Matchplay A New Adult Romance - By Dakota Madison Page 0,42

He looked me in the eye and told me he was no longer in the Tournament. It wasn’t true. I also wondered what his choice of friends said about his character.

I turned and hurried out of the house as fast as I could. I was able to make it outside and take a few needed breaths of fresh air before Aaron caught up to me. He grabbed my elbow and pulled me close. I

didn’t resist but I also knew it was the last time he would ever touch me.

“Please let me explain,” he pleaded.

“There’s nothing to explain,” I said coldly. “Do you know what your friend, and I use the term loosely, said to me? He said horrible, disgusting and degrading things, Aaron. If he knew that you cared about me, if he knew I was someone special to you, why did he say those things? I think it’s because he didn’t know. You never bothered to tell him.”

Aaron’s eyes were now getting wet. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. But it was too little too late.

“And that’s not even the worst part. You lied to me. You looked into my eyes and lied. You told me you were out of the Tournament and you’re not. I can’t be with someone who lies. End of story.”

“I was going to get out of the Tournament. I swear. I just needed time.”

“You told me you were already done with it. All your friends think I’m nothing but a score on your card. Is that what you want your friends to think of me? That I’m someone they can sleep with and discard? Is that how you treat someone you care about, Aaron? You told me that you would never do that to me. I guess that was a lie, too. I wanted to be with you. I wanted a relationship with you. I guess we wanted two completely different things.”

“It’s not like that.” He looked lost. Empty. Hollow. It was a look I had only seen once before. It was the look my dad had in his eyes the day we buried my mom.

“Goodbye, Aaron.” I said as I turned and walked away. This time, he didn’t stop me.

By the time I got to my room, I was emotionally drained. I had cried most of the way but I still felt like I had a few more rounds of tears left in me. I plopped myself on my bed and stared at the ceiling. It was my own fault. I trusted someone I knew had a reputation of being a womanizer and I thought he was going to change for me. What a fairy tale! At least I didn’t sleep with him. My first time would be with someone, who actually deserved it. I thought about what it would be like to be with Lucas. He would never break my heart the way Aaron did but he couldn’t capture my heart the way Aaron did, either.

It wasn’t long before Olivia burst into the room with Marney. They were still on a post-speech tournament high. As soon as they saw me, they both went wide-eyed.

“You look like shit,” Marney observed.

“What did the asshole do this time?” Olivia sighed.

Between more sobs, I told them both the latest Aaron saga.

“You know there are other guys on campus besides Aaron,” Olivia suggested. “You are aware of that?”

“And other girls,” Marney added and winked at me.

I grabbed a tissue and blew my nose.

“If you keep dating the asshole, we’re going to have to start going to Costco for the huge mountain of tissue boxes,” Olivia joked.

At least that got me to smile.

“This is really fucked up? You know that, don’t you?” Olivia complained.

Before I could respond, there was a knock at the door. The three of us looked at each other. “Is Lucas coming over?” I asked.

Olivia shook her head. “He had a meeting over at The Geek Patrol.”

The knock grew into a pounding.

“I bet it’s Prince Charming.” Olivia sighed.

I felt too weak to move. “Would you get it?”

Olivia nodded. “It would be my pleasure.”

She went to the door with Marney on her heels. I dragged myself up and followed. Olivia slowly opened the door. I gasped when I saw Aaron. He was completely disheveled. His eyes were all red and puffy, like he had been crying as much as I had. His button-down shirt was half untucked and his hair was a complete mess. I could smell alcohol on him. I had never seen him consume that much