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“The bullying? What happened?”
“Chris took me aside at the beginning of senior year and told me he had a girlfriend he’d met over the summer. He said it would be easier for everyone if we weren’t friends anymore. He said he didn’t want to torture me by having to see them together all the time.” She looked away. “I could have lived with that. Except he told everyone, and I became a joke. It was like we’d never been friends at all, and I was this annoying cling-on he was so relieved to get rid of. The whole school knew why we weren’t friends. He told people all the personal things he knew about me. Embarrassing things like what mean girls in middle school had done to me at a slumber party. I hadn’t talked to them in years and now they were mad at me for dragging them into it.
“I started getting these horrible anonymous texts until I finally changed my number and pretty much stopped using my phone at all. After that, I made sure I didn’t have any friends. I didn’t trust anyone. I didn’t need anyone.”
“Sadie.” I leaned in and kissed her forehead, wishing I could take away the scars of what he’d done to her. They were scars I still saw, scars I’d often made fun of. “I’m sorry.”
For a beat, she stayed curled into me, letting her forehead rest against my lips. But then she drew back and hugged herself. “Anyway, the whole thing was dumb. Looking back, there are so many things I could have done to get even. But that wasn’t me back then. Let’s watch soap box derby cars.”
The Sadie whiplash. At least I understood it now.
I picked up the remote and unmuted the TV. YouTube had continued to play while we were talking and now it was on Monster Truck rallies. I was pretty sure Sadie would have preferred synchronized monkey beer pong to talking a second longer about her feelings. I seriously loved this girl. Whoa. Notlovedloved. Nope. I did not love her. I barely liked her. But that didn’t feel true either. Could I be somewhere in the middle? How was that possible?
I was so lost in my ping-ponging feelings that I didn’t notice Sadie rubbing her arms at first. She had goosebumps all over her skin.
I hopped up, went to the armoire in the corner, and pulled out a fleece blanket, throwing it at her. “Don’t feel like you need to share.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.” She covered herself from head to toe, not knowing that was exactly what I wanted her to do. I needed a barrier to protect myself from her. Or to protect her from me? Again, somehow it was both. Sadie deserved someone who could love her so completely, she’d never doubt where she belonged again. Unless that was me, I shouldn’t be toying with her affections. Not that she had any affection for me. Maybe a little? With her, it was hard to tell.
Chapter 25 – Sadie
I was warm and snug. That was the first sensation I became aware of. But it was the sniff that made my eyes pop open. Just for a second. I closed them again and sighed. I’d always been a fan of burying under a pile of blankets like a hibernating squirrel. Who knew the comfort body weight could add to that?
Wait, what? Why was there a body on me? I went to sit up and couldn’t, and that’s when my eyes opened and stayed opened. Denver’s TV room. I’d never gone home. I was on my side, covered head to toe in a fleecy blanket, and Denver was wrapped around me, his arm draped across my middle in the most delicious way possible. No, I was trapped. I had to get out of here.
Sniff.
I glanced up and gave a little scream when I saw Stinton standing there. Staring.
“Stareton. What are you doing?”
“I forgot how much I hate that nickname.” He adjusted his glasses. “And I’m… processing.”
“Me too.” Now I was the one staring, although not really at Stinton, more like through him. What. Had. Happened?
Denver groaned in his sleep, and his arm tightened around me. Okay, enough of that. I gave him a slight nudge. “Denver. Wake up.”
“Wha—?” He yawned, and started to turn, and then sat up suddenly, almost sending me off the couch. I caught myself with a hand braced against the coffee table. But at least now I was free. I sat all the way up, kicked the blanket off, and retreated until I was out of Denver’s space completely. He had crease lines down his cheek and the most adorable bedhead, but I couldn’t think about that right now. I was mad at him for letting this happen. No, formakingthis happen.
“You let me sleep here.” I looked down at my wrinkled dress and pulled the blanket back up over me.
“Well, not on purpose. I fell asleep, too.” Denver leaned forward and ran his fingers through his hair, causing his back muscles to stretch under his T-shirt. No, I had to focus.
“Then why is the TV off?”
“I turned it off,” Stinton offered up so helpfully. Seeing my glare, he took a step toward the doorway. “Um, I’m going to go eat breakfast now.”
“You do that.” I waited until he left, and then stared Denver down. “That was stealth cuddling, and it’s one-hundred percent not allowed.” I would not say spooning. We had totally been spooning. For hours.
Denver rubbed his face. “I was unconscious. The last thing I remember is the tricked-out golf cart video. What’s the last thing you remember?”
Shoot, I remembered that too, and the video after that. In fact, I remembered coming acrossTen Reasons why the Pride and Prejudice Hand Flex is the Sexiest Thing on Filmand giggling to myself because I could watch it while Denver was… asleep. Busted. Oh, I was so busted. I’d had no problem resting against him while he did that little deep-breathing-bordering-on-snoring thing. I planned to wake him up and say goodbye after that one video. But I’d fallen asleep.
Which made me the world’s biggest hypocrite.
I cringed, and Denver pointed his finger in my face. “Aha! I fell asleep first, didn’t I?”
“I admit nothing. And I’m going now.” I stood up and glanced around. Purse. Shoes. Dignity. Nope, that last one wasn’t coming home with me.
