Page 235 of Call the Shots
The pain walloped me like a fist to the chest.
It wasn’t just the hurt—it was the shock at June’s messages. My girlfriend was the sweetest person I’d ever met, it was one of my favorite things about her, she wasn’t like the rest of the assholes in the world. The June I knew wouldn’t send mean shit like this, even as a joke.
I didn’t want to believe it, but she shirked under my gaze, bottom lip wobbling.
The realization hurt.
“I thought you were different,” I mumbled. “I guess I was wrong.”
LeavingGianna’sgave me the distance I needed because I couldn’t stand around, looking at those texts. The campus was busy with the end of the summer, and I walked to Roman Villa, hands shoved in my pockets.
When I first got to Marrs, I felt like a ghost, like I could’ve vanished into a crowd and nobody would’ve noticed. I didn’t feel like a ghost anymore. That would’ve meant at some point, I felt alive.
Before I could thinkit through, I slammed my fist against Fridge and Nick’s door. Fridge answered in a durag, his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth. “What’s up?”
“Can I crash here for a bit?” I asked, my voice somehow disconnected from me.
“Sure, where’s June?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“What?”
I shouldered past him for one of their chairs. A wave of emptiness hit me as I tried to piece this together. June only fucked me originally to get back at Xavier, I knew that, but was thiswholething to get back at Xavier? No. Of course not.
Right?
Xavier’s words repeated themselves from the fight at the art exhibit.
You think she’d take a two-second look at you in the real world?
Bits of the conversation buried themselves deep as Fridge and Nick muttered in the kitchen. The door opened, I was vaguely aware that Fridge left, and Nick took careful steps over, like I was an animal that could’ve attacked at any moment. “Hey…Bear.”
I grunted.
“How…are we doing?”
I didn’t say anything. My eyes were on the ground.
“That’s good…” He stood awkwardly near me. “We’re just—uh—waiting for Fridge…”
Another question hit me—did June push the lawsuit, take down the videos, whisper all of those things to me because she wanted to help? Or because she felt guilty? Is that what I was? A pity project?
The door opened again, and Fridge said something quietly to Nick.
“What?” Nick stood up. “What the hell did she do?”
“Is she out there?” I asked suddenly.
This whole thing had to be a mistake. Xavier could edit messages together, he could’ve paid someone to do it. Why would I believe him? I shoved myself out of the chair, heading to the door.
“I need to talk to her?—”
“Hey, Bear—” Fridge stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s take a breath.”
“No, this is a misunderstanding?—”
“Let’s sit?—”
