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“Probably.”
Bree inhales deeply.
“You know, you aren’t like I thought you would be,” she confesses, breaking the ice after a brief moment of silence in which I almost considered that the conversation was over.
I’m wrong because this is only the beginning, the tip of an iceberg of topics that we need to discuss, but we prefer to keep hidden until we can’t do anything about it. For a moment, I consider what to say. I choose the truth because I like her too much. Ineedto be transparent with her.
“That’s because I’ve never been that kind of person that you thought I was.”
“I know that now.”
I swallow, a lump of insecurity forming in my throat.
“No, Bree. I mean that I was never the kind of person that you thought.” I take a deep breath before I explain. “You know why I always got pissed that you assumed stuff about me? Because that’s what everyone has done since I stepped on campus just because I share a surname with a powerful family. I’m not one ofthoseMcKinleys.”
I can appreciate the confusion in her face. She frowns and seems lost with my confession. Honestly, I think that I am too.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not part of a millionaire family. I’m from a small town in Florida. My mom is a hairdresser, and my dad is a mechanic. I study here because they offered me a full scholarship.”
Bree processes the information, staying quiet for a couple of minutes. I’m afraid that this will create an abyss between us. Mainly because she doesn’t utter a single word, her expression remains unbothered. I consider turning on the lamp and checking if she’s okay with what I said.
“Why lie?”
I shrug because I don’t know the answer to that. It’s not something that makes sense. In fact, it’s so dumb that I can’t consider it a lie. It’s just an omission of the truth, at least for a while, it was.
“In the beginning, I tried to explain people, but they always thought that I was humble. Eventually, it became exhausting, and I stopped explaining myself, letting them believe whatever they wanted. I stopped correcting them,” I answer, hoping that I’m as honest and transparent as I can be.
“Why didn’t you tell me since the beginning?”
“Because you always assumed the worst of me. I never thought that we would end up being this close,” I declare.
Bree stares at me. I wonder if she can watch my eyes if she adapted to the darkness enough to see that I’m honest. The only thing that she does is open her mouth as a wave of surprise courses her face.
“Wait, aren’t you supposed to maintain the scholarships with a good GPA?” I nod. “God, Stan, you need to pass the class.”
“I know.”
If I don’t, I’m out of the team, and without that, I can’t pay the tuition. Not even if I worked at a strip club.
“I’m sorry that I’m not a great study partner,” she mutters, sighing.
I scoff.
“You’re better than you think, Bree.” I lick my lips. “Besides, it’s my responsibility to fix this. I’ll find a solution.”
“You better. Florida is far from here, and I don’t think that I could visit you often.”
“You aren’t mad that I’m not who you thought I was?” I question.
Bree takes a hand to my face, caressing my cheek. Her fingers feel like heaven against my skin, and I close my eyes to enjoy her touch while it lasts.
“Of course not. I don’t care if you have money or not,” she expresses and removes her hand from my face, only to lower it to my chest, pressing it over my heat. “This is all that I care about. I know who you truly are, and you’re amazing, Stanley. The size of your bank account doesn’t appeal to me.”
If I had any doubts that I liked Bree, they’re gone. Where was this girl during the past three years? It would’ve been amazing to have her by my side since the beginning.
“Thank you,” I whisper, fighting against the urge to kiss her.
