Page 38 of Regrets

He doesn’t move. He stays so stoic, it’s creepy. And then he finally shakes his head. “No. We’re just different.”

“Stop saying that and say what you actually mean.” He stands up but stays near the bed as my voice grows louder. “I’m not good enough for you. You think I’m dirty.” He doesn’t say anything. I take a deep breath, my voice lowered to a vulnerable whisper, “Are you breaking up with me?”

He hesitates. Again, he doesn’t say a damn word, just stands there, frozen.

I shake my head slowly, staring into his face, at someone I thought I knew. “Wow.”

I start for the door, and he finally moves, taking a step in my direction, his hand grabbing mine. “Pea . . .”

I jerk out of his hold. “Don’t touch me. You get your wish. We’re done.”

I take off out of the room and down the stairs, and when I make it into the living room, I pause and look up the staircase, my heart waiting for him to run down the stairs after me.

But my head knows better.

He doesn’t want me. And he doesn’t follow.

I stand there for far too long, my head drooping, and I finally give up. With tears falling down my cheeks, I walk into the kitchen, grabbing another shot from a friend and slam it back before going back into the crowded living room.

I want to escape. Be anywhere else. Be anyone else.

The way he was looking at me . . .

I need to get out of here. I start out the front door, but it’s opening as I push on it, and I run right into Linc’s chest.

He has his usual smirk until his eyes land on mine and he sees the tears.

And then he’s deadly serious. “What happened?”

I shake my head and turn away from him, but he’s in the house and right in front of me before I can get away.

“P. What the fuck happened?”

I shake my head, my body numb and my heart broken. “Leave me alone, Linc. You got what you wanted. Everyone knows I’m dirty.”

He’s studying me as I walk away from him again, walking down a hallway on the main floor, but he doesn’t leave my side. He intends to demand an explanation, try to pull it out of me in the usual P and Linc fashion.

But tonight, I don’t have any fight left.

20

LINC

ONE YEAR AGO

“Where the hell are you going?”

Penelope looks out of it as she walks down the long hallway that leads to the master bedroom in the house. She has tears streaking down her cheeks that are slightly flushed that I’m assuming is due to alcohol.

I’ve been at my parent’s lake house for the last hour, but I’d been partying outside with some friends and some people around our age we just met.

“I’m going away from you if you’d quit following me.” She stops walking and turns to me, her pretty, made-up face angry. “What the hell are you doing here anyway? Shouldn’t you be partying with college kids?”

She knows I come here a lot in the summer, but I like that she’s giving me shit. “Yeah well, a chick from your year texted me and wanted my dick tonight, so I thought, ‘what the hell.’”

It’s true. The chick wanted me to be her prom date, but I told her, “Fuck no.” However, I’d already planned to be here and thought I’d see her.

“Oh yeah?” P is definitely in a fiery mood tonight. Her pretty eyes lined in black and dark mascara meet mine. “You fuck her yet?”

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