Page 16 of Catch Me

Jules shrugs. “I don’t know that you can do anything,” she says. “It’s just going to suck for a while. You know, seeing someone you love be with someone else.”

My mind keeps catching on the L word. Does Lex reallyloveme? Like that? I know he had feelings for me. Maybe still has feelings for me, but love?

“Move it, flat chest.” A shoulder collides with mine, and I stumble out of the way.

I look up to see a cheerleader throw me a taunting grin over her shoulder.

“Back off, bitch,” Jules growls out.

The girl doesn’t stop. She just laughs, sauntering down the hall. We stare after her, my mind trying not to focus on what she said. On what that really means.

How many people have seen the picture of me? Just how many fucking people did Sasha show it to?

“Forget them,” Jules says quickly.

“She showed it to people,” I say automatically.

Jules takes my shirt and drags me toward my locker. “Who cares? At best, all they have is her word that it was you. Just act like you have no idea what they’re talking about.”

“That doesn’t take away the fact that they’ve seen my…my boob, Jules. Shit.” I sigh and turn toward my locker, cutting in front of two Freshman to replace my books. When I get there, though, I stop in my tracks. There’s a paper taped to the top. It has two tiny circles with two little dots inside them along with the words.#7 likes tiny titties.

A hand comes from behind me and grabs it. I almost shriek, but a warm hand on my back and Reid’s growl in my ear alerts me to who’s actually there. “Who did this?”

“I don’t know.”

A smooth voice comes from behind. “Aww.” We both turn to see Oscar, Sasha pressed against his side. He isn’t holding her protectively, not like Reid is with me. She has her hand on his chest, like she’s more of an adornment for him, which he doesn’t seem to mind at all. “Like that matters,” he says. “All you need is a handful.”

Sasha sneers. “That’s not what you said last night.” She blatantly sticks out her chest, catching his attention. He ogles her, taking his time, before he looks back up.

He winks at me and then shrugs. “See you at practice, Reid.”

They start to walk away. My breath hitches in my throat. He’ll see him at practice? No, this isn’t happening. Sasha turns around, blowing Reid a kiss before facing forward again and sliding her hand into Oscar’s back pocket.

That used to be them. Reid and Sasha. Now it’s Sasha and Oscar, and Reid has been delegated to the guy who likes tiny titties.

When I look up, Reid’s frozen. He’s staring after the two of them, a murderous look on his face. “Reid?” I say, trying to get his attention back, but he pulls away.

“I have to go to practice tonight,” he says stiffly. “Get Jules to take you home.”

“Reid?” I say, my voice tinged with a hint more desperation. He turns, crumbling the paper in his fist and throwing it into the nearest trash can as he walks away.

8

Throughout the rest of the day, several more people make pointed comments about my chest. I never really had a complex about that one area of my body, but shame hits me hard the more people bring it up. I’m embarrassed about the picture itself. I’m embarrassed about the realities behind that picture. I sent it to Sasha for crying out loud. I’m almost surprised she kept it this long without showing everybody. It shows how truly diabolical she is.

Jules waits for me by my locker. I load up my bookbag with every textbook I have. I have so much to catch up on. Thanks to Lex, though, I have all the assignments I need to make up while I was “at my grandparents’ house”.

All the way home, I think about all the work I have to do, and before I know it, Jules is pulling into my driveway. My father’s car is in the garage with the garage bay door open. I reach over to open the door, but a word from Jules stops me. “Seriously?”

I look over at her. She glances away, shaking her head.

A muscle in my stomach tightens. “I’m sorry, Jules. I’m out of it. Do you want to come in so we can talk?”

“No,” she says. “I want to talk right here, and I just want to talk while you listen.”

Her lower lip quivers, but she steels her shoulders and turns angry eyes on me. I’m so taken aback, I don’t know what to do. I immediately want to apologize to her again, but she doesn’t want me to talk, so I just wait for it. Whatever she has to say to me, I deserve it.

“I thought we were in this together,” she says. Her hands clench the steering wheel until her knuckles turn white. “It made it easier to get through everything because I knew you were going through the same stuff.” She lets out a breath. “I’m not trying to diminish what you’re going through. I know you’re Brady’s sister. I know you have a lot more history with him. He was your brother, but I thought we connected in that way.” She pauses. “And then you left me…again.”

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