Page 124 of The Perfect Spiral
“Don’t go back to him,” he says after a moment of silence.
“Drew... he doesn’t deserve a girl like you.”
“A girl like me? What do you mean?” I ask, irritation creeping into my voice. What does he mean, a girl like me? Am I that repulsive?
He released a long sigh, his eyes closing momentarily before reopening to meet mine. “A girl who gave him everything and got nothing back. You didn’t expect anything in return except his love.
“He didn’t give that to you. I knew he wouldn’t. You’re the kind of girl a man needs to fight for, the kind whose attention doesn’t come easily. You’re feisty yet sensitive.
“You’re the kind who doesn’t give a damn but at the same time, you do. You care for others without expecting anyone to care for you.
“You’ve built so many walls around yourself that when they finally come down, it’s the most beautiful thing in the world.
“You’re the kind of girl who deserves more than to be cheated on. You’re worth it, even if you won’t believe a single word I just said.”
I stared at him, shocked by his words. I had expected this conversation to go in a completely different direction, one that would have me storming out in anger.
“Ha! You’re right about the last part. That’s not me. Wait—You knew he wouldn’t? How?”
“I saw him flirting with another girl the last time you brought him to New York.” “Why didn’t you say anything?” My voice was tinged with hurt and disappointment. If he had told me, I could’ve stopped him from cheating on me.
“I know you’re thinking that if I had told you, he wouldn’t have cheated on you. But that’s not the case, Alex. It was his choice to cheat on you.
“He would’ve done it regardless of whether I had told you or not. I never liked the guy anyway. I’m glad you dumped him. He never deserved you. You deserve so much better.”
“Knox, he might not have cheated if we had talked about it. But then again, he might’ve cheated regardless. It would’ve saved me time and a lot of pain—”
“Please don’t get upset, Alex. I hate seeing you upset. He doesn’t deserve any of your tears.”
“I’m done crying over him. He never loved me. I was just an object to him. Like most guys. I was going to marry Andy, but I think she’s going to marry Kyle... so that’s gone out the window.”
I laughed to myself, feeling his gaze on me as I kept my eyes on the beach. I traced a finger down the side of the cup sitting on my knees, following the line of dried hot chocolate.
The sound of waves crashing in the distance reminded me of how much I missed my granddad.
“You’ll find someone to marry, baby doll, trust me. Any guy would be lucky to have you as a girlfriend and wife.”
“Pfft, I’ll just marry Adam and become a cougar. I just don’t care anymore. And now I get so much more attention from guys. I’m so awkward, it’s usually Andy who gets the attention.”
“You’ve always been awkward with guys, nothing new there. You just didn’t have any... practice.”
“Thanks to you, spreading rumors about me and making jokes about the way I looked. I already had my own father telling me that I didn’t need another person to confirm that I was in fact ugly and disgusting.”
“Hey—” he said softly, pulling my chin around so I was looking up at him. “I never spread rumors about you, but I’m sorry I made you feel that way. I just—
“None of the guys in high school deserved to have you, and believe me, a lot of them wanted you. As for your father, he’s not coming anywhere near you. I won’t let him.
“But man, was I really that mean in high school?” He winced at my honesty.
“No guys wanted me in high school, Knox. Who would want the quiet, nerdy tomboy who got stabbed by her own father and whose mouth got her into so much trouble? “Come on. And yes, you were that bad in high school. Did you know about the girls?”
“Well, I always liked nerdy girls. I actually find them quite sexy!” I rolled my eyes and looked back at the beach. “What girls?”
“See! You were too busy focusing on the guys you all had no idea about the girls....”
“What did they do?” He abruptly asked, sitting up straighter in the seat.
“It’s in the past now, it doesn’t matter.”
