Page 127 of Her Goal
“No, I didn’t want him to break your heart. It was obvious you liked him.”
The humiliation digs deeper.
“And what? You wanted me to be miserable so you bet him to cheat on me, who everyone thought was his girlfriend?”
Hudson’s breath is choppy. “Leah, this is hard for me to tell you, but if you didn’t already know, when my brother was hanging out with you and then supposedly had to go to band practice, he was hooking up with other girls.”
My anger and resolve snap. To think I came so close to sayingI doto this guy. “Right. Uh-huh. Just keep the lies coming. Glad we’re doing this now.”
He says simply, “You’d think if Swiss Vinegar practiced so much, they’d have at least one decent song.”
I can’t argue with that.
“He obviously broke your heart despite my attempted intervention.”
Looking away, because I don’t exactly want to admit this to Hudson of all people, I mutter, “I got replacement parts.”
Hudson steps toward me and then taps his finger under my chin, making me meet his gaze. “Was he a good kisser?”
My lips part and my breath stalls as I lose my internal anchor and lean forward ever so slightly.
“I’m not kissing you.”
“Was Hunter a good kisser?” Hudson repeats.
My cheeks are on fire, so I may as well go up in flames. “He and I never kissed.”
“Some boyfriend.”
Glancing at the floor, I mutter, “It was more of a fantasy I’d created in my mind.”
“He never denied you were a couple when people said that, yet he was with other girls. That’s what I was trying to stop.”
Knowing what I do now about Hunter and having an adult perspective, that makes sense, however, the chatter in my mind and the pain in my chest don’t let up.
“I don’t want to have to tell you this. It hurts. But I drove Hunter away because I could tell you were captivated by him. Meanwhile, he was sneaking around behind your back.”
If what he’s saying is true, and all my hatred of Hudson about the bet was because he was trying to protect me, that means Hunter was the jerk … and so was I.
“Prove it.”
Hudson flips open the yearbook and swipes through the pages until he finds what he’s looking for. It’s a picture of school clubs, including Hunter’s band. In bubbly letters, someone wrote,Hunter, I’m going to miss meeting you in the band room, the custodian’s closet, and cutting class, but I’ll never forget your lips on mine. XoXoX Livvy
I read and reread it.
Hudson taps the page. “She must’ve gotten our yearbooks mixed up.”
I clear my throat, hoping he doesn’t point out the note on the back page. At least not right now.
Putting the pieces together, Hunter must’ve been fooling around with at least one other girl because, during junior year, they were kicked out of the band practice room for smoking,meaning this was going on even before that because I remember Hunter and Livvy getting loads of detentions for skipping class senior year. Meanwhile, I was Hunter’s wannabe girlfriend.
Hudson flips to a nearby page where he finds the debate team. Next to my photo, someone wrote in silver pen,Dream Girl.
He points. “That was your nickname. Dream Girl. Not Tall Troll.”
“I was so tall.”
“The guys had dreams about your legs, Leah. They all hoped to grow a few inches before graduation so they stood a chance.”
