Kiss To Forget (Blairwood University #2) - Anna B. Doe Page 0,115
Reaching out to Coach. Going to Blairwood.
My life has been one big lie after another.
“So you see, I failed yet again, but this time it’s my own damn fault.”
Mom swats me over the head. “Language.”
“Sorry.”
“So you missed that one deadline?” she asks, smoothing her hand over the back of my head.
“The most important one. And with the classes I missed…”
“Because you were with that poor boy?”
“Nixon, yes.”
“While his mom was dying?”
“That’s beside the point. I should have worked harder, been more attentive to the deadlines, I should have…”
“You should have done nothing,” Mom interrupts me harshly.
I turn to look at her, surprised at her hard tone. “W-what?”
“You have spread yourself too thin.”
I shake my head. “I’m used to it. I’ve been...” I try to explain, but she interrupts me, not letting me finish.
“I know, you’ve always been a hardworking girl, and not just that, you’ve always had a big heart. Always giving to others, always trying to help.”
Not everybody sees it that way.
Now it’s time for you to move on.
“Maybe I gave too much,” I murmur softly. The pain isn’t as intense as it was yesterday, but it’s still a constant hum under my skin.
“What happened with that boy?”
We had fun, but now that fun is over.
You should know better than to fall for a player.
“He said he can’t do this anymore.” I shrug. “But is it even surprising? Just another man who didn’t think I was worth fighting for.”
Stay.
How many times did he say that word to me? Asked me to stay, when all I wanted was to leave. I should have been smarter from the start. Should have guarded my heart better, if I had I wouldn’t be in the position I am now. Heartbroken and alone.
Stay.
It’s you who left, dammit.
A silent tear slips down my cheek, but I don’t bother wiping it away.
“I’m so sorry that he hurt you, Yasmin, but you have to understand, he’s hurting. You should give him time.”
“Well, I’m hurting too!” I jump to my feet and glare at her. “And he’s the one who’s responsible for all of it. Besides, whose side are you on, anyway?”
Mom gets up and grabs my hands in hers. “Yours, always yours.”
Exhaling slowly, I nod.
A small smile tugs at her lips. “You know what would make this better?”
I look up and see a hopeful smile on her lips that makes the corners of my mouth twitch.
“Dessert for breakfast,” we say in unison, chuckling softly.
It used to be our thing. Every time things got hard, or one of us was sad, we’d get dessert for breakfast. It didn’t make our worries go away, but it soothed our pain, if only for a little bit.
Did Jade and Nixon have something like that with their mother?
“Clean up and you can show me around.”
Is he still on campus? And if he is, did he spend the night with Karen or any other girl from the party?
The mere thought makes my stomach turn.
“I’m not sure that’s the best idea.”
“Well, I think it’s a great idea. C’mon now, I have a surprise for you.”
Chapter Forty
NIXON
I moan in protest as I hear the sound of hushed voices somewhere close by. My head is throbbing like a ticking time bomb. Shifting in the bed, I burrow it further into the pillow.
“I don’t care!” I hear somebody hiss in the distance, the sound so loud it’s like a stab in my brain, then quiet.
Utter.
Blissful.
Silen—
Splash.
I jump upright in bed as ice cold water is poured over my head. It takes a moment for my body to catch up to what happened, but when it does, a shiver runs through my frozen limbs. “What the fuck?!”
“Great, you’re awake.”
“Callie?”
Wiping the water from my eyes, I lift my head, and sure enough my best friend’s girlfriend is standing by my bed, a bucket in her hand, and a scowl on her face.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Her eyes narrow even further, if that’s possible. “Well if it were up to me, I’d have cut your balls off…”
“You’ve got me to thank for stopping that,” Hayden says, peeking his head through the doorway.
“So, I had to get creative.”
“What did I ever do to you, Cals? I thought we were friends.”
“Friends? If the last few weeks, especially last night, are an indication of how you treat your friends, the people you love, I want no part in it.”
“What—”
Callie releases the bucket. It falls by her side with a loud, resounding thud. She points her finger at me. “I warned you,