Page 14 of Hooves & HeartStrings

“Yeah, but you chose a freak over your best friends!” Another girl I don’t know, with black hair, shouts.

The hair on the back of my neck stands up. I’m frozen, waiting to see how this plays out.

“You're making a big deal out of nothing. So what, I’m having some fun. It’s summer, it’s what we're supposed to do.”

“But you're forgetting about us, and what, all to get laid? And with him? God, Marley, there are normal fucking guys who would jump at the chance to sleep with you.”

“It’s not like that,” she says, sounding annoyed. “Look, summer is over and soon things will go back to normal. Just drop it, okay?”

“Good. The sooner you lose that freak, the better,” the girl with brown hair says.

“It’s just a summer fling. Some fun with a cute guy.”

Marley’s words are like a kick to the gut. It’s not just what she said, it’s what she didn’t say. Not once did she defend me to her friends when they were calling me names. Calling what we shared a summer fling. Like she only wanted me for a fun time before tossing me to the side.

Pain fills my chest, my heart is breaking. It feels like someone has taken a sledgehammer to my ribcage. The overwhelming hurt makes it hard to breathe, my lungs constricting as if refusing to take in air. I can feel my pulse hammering in my ears.

She’s rejecting me.

“It’s nice to know that's all I meant to you,” I say, trying to hold back how much I want to fall apart right now. I know we just met, but she became something so meaningful to me in a short amount of time. And hearing the fact that your mate didn’t want you for anything but a bit of fun is crushing.

Marley spins around, shock forming on her face when she sees me standing there in the shadows. “Luci,” she whispers.

Shaking my head, I turn around and start to leave.

“Wait!” she shouts. “Please, wait. It’s not what it seems like.”

“Save it, Marley. I get it. You had your fun, but who would want to be with a freak like me long term, right?” I scoff, shaking my head.

“I’m sorry!” she shouts as I run away from her. Maybe I should stay and hear her out, let her defend herself. But how she talked to them when I wasn’t around compared to when I was right in front of her and those guys’ cracked jokes were completely different. It’s like before she felt the need to because what else could she do with me standing there. If she didn’t, she would come off as a bad person. But without having me there, is this how she feels? She said it herself. It was just meant to be a summer fling.

My heart is pounding, breaking as I get into the house. I need to leave, go home, and get some space. If I told Marley right now that she was my mate, it would be a fucking shitshow. I can’t risk getting hurt more than I already am.

Grabbing my bag, I start to shove my clothes inside. My phone dings, making me pause. Looking at it, I see a text message from Marley. But under it are two emails. One from Coral Springs University and one from Dr. Matt Barlow.

The two answers I’ve been waiting for. I should feel excited and nervous, but I feel sick. Ignoring Marley’s text, I open the one from the school.

The first line reads “Congratulations, Lucius Epona. We at the admissions departments of Coral Springs University are pleased to accept you to join us…”

I don’t read the rest, my head spinning. I’ve been accepted.

Exiting out of that email, I click on the next, and it starts off as “Dear Mr. Epona. Dr. Matt Barlow would be honored to offer you a position as his…” I stop reading, needing to sit down as the room starts to spin.

Both. I’ve been accepted to both. But with everything that’s happening, what do I choose?

eight

I hit send on what has to be my fiftieth text to Luci and that is not including the voicemails I’ve left. It crossed my mind to drive my scooter over to his house and demand he speak to me face to face. But I don’t think my heart could handle it if he turned me away in person.

Stupid. A fucking moron. The only words that can describe how fucking thoughtless and harmful my words were at the bar. I was just agreeing and trying to pacify the girls because I didn’t want to get into anything with them right there. Not when I knew my man was going to be showing up. What I didn’t expect was for my ‘friends’ to press the issue relentlessly. Luci showing up and overhearing was devastating.

If I feel so heartbroken about it, I can only imagine what he’s feeling since the words were about him. I palm my forehead hard, releasing a deep sigh. Fuck, this is a mess. I’m falling apart over this guy I only met a few weeks ago. How did I fall so hard, so fast, for someone like him? That’s an easy question to answer because Luci made it so natural to fall for him. He’s thoughtful, kind, funny, and sexy as hell.

Flopping back on my bed, I decide to try calling him one more time. I mean, he has to at least be listening to my messages, right? I pull up his contact and hit call. It rings and rings until finally the voicemail picks up. “This is Lucius, you know what to do.”

“Hi, Luci. It’s me, Marley, again. I don’t know if you’re getting these, listening to them, or just instantly deleting them. Honestly, I deserve the fucking delete button. I was an ass. Not intentionally, but an ass all the same. Fuck. I hope if you listen to any message, it's this one.” I blow out a breath, close my eyes, and pour my heart out. “I was stupid, Luci. My friends showed up at the bar and, as I was waiting for you, they started giving me hell about seeing you. I didn’t want you to hear their hurtful words, so I asked them to come outside. My intentions were for you to hear nothing they had to say because nothing they said was true or a reflection of my thoughts and feelings about you.”

A tear escapes the corner of my eye and trails down my cheek. Ignoring it, I continue to say what I need to. “You heard me saying nothing, which is just as bad as agreeing with them or saying the things myself. Guilty by association. I just wanted them to shut up and leave, so I could go back and wait for you. I did, however, say you were just a summer fling, only some cute guy to have some fun with, which is such a lie.”

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