Page 55 of Shut Up and Score
She sighs, softening. “We’re just going through a rough patch; we’ll get through it.”
I nod, but my chest is tight. The lie tastes akin to ash.
“Do you really believe that?” I ask quietly.
Her lips part as though she wants to answer, but my phone buzzes. My fingers twitch. Habit wins. I pull it out before I can stop myself.
The thing about pretending is that eventually you forget which version of yourself you’re faking.
Golden boy. Star football player. Jasmine’s boyfriend. The guy with the right smile and the right answers.
Lately, none of those fit.
Lately, I feel as if I’m playing a role I never auditioned for.
SmokeScreen77: So what's stopping you? You act like meeting me would set the world on fire.
I smirk. Type back without thinking.
Me: I like fire. But I’ve got too much to burn.
There’s a pause, and my screen justwaits. The typing dots flicker in and out. It’s pathetic how much power three bouncing dots have over my heart rate.
SmokeScreen77: I thought you liked fire.
“Colton.”
I look up, startled.
“I swear to God, Colton,” she snaps, her irritation flaring to life again, “if you look at your phone one more time while we’re talking?—”
I flinch. Too late. I swallow, my fingers twitching around the smooth surface, and I glance at the screen one last time before locking it.
“I’m here,” I lie, tucking my phone under my thigh. “Just tired.”
She doesn’t buy it, probably because I’ve said it way too many times recently. Her eyes search mine, studying me and attempting to figure out where I’ve gone.
“You’ve been tired for weeks,” she says finally. “You don’t call. You don’t answer half my texts. Barely carry on a conversation with me when we are together. When I come over, you barely look at me. You barely touch me. And when you do, it’s as if you’re somewhere else.”
My chest tightens. I can’t meet her eyes.
She hesitates, then her voice softens into something akin to resignation. “So…if it’s not me and something I did, who is he?”
The words hit like a body blow. “What?”
She tilts her head, looking up at me. “You’re not cheatingwith a girl, Colton. You’d at least be smart enough to hide that. No, this is different. You’ve got that guilty closeted-boy vibe, and I’ve seen it before.”
“I’m not—” I stop. Swallow the heat creeping up my neck.
The worst part is how close she is.
Jasmine’s voice lowers. “Look. I don’t care who it is. But if you’re falling for someone else—just fuckingsay it.I’m done letting you string me along.”
Her words hang between us, sharp as glass. My throat feels tight.
“I’m not—” I try again, but it’s pathetic. I can’t even lie convincingly anymore.
Her eyes shine, furious and wet. “God, do you even hear yourself? You don’t love me. You haven’t for a long time. And I let you pretend, because I thought maybe if I just… waited… you’d come back to me.”
