AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He’d confessed he wanted to take her out. He’d told her he thought she was attractive. The only thing left to say was that even after that kiss, he wanted to be more than just a friend to her. His chest tightened and his heart constricted like it didn’t have enough oxygen. He was getting lightheaded, and he stumbled a step.
Ella lunged forward. “You need to rest.”
He shook his head. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. You lost blood.”
“Not enough to make me lightheaded.”
“Just listen to me, okay? Sit down. It’s not like we can go anywhere or do anything anyway.”
He stared at her, wishing they could just clear the air completely. But another wave of dizziness stopped him. “Yeah, okay. Fine.” Lucas allowed her to pull him into a seated position where they again fell into an uncomfortable silence. When he couldn’t take it any longer, he glanced at her. “Why did you think I wouldn’t be interested in you?”
“I told you,” she mumbled. “You don’t exactly date girls like me.”
“Not good enough. There’s more, and we both know it.”
She shifted, fidgeting beside him. Her hands were clasped tightly together, and every few seconds, she wrung them tight until they started to turn red.
Lucas reached for the one closest to him and held it tight, causing her to go still. “Why did you think I was that shallow?” he whispered this time.
“You’re going to think I’m being ridiculous.”
“It’s a little too late for that.”
She didn’t laugh even though his tone had been light. This must have been a lot more difficult than he’d expected.
“You can tell me. It’s not like we’re going anywhere. Accuse me all you want, and I promise I’ll apologize.”
This time he got a small smile from her. She placed her free hand over the one he held, and he marveled at how that simple gesture seemed to calm his nerves. Her voice was soft, free from judgment and almost reflective in nature. “Do you remember me at all from high school?”
“Sure.”
“Like,reallyremember me? I’ve lost some weight since then. Not much… but I did start being more active after graduating.”
He thought back to high school but could only vaguely remember her. It was mostly her face he could recall. “I remember you.”
She rested her cheek against his shoulder, making it impossible to see her face. “Homecoming had just been announced. People were talking about the theme or some nonsense throughout the whole school. At lunch, I was sitting by myself with a book when you and your friends walked by.”
Lucas waited. He didn’t like the beginning of this story, but mostly for reasons she’d already expressed a concern about. She’d been hurt a decade ago and she’d held onto it all these years. What must he have done to her that could cause a scar that deep?
Ella’s sigh was one of resignation. Still, she didn’t move so he could read her expression, which made it all the more difficult for him to traverse this unknown territory. Her thumb trailed over his hand for a moment, and then she stilled. “Someone said something. I heard my name, so I glanced up. When I noticed you and your friends, I went back to staring at my book, but I could hear them talking and laughing. You were laughing with them.”
He waited for the end of the story. What had they said? What had he been laughing about? It had to be bad, right? But she didn’t say anything more. “What did they say?”
When she didn’t respond, he pulled back enough to look her in the eyes.
“What did they say, Ella?”
She flushed a deep red color. “Honestly, I blocked a lot of it out. But it was all the same. Guys in your group made fun of the girls who were heavier. Nearly every day, one of youmooedat someone.”
He froze. That was definitely something he would have remembered.
“I was one of thosecowsthat got made fun of.” She looked away. “But I guess you’ve changed a lot since then. You’re right. I shouldn’t have judged you based on what you were like as a teenager.”
Lucas lifted her chin so her eyes met his. “I would have never laughed at that.”
“It’s okay, Lucas.” She shut her eyes tight, and emotion clung to her words. “I’ve done a lot of work to get past that part of my life. I guess I just couldn’t get past the grudge I held against your little group.”
