Page 58 of The Devastation You Reap
"I know. I'm glad you've had the chance to prove me wrong." I know it's only been a few days, but he's surprised me at every turn, proving that my previous opinions about football players may have been a little jaded by my past.
I always knew it wasn't fair of me to tar them all with the same brush, but it was easier to deal with putting them on my no go list. Well, it was until this one forced his way through.
"And this sure beats a dull study session," he says, stuffing almost half a slice into his mouth in one go.
"Hey, how do you know it was boring?"
"Red, if it were interesting, you wouldn't have run into me."
"You should have seen their faces when I told them I was leaving. You'd have thought I'd just told them I'd killed their puppy."
"Well, they're the ones missing out. Their loss is my gain."
"You're cute," I blurt out, my cheeks burning again.
"Not sure anyone has called me cute before, Red. I like it." He winks and I can't help but laugh.
"So why were you in the library?"
"I was with the guys."
"And you just left them?"
"Yeah, they'll figure out I've had a better offer at some point."
We fall into easy conversation as we eat, as usual, it's just the basics like college stuff and with every minute that passes, I relax more in his company. Everything just feels right sitting here with him. It's as unnerving as it is exciting.
"What? Have I got pizza on my face?" Leon asks when he catches me staring at him.
"N-no. I-I… I feel like I've known you forever." His eyes widen a little in shock. "I've just never felt quite so comfortable in someone else's company before," I confess.
"That can't be true, you must have had tons of friends."
I shake my head, dropping the last bit of pizza crust back into the box. "I went to an all-girls prep school. I never connected with any of them. They were all about money and showing off and who their parents were. I didn't care about any of that. Nathan is the best friend I think I've ever had."
His brows lift.
"I'm sorry," he whispers, and I hate the pity I see in his eyes.
"Don't be. It's not your fault my childhood sucked."
Dropping the box to the floor, he reaches for my hand and pulls me so I'm sitting beside him.
"You wanna talk about it?"
I shake my head, a humorless laugh falling from my lips. I never want to talk about it. I've mostly dealt with my past by shoving it deep into the back of my mind and forgetting about it because dealing with it, talking about it, is just too painful.
"Okay. I do have one question though…"
I risk a look up at him, my brow creasing as I try to predict what he's going to ask.
My heart jumps into my throat as he reaches for the photo on my nightstand. I kick myself for not putting it away knowing that there was a chance he'd get himself back in here.
"I'm sorry," he says sincerely. "I can't imagine how hard it must have been to lose them like you did."
I shrug, not wanting to dive into the details of my parent's deaths.
"I guess your hatred of football players is a little understandable. Why Smith, though? Why not embrace who you are?"
