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“I know exactly what you mean.” I had more important stuff to deal with other than algebra. Like delivering drugs and being a parent to my dad.
“Don’t judge me, but I had the biggest crush on you,” Justin randomly says, his eyes lowered by his confession.
I blush, taken aback.“Really?”
“Yeah, you were such a badass. I think every guy had a crush on you.”
I doubt that. I was the brunt of everyone’s jokes, and I accepted that.
“Trust me, Mia,” Justin says when he sees my reaction to being told I wasn’t as invisible as I believed to be.
He reaches across the table, surprising me by taking my hand, and I don’t have time to pull it back.“This is kind of pathetic, but no one has even come close to you when we kissed.”
Suddenly, I feel extremely uncomfortable and want my hand back.I pull back subtly, but he won’t let go.
“What are you running from, Mia?”
Again, I attempt to pull back, but his grip is strong.
“What makes you think I’m running from anything?”
“We’re all running from something.”
“What areyourunning from?” I ask, suddenly feeling a chill pass over my body.
“I’m not running away from everything, Mia. You could say I’m running toward it.”
“Toward what?” I question, suddenly seeing a side to Justin I never knew existed.
“Revenge,” he simply replies, meeting my eyes.
I’ve seen that look before. It’s one I see every day in the mirror. Justin has obviously lost someone he loved and is seeking retribution.
I was too wrapped up in my bullshit to remember much about Justin, other than the fact he was deemed a freak, just like me. His family life was rough, but whose wasn’t? Unless you were the fucking Brady Bunch, then every family had their problems.
The two times we kissed were not earth-shattering.
The first time was under the bleachers, near the gymnasium, and I felt vulnerable and tired after my dad was on one of his three-day benders. And the second time was at some party where we were two misfits wanting to belong.
After the non-eventful kisses, I saw Justin now and then in the hallways at school, but like I said, at that stage, my dad was so far gone, I was more at home than at school, trying to fix his problems, and I failed senior year, eventually dropping out.
So safe to say, Justin was the furthest thing from my mind.But it’s funny how you can make an impact on someone’s life without even realizing it.
“We all good here?” Quinn asks, slamming the pitcher of beer so hard onto the table that it spills over the sides.
I pull back my hand, and thankfully, Justin lets go this time.
“Red?” Quinn questions, sitting near me when I don’t reply.
“Yup, all good,” I mumble, reaching for my glass and downing my beer.
Justin smirks, seeming to enjoy the discomfort between Quinn and me.
“Excuse me, I gotta make a call,” he says, standing up and heading outside.
I can feel Quinn’s eyes pinning me with a heated stare, and I bravely meet his gaze.
“What?”
