Page 34 of Baby, One More Time

To Teresa:

I wasn’t fraternizing. I had to get an emergency injection, and he was the only doctor available

I chew on the tip of my thumb before adding:

To Teresa:

He asked me on a date

From Teresa:

*boggling eyes emoji*

What did you say?

To Teresa:

I said no, what else would I say?!

From Teresa:

I see now what got your panties in a bunch

To Teresa:

What?

From Teresa:

You wanted to say yes

And you hate yourself for it

But maybe John really has changed

Each new message lands as a blow to my heart.

From Teresa:

Maybe you need to let him explain why he did what he did that night

If nothing else, so that you can put everything that happened to rest once and for all

To Teresa:

He wanted to talk about prom night, but I shut him down

From Teresa:

Then it’s time to put your big-girl pants on and listen to what he has to say

I don’t reply.

I’m not ready. I will never be ready to go back to that night. To hear the other side of what happened. For years, I’ve basked in my hate of Johnny Raikes. Listening to another side of the story is pointless. He was wrong, period. What he did has no justification.

At home, I eat a bowl of milk and cereal and crawl straight into bed. I fall into a sort of trance where I’m half-asleep, half-awake, and memories and dreams mix up. But they all revolve around one person.

I come out of my stupor only when my phone rings on the bedside table. I pick up, and before I can even say hello, Blake’s voice blares through the speakers. “Marissa, I need your help.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com