Page 29 of The Vengeance You Crave
Having pity on her, I grab my still unopened notebook, shoving it into my bag, and then scoop up the shards of my now ruined pencil from the desk and slide out behind her. I drop the remains in the trash on the way out, looking at the pieces for a beat, seeing the resemblance to my life.
There's a massive crowd waiting for the elevator, so when Letty looks toward the stairs, I follow her lead, not wanting to be stuck in an enclosed space with a group of people right now.
I trail down behind her and then out into the winter sun. I squint against the brightness, feeling a little better getting some fresh air.
Nothing is said between us as we stand in line to order our coffees. Everyone else's stares and interest burn into me. The girls—the jersey chasers—blatantly strip me naked while the guys either stare at me with angry eyes for having that effect on their girls or for the fact I've lost them their season. Either is a valid reason, to be fair.
"Dunn," the server calls, her cheeks turning a deep crimson when I look at her and take my coffee.
"Thanks," I mutter, giving her zero special attention, but still she damn near pisses her pants.
Don't get me wrong, there are many, many times where I've lapped up this kind of attention. The adoring fans, screaming crowds, girls who would sell their left tit to have a night with me. I'm a college guy, of course I've made the most of that over the years, who fucking wouldn't. But right now, I want them all to go away. I need the pity in their eyes to vanish and their attention to dwindle. I'd hoped it would after I lost us the championship, but now instead of everyone looking at me like they either want to be me or bang me, they're looking at me and wondering where it all went wrong. How their golden boy went from the epic high of last season to the pitiful low of this one.
I blow out a frustrated breath as I fall down into a chair that ensures I have my back to the rest of the coffee shop. I know they'll still be staring, but at least I don't have to watch them do it.
"It's still weird seeing you as such a celebrity," Letty says lightly, unable to miss the fact that the volume of the place dropped and all eyes turned on me from the second we entered.
I scoff, reaching out for one of the cupcakes she loves so much and pulling the wrapper off.
Taking a huge bite, I let the sweetness explode in my mouth in the hope it'll help sweeten my mood.
"What?" I mutter with a mouthful of cake when I pull it away.
"You really need to shave." Letty laughs, reaching over and wiping a generous blob of icing and sprinkles from the overly long scruff above my top lip.
I watch as she puts her finger in her mouth innocently to wipe it off. Not so long ago that move would have done things to me, but right now I feel nothing. But I don't think that's because I've accepted our reality and more just because I'm dead inside right now. The only thing that gets my blood pumping is the thought of torturing Peyton some more.
I shift in the chair as I think about Tuesday night once again before remembering that Letty said something.
"Y-yeah," I say, lifting my hand to my chin. "I know, I just…"
"Don't make excuses, Luc. I know you, remember." She pins me with a look that makes me feel about two inches tall.
"Let, I'm—"
"Don't," she snaps. "Don't apologize and assume everything is just going to go back to how it once was."
"It won't though, will it? You're with him."
"Luc," she breathes, looking up to the ceiling as if she needs some strength for this conversation.
"That wasn't what I meant. I get it, Let. Okay? I fucking get it." Pushing the rest of my cupcake away, I rest my elbows on the edge of the table and shove my fingers into my hair. "It was never meant to be us."
"You know, if it were four years ago then maybe it could have been."
Slowly, I lift my head and find her dark eyes.
"Oh come off it. As if you didn't know I had the biggest crush on you." She rolls her eyes at herself, embarrassment heating her cheeks and down her neck.
"You slept with Leon," I blurt, pain slicing through my heart as I remember that revelation.
"And you slept with half the female population of Rosewood High. It's all in the past, Luc. We did some stupid shit. I'm sure we'll continue to do stupid shit. But I want to do it knowing that you've got my back." Her expression softens and my frozen heart begins to melt a little.
"Does he really make you happy?”
"Yes, he does. He really does.”
I nod at her, reaching for my coffee and pulling it closer.
