Page 34 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 10
"You don't have to..."
"No. It's fine. It was so long ago." I smiled, pretending it was nothing. "It was silly, really. There was this girl who played the same position as me. She wasn't happy that a freshman was competing for the same spot as her on the team. And she didn't take it well. She hazed me. At least, that's how she put it."
Bryce lowered his eyebrows slightly. "How would you put it?"
"She bullied me until I broke and ran home. I don't know. Like I said, it was silly." I laughed awkwardly.
"It's not silly."
Something in my chest tightened. Chris had always told me it was stupid and that I should get over it. That it shouldn't bother me anymore. But he didn't understand. He didn't know what it felt like to be humiliated every day for months. To dread leaving your dorm room each morning. To always be on edge. Bryce wasn't looking at me like he thought I was ridiculous. He was looking at me like he understood. "And how would you know what it's like to be bullied? Bullies don't pick on guys that look like you."
"I didn't always look like this. I was a scrawny little kid."
"I can't picture you as scrawny or little."
He shrugged. "Let's just say that I run because I had something to run from."
He wasn't just handsome, sweet, and funny. He was real. And honest. I barely knew him, but I trusted him more than I had ever trusted Chris. I wanted to know what he was running from. Actually, I wanted to know everything about him. But before I could ask, he had another question.
"How complicated is it?"
I sat down on the stool beside him. "Complicated."
"Enlighten me."
I bit my lip. I wanted to know more about him. I didn't want to talk about Chris. Maybe it wasn't complicated at all. "He cheated on me."
"Then he must be an idiot."
I laughed. "Thanks for saying that."
"I don't really see the complication, though."
"We've been dating for two years. He made one mistake."That I know of."I don't know if that means I should throw it all away. And you've seen what people do in the middle of the athlete's village..."
"Wait, he's here?"
"Yeah, he's on the swim team."
"What's his name?"
I didn't see why telling him that mattered. "Chris Hamilton."
His jaw seemed to tense.
"What, do you know him?"
"No, I've seen him around." He shrugged his shoulders like it didn't matter. But I had seen him clench his jaw. He had reacted to hearing Chris' name.
"I told him it was over right before Operation Red Rip. And I haven't heard from him since. I guess it really isn't that complicated. He seems perfectly happy with my decision."
"Are you happy with it?"
"I'm trying to focus on winning the rest of my games."
"Well, I personally think you made a great decision."
"You do?" My heart seemed to flutter.
