Page 5 of Taming Georgia

He’s not coming.

I can’t believe it.

After a Sunday that would never end, Monday has finally arrived. I’ve scanned the halls between each period, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, but I don’t. I’m both relieved and nervous when I finally walk into Biology. I take a seat at our table and wait. The bell rings, and there’s still no sign of Wyatt.

Mr. Williamson begins his lecture, and my mind races, thinking of all of the things that could be wrong with Wyatt.

What if he’s hurt? What if he was in an accident?

God, I wish I could text him.Why didn’t we exchange numbers?

My brain is torturing me with the worst-possible scenarios when Wyatt finally arrives.

He’s okay.

He hands a late slip to Mr. Williamson and begins to walk toward the back of the room. The closer he gets to our table, the more anxious I am to talk to him, to find out if he’s okay. Only he continues past me without so much as a glance in my direction.

I turn around and watch as he sits on an empty stool next to Clarke, the goth loner who usually sits at the back table by himself.

When it’s clear that he’s not going to make eye contact with me, I turn my attention back to Mr. Williamson. I’m so confused. I think back to the kiss we shared—my first kiss. My body hums at the memory. I’m finding it hard to process this reality. The Wyatt whose lips caressed mine a couple of days ago doesn’t match up to the sullen boy seated at the table behind me.

After an hour of Mr. Williamson rambling about who knows what, the bell rings, and I jump up out of my seat. As quickly as I exit the class, Wyatt is faster. I almost have to run down the hall to catch up with him.

I grab his arm. “Wait. What’s going on?” I ask, desperation lining my voice.

Wyatt doesn’t say anything; he simply glares down at me with what seems like hatred in his eyes. I’m not used to seeing Wyatt look at me this way. In fact, I’ve never seen him appear so angry. He’s different. I release my grip and drop my arm to my side.

“What is it?” I plead, knowing that nothing good is going to come out of his mouth but wanting to know nonetheless.

I have to know.

Wyatt raises his hands in front of his chest in a stop motion. “Just go, Georgia.”

I’m thrown off by his dismissal and the way in which he addresses me. He’s never called me by my real name before.

I ignore his warning. “No.” The conviction in my voice surprises me. “Why didn’t you show on Saturday?”

He scans the hallway as other students hurriedly pass us on the way to their next classes. He shifts uneasily on his feet. I see the moment when he decides to talk. He stands taller, his body rigid as he peers down at me.

“I didn’t meet you because I didn’t want to,” he says between gritted teeth.

“Why?”

He throws his head back and takes a breath before returning his gaze toward me. “You’re a spoiled, rich brat, Georgia. Your life is a fucking joke. I would never waste my time with you. Now, stop following me.”

He turns on his heel and is gone before I can close my gaping mouth. Tears stream down my cheeks, soaking my shirt as they fall. But still, I stay, frozen in this space in time where my perfect dream has morphed into a nightmare. At some point in this haze, the bell for the next class rings, leaving me alone in this abandoned hallway.

My chest stings as my broken heart continues to beat. I thought I could’ve loved him. I thought maybe he could’ve loved me. Now, I know what a fool I was.

I drop my chin to my chest, unable to find the strength to hold it up anymore. My back shakes as I cry.

I knew better. This is my fault.

I let myself hope against my better judgment. I allowed my heart to dream of a Prince Charming with striking blues, who was made to love me unconditionally. I fell victim to the false fables of my childhood. But I had known all along that fairy tales weren’t real. Even if they were, why would the prince choose me?

Yet Wyatt Gates is no prince. He’s an asshole, one that I refuse to waste another second of my life on.

I pull in a deep breath and stand tall, wiping the tears from my face. No way in hell am I going to let a jerk like Wyatt break me. Maybe my first kiss didn’t turn out the way I’d thought it would, but it taught me a valuable lesson, one that I’ll never forget.

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