Page 12 of Damaged Boys Don't Fall For Bubbly Girls
My gaze drops to the floor. “Why are you talking to me?” I raise my head, taking in the surprised expression on her face.
“What do you mean? You asked to talk to me in private.”
I shake my head, letting my bangs fall into my eyes. “No, I mean in general. Why are you talking to me?”
“Because you’re my friend.”
There’s no hesitation. No uncertainty. She still considers me her friend after everything I put her through.
She moves closer to me, not leaving much space between us. “Brock, I…”
“No, please. I need to say this…to explain…” I puff out my cheeks, unable to continue.
She takes hold of both my hands, and a strange tingle shoots up my spine. “Brock, you don’t have to say anything. I understand.”
“No.” I pull my hands out of hers. “Stop excusing my behavior. Please.” I shut my eyes. “I don’t deserve it.”
She takes one of my hands, forcing me to open my eyes. “It’s okay,” she whispers. “We don’t have to talk about it.”
“You’re not upset about the way I treated you?”
She shakes her head. “No, not upset.”
“Hurt then.”
She bites her lip.
I bang the back of my head on the locker, staring up at the ceiling. After taking a deep breath, I slowly release it and look into her eyes. “I hate the way I treated you and I want to apologize. Lexi, I’m sorry.” My voice cracks as I try to hold back tears. “I’m so, so sorry.”
Tears flash in her eyes, making it harder for me to contain mine. “It’s okay,” she whispers again. “I don’t blame you for what happened. I…made some mistakes, too, and I’m sorry.” Her tears drop down her cheeks.
“No, you didn’t do anything wrong,” I tell her.
“What I said that day. It was terrible. I shouldn’t have said it.”
Shutting my eyes, the tears slip out and spill down my cheeks. The images from that awful day four years ago flash in my mind. My body convulses. “I don’t…I can’t…”
She places her hands on my cheeks. “We don’t have to talk about it.” Her voice is soft. “We can leave it in the past and move on.”
My eyes open. “I can’t just forget about what a jerk I was. I treated you worse than garbage. I’ll never forgive myself.”
“Don’t say that,” she whispers. “I forgive you. Please don’t worry about me.” She smiles widely. “I’m okay.”
I search her eyes, wanting to believe her, but I don’t know if I can. She’s being strong for me, but I wish she wouldn’t be. She should slap me across the face for being a jerk to her. But the sweet, amazing Lexi would never do that.
“Don’t beat yourself up, Brock,” she continues, voice low and soft. “Please.”
How could she be so forgiving? I don’t deserve her friendship.
She wipes her tears away with her shirtsleeve, then holds out her hand to me. “Come, let’s go to lunch.”
My eyes linger on her hand before I slowly slide mine inside. Hers is so warm and comforting, just as I remember. But it feels different somehow, too. More profound. It causes my heart rate to pick up speed.
Giving me another sweet smile, Lexi leads me to the cafeteria.
Chapter Five
Lexi
