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We head back to class and wait for the pep rally to start in the gym. As we all line up like we normally do, the cheerleaders run in ahead of us and do a quick cheer. But unlike what we’re used to, there’s laughter instead of cheering.
We all look around, trying to figure out what it is, and then Matt, who’s standing next to me and Zach, nudges Zachs shoulder. “Uh-oh, Olson. Looks like it’s payback.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I search the crowd, and Zach looks like he’s going to be sick. And then I see it. Right there on the back of Chloe is Zach’s jersey withZachary Olson is a liarwritten across it.
It’s not clever or big. It shouldn’t be funny to anyone at all. But it’s enough to humiliate Zach, and she knew that. “What the fuck?”
“Let it go,” Zach says numbly next to me.
“No.” I look around the pep rally for Coach or a fucking authority figure of some type, but I don’t see anyone. “She’s not getting away with that.”
I catch the principal’s gaze, and he finally seems to zone-in on what all the laughing is about. Finally—after what seems like hours—he escorts Chloe out of the gym, and everyone else seems to go back to normal.
Except Zachary. And me. Because I can feel his damn pain and embarrassment. I hate it. “Zach.” I reach for his shoulder, but he just steps out from my touch and backs away.
“I’m fine,” he says, but there’s no conviction in his voice whatsoever. He keeps walking, and then he exits the gym. I fight with myself for all of ten seconds before I ditch the pep rally and follow him out into the hall.
“Zach.”
“Please just go back.” I find him standing near a locker bay, leaning against it.
“I’m not going back in there. Fuck all of them. That shit was not funny.”
“She hates me.” His eyes lift to look at me with so much pain and sadness in them, my knees nearly buckle as I approach him.
“She has no right to torture you. You had every right to break up with her. You didn’t love her.”
He still looks too pale, like he’s going to pass out. “You know what I did to her.”
I shake my head, hating this guilt I wish I could take from him. I place my hands firmly on his shoulders and look right at him. “It was a mistake. One you’ve paid for. It’s enough.”
I feel his shoulders slump under my hands, and his head droops. “I just want out of school. I just want it to be over.”
“You deserve to enjoy your senior year. So you fucked her...” His head lifts, and his eyes widen.
“Shhh.”
“No,” I say firmly and squeeze his shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. She wanted to have sex, and you had sex. But then you didn’t want to keep leading her on, and you broke up with her. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“But—” he starts and I shake my head sharply.
“No. No buts. It’s enough, Zach. You don’t deserve this, and I have no idea why she’s taking it so far, but we’re going to the game tonight.”
“Adam...” He sounds exhausted, but he stops with just my name, and I continue.
“We’re gonna play the game of our lives tonight, and then we’re going to the stupid after-party.”
“What?” He looks horrified now, and I smile, patting his right shoulder.
“It’ll be fun.”
“You hate those parties as much as I do.”
I nod at that because yeah, I do. But who knows what’s going to happen after graduation. Will Zach and I stay close? I’d like to think so, but people change. They move. I don’t plan to, but maybe someday Zach will want to go somewhere he can be himself.
I drop my hand from his shoulder and rub at the middle of my chest, that ache back because I can’t imagine him not being here with me.
“I already have my tent in the truck. We’re going to camp out and have fun.”
