Page 70 of How to Get Revenge on a Cheating Ex
But Zack...?
I narrow my eyes on him and bring myself back to the moment. This isn’t about Toni, this is about me and Zack. And ours is a totally different story.
Zack’s eyes are moving over my face and I wonder how much he’s just seen. “You okay?”
If he’d said anything else, I would have turned away or maybe even made an excuse to skip the movie and go back home. But his voice had softened with concern, and I can’t avoid this conversation any longer.
“No,” I say. “Not really.”
His brows come down.Are we really doing this right now?
I swear I can hear his thoughts.
I hold his gaze.Yeah. We’re totally doing this.
I pick up where I left off. “It’s weird to be back here because we used to hang out all the time, but then?—”
“Then Grayson came along.” He cuts me off and his voice is hard, his eyes dangerous.
I draw in a shaky breath as my belly clenches tight. I hate conflict. I avoid confrontation. So, what am I doing right now?
I should let it go. It’s ancient history—isn’t that what Toni kept saying?
But it’s not history. Not between me and Zack. Not anymore.
“That’s not what happened,” I say.
He looks away, but I catch the way his nostrils flare, the way his jaw clenches. “Isn’t it? Because that’s how I remember it.” He swings his gaze back to meet mine and it hits me like a punch in the gut. The anger. The accusations.
No, this isn’t ancient history. Not for us.
“Things weren’t good between us before Grayson came along,” I say.
“Yeah. I remember. You became obsessed with grades and honor roll and?—”
“And you stopped trying.” The words come tumbling out.
He stares at me for a long moment and I have no idea what he’s thinking. “You weretryingenough for both of us.”
I flinch because somehow it sounds like an insult. From him, it is. He could never understand why I wanted to fit in at school, or why I cared what my teachers and my parents thought. He never understood because he didn’t care. And he thought anyone who did was lame.
Probably still does.
I take a deep breath and fiddle with the remote that’s still in my hands. “You used to care about stuff,” I say. “About your future and your family and...and me. You went from being someone who cared about everything to someone who cared about nothing.”
My heart’s climbing up into my throat like it wants to escape. This whole topic makes me want to cry and scream.
I’ve tried not to think about me and Zack over the past few years. It’s easier to just say that we grew apart.
And we did.
But it freakin’ sucked. And if I’m being honest, it hurt. Losing him as a friendhurt, and it never stopped hurting.
He interrupts with a harsh curse under his breath. “Just because I stopped giving a crap about school?—”
“I don't mean school.” My voice is louder than intended, but I can’t control it. “I’m notjusttalking about school. I mean...everything. You stopped coming to my softball games and babysitting the twins with me?—”
His derisive snort cuts me off. “Do you even hear yourself right now? You’re upset because I bailed on babysitting and softball games?”
