?"
"Did he even tell you why?" I yelled.
"Yeah, he said you overreacted." Frankie shook his head. "Said you were probably upset that he isn't here. That's still no reason to hang up on him!"
"Overreacted? Ha." I crossed my arms and turned back to the TV. I'll show him overreacting.
"Dude, she has a reason to be upset." Jake stood and walked toward the kitchen. "Talk to her instead of yelling at her."
Frankie's face fell, realization dawning on him. "What happened?" he asked, his voice softening.
"He was with another woman," I said, my voice breaking with emotion. "I called him, and he was with her. He didn't even bother to tell us he had moved on."
Frankie's eyes widened, his expression one of shock and disbelief. "I can't believe him," he muttered, his fists clenched. "He told me he wasn't going to tell you. Not like this."
"You knew? You knew, and you didn't say anything?" I stood and stormed into the kitchen, ignoring the slight tinge of pain in my ankle. As I passed him, I growled, "fuck you."
CHAPTER16
Rex
I chased after Mal.Watching her in so much pain destroyed me. I knew Mal since we were kids and I always hated seeing her cry. It was like seeing an angel fall.
Not that she cried much as a kid. Even though she was extremely clumsy, she always managed to hide her pain. The girl was strong. Maybe that was why my heart beat only for her. Everyone assumed I stayed single because I was so focused on football. That wasn't true. It was her. It was always her.
I found Mal sitting on the wooden dock, her feet dangling over the edge. I hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to her. She didn't look at me, but I could tell she was still crying.
"I'm sorry," I breathed. "I didn't know."
Mal finally looked at me, her eyes red and puffy. "It's not your fault," she said, her voice hoarse. "I just...I can't believe he would do this."
I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her close to my chest. "I'm here for you," I whispered, my lips brushing against her temple.
Mal leaned into me, her head resting on my shoulder. "Thank you," she murmured, her words barely audible.
We sat there in silence for a while, the sound of the water lapping against the shore was the only noise. I didn't know what to say, so I just held her, hoping that my presence was enough.
After a while, she pulled back and looked into my eyes. "How could he move on?"
I shrugged. "My whole life I have only had eyes for one girl. I don't know how someone could have feelings for another person."
Her face flushed red as she looked at the lake, avoiding my words. She had to know I was talking about her.
"Remember when we were kids and Frankie would make me cry?" She swung her feet and picked at her nails. "You would chase after me then too and make me laugh."
