Page 63 of The Sun
The bell rang, and I was the first one out of my seat and through the door.
I slung my locker open and shoved my books inside before yanking out my gym shoes.A girl who never really loved him even though she said she did.Those words cycled on repeat. I slammed my locker closed so hard the girl underneath me shot an annoyed glance before I stormed off.
Halfway down the hall, Daisy caught me by the arm. “Hey. What’s going on?”
She had to be kidding. After all, she was the one who noticed him glaring at me and just had to bring it to my attention.
“Nothing.” I jerked free from her hold and continued shouldering my way through the congested hallway.
“Bullshit. You’re like warpath Sunny today. And that passive-aggressive stuff with Elias. What in the actual hell?”
“He’s just an asshole.” I stopped, and the person behind me bumped into me just as Jenny passed by with a tight-lipped smile. I shot her an impassive glare. “God, sometimes I wish I wasn’t a nice person just so I could slap her.”
“I mean, you did punch her in elementary school,” she said.
“Not hard enough.”
“Don’t let her bother you. She’s a whore. And besides, you’ve got Brandon.”
Even if Brandon and I had been dating, it wouldn’t have lessened the sting. Daisy shrugged like losing the love of my life to Jenny Smith wasn’t a huge deal.
“It doesn’t matter! I still care about him, Daisy!” My voice thundered off the lockers. The girls standing closest to us appeared shocked at my outburst.
Rolling her eyes, Daisy yanked me to a less occupied corner of the hallway, right by the boy’s restroom. “Okay. But what are you gonna do? Do you want to hurt Brandon? I mean. . .” Daisy’s words were lost amongst the bustle of the hallway and the cacophonous noise of my thoughts.
The door to the restroom opened, and Elias stepped out, shaking water from his hands.
My nostrils flared when our eyes met. “Hey!”
He took a few steps forward until his brooding expression was only inches from me. “What?” His lips barely moved.
For a second, I thought I would walk off, but then I channeled all the anger and embarrassment, how cheap it made me feel to know that I was only second choice. “So did you sleep with Jenny or did you get enough to hold you over until you could come hunt me down?”
Elias cocked a brow. “Really? We gonna do this here?”
I could handle indifference from most anyone, but not him. Not over this. “Do you know how that made me feel to find out you messed around with her?”
His jaw twitched. “Did it break your fucking heart, Sunny?” He moved in closer until our noses nearly touched. “Because how you feel right now is only a fraction of how I feltwatchingyou kiss him. So, don’t start this shit with me. All right?”
A heavy numbness infused my body, crumpling the part of my heart that only beat for him. Hurt welled inside me. “So what, Elias? Did you do it just to get back at me?”
Walking backward, he tossed both hands up, unfazed.
This was where we had gotten, I thought, to the point of getting even. Fine. If Elias Black wanted to play that game, I’d meet him inch for inch.
“You were right,” I said pushing my shoulders back. “I am too good for you.”
His eyes narrowed. His chest rose on a deep swell, telling me the arrow I shot landed right in his heart. When he turned around without another word, I closed my eyes.
Bang!I jumped at the sound of his fist punching the lockers, the sudden movement nearly dislodging the tears that stung my eyes.Breathe. Don’t be that girl.I pressed the heel of my hands against my eyes to stop the tears. The bell rang, and within seconds, the hallway fell silent.
I knew Daisy was still behind me, but I didn’t want to look at her much less explain anything. “I’m fine. Go to class, Daisy.”
Her footfalls echoed down the hall, and I stood alone, broken and angry that I had told him I was too good for him. If anything, that boy had always been too good for me.
After school,Daisy said we had to stop by Magpie’s on the way home, rambling something about a surprise for Ben. Surprisingly, she didn’t bring up the incident in the hallway until we were halfway down the parkway.
When she reached over and switched off the radio, I slouched in the seat. An interrogation was coming.
