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His eyebrows go so high that I think they might fly right off his face. “You sure as hell did.”
I reach out to grab him, and he pushes me away.
“Don’t you dare fucking try to act like that didn’t happen. I’ll make sure you have a ride home, but I’m out of here. I can’t be around you right now.”
He storms off, and I fall to the ground in tears. A few minutes later, Heather comes to my rescue and picks me up to bring me back to where the party is still going. I search around and see that Aaron did actually leave. When I look at Heather, she gives me an expression that says it all. I royally fucked up tonight with both my boyfriend and my best friend, and I have no idea why.
* * *
The next morning, I have the worst headache that I’ve ever had, and my body feels like I was hit by a huge truck.
Thankfully, Justin came to get us once Aaron left, but it was so early in the night that Heather opted to go hang out with him, and they dropped me off at home, alone.
Just when I think that I can’t feel any worse, Aaron knocks on my window. I open my blinds to see him standing there with a stern expression.
“We need to talk.”
I nod and motion to the front door, where I open it and walk out to see him sitting on our porch stairs.
I join him and instantly start talking. “I’m sorry for last night. I had way too much to drink.”
He stares out at the street. “Do you like him?”
“No,” I state with no question.
“That’s not what it seemed like last night.” He looks my way.
I place my hand on his shoulder. “I told you, I was drunk.”
“Yeah, but drunk words are spoken truths.” He glances back out at the street. “At least, that’s what my mom always said about my dad before he took off.”
I rub my lips together. “I promise that’s not the case.”
He drops his head as he shakes it side to side, letting out a breath. “I didn’t like what I saw or what I heard. You obviously have something you need to work out because that was most definitely someone who has feelings for someone else. The worst part though …” He looks back to me. “I honestly don’t think you’d have the same reaction if you caught me with someone else.”
With that bomb he just dropped, he stands up and walks straight to his car that’s parked in his driveway and speeds away.
I hate everything about what just happened, but the thing I hate the most is … he’s right.
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Present Day
Every emotion of that night washes over me in the same way as I stare out at the field. Until the death of my father, I honestly felt that was the worst night of my life. Knowing now that I would recover has me looking up and thanking God for allowing everyone involved to forgive me, no matter how long it took.
The old dump-truck horn sounds loudly, signifying the end of the second quarter, meaning the presentation is about to start.
Some cheerleaders greet me in the stands. “We’ll escort you to the field.”
I want to laugh because I don’t need an escort to tell me where to go, as I know every inch of this field more than anyone else here, but I oblige, and my entire family follows me. We make our way through the gates under the bleachers that lead to the field, then up the stairs to the stage they have set up on the sidelines, where they have a huge picture of my father.
We step on the stage, and when I look to the side, I see him walking away with the team. I’m not sure if I’m happy to see this or devastated. I don’t know why I thought he’d be here with us on this stage. No matter what was going on for homecoming, my dad wasn’t there. He was in with the team, discussing the first half and making a game plan for the second.
I guess I wished this would be different, and this would have been the first time we saw each other again since the day I’d left.
The new principal shakes our hands and quietly thanks us for coming before starting the ceremony.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight.”
