Page 70 of I Blame the Rival

I flick my eyes back to the words crossed out on the page in front of me. The jagged lines are thick and merciless, refusing to let a single letter bleed through.

The whole thing is so…angry.

Slowly raising my gaze to her guilt-stricken face, I can barely breathe as I take in the consequence of someone else’s actions.

“What did he do to you?”

Chapter 15

Lacey

I’ve really done it now.

Wringing my hands, I do everything I can not to look in Skylar’s direction. I should have known someone would stumble across the scenes I blacked out during my darker moments.

A hopeful part of me thought no one would ever look through my books, so it wasn’t something I had to worry about. The other, more rational side assumed that if someone did find the marks, they wouldn’t bother to look past the annotated surface.

“Flower?”

He’s waiting for an answer, but I don’t know if I can give him one. I’ve never told anyone the details of what happened that night, partly out of shame but mostly out of embarrassment.

“I, uh…” Heat creeps up my neck as I glance at him, “Sometimes it hurts reading things that aren’t true. So, when the pain gets too much I just cross it out.”

There’s a sliver of hope that Skylar hasn’t clued in to what parts of the book I try to erase, but that futile dream quickly gets blown away.

“You cross out the sex scenes.”

I flinch like he ripped a splinter straight from my skin.

“Look, it’s no big deal. I just had a bad experience and it makes me angry when authors create fictional worlds where sex is enjoyed by both parties.”

Skylar’s eyes widen and I hurry to fix the slip-up, “I mean, I know sex can be enjoyable for both parties. I hear my roommate have a fantastic time every weekend, so I know it’s true.”

The joke falls flat and silence fills the room. I shuffle over to the narrow edge of my bed and sit down, nervously picking at the polish on my fingernails.

After a beat, Skylar walks over and sits down next to me. Our shoulders aren’t touching, but the distance does nothing to ease the tension from the room.

“Can you tell me a secret?” His voice is rough, like each word is causing him physical pain. I close my eyes, knowing exactly what he’s asking for.

“It’s not pretty, Skylar.”

“That’s okay.”

When I open my eyes, he’s looking at me, the broken pieces of his soul reflecting my own. I should have known Skylar wouldsee through my weak efforts of normality. He always sees me, even when I don’t want to be seen.

I turn away, feeling my bottom lip start to tremble.

“I started seeing this guy just before I turned sixteen. His name was Jerrell Thompson. He was new to town and came from a wealthy family.”

Skylar stays silent but I can feel the weight of his stare on the side of my face.

“He took me on these extravagant dates, just like what you see in the movies. He liked to buy me things, liked taking me to fancy restaurants. I got caught up in the romance, I guess.”

A bitter laugh leaks out, “Jerrell was the most charismatic guy I had ever met, he could turn on the charm at any time and win anyone over. But he could also turn the charm off.”

Pulling my knees up to my chest, I hug them close, “He could be so cruel. He would say these things, simple things that would cut straight through me.”

“What did he say?”

---