Chapter 16 #2
“So,” I say brightly, dropping onto the bed beside Jenni. “Our writing projects. Chris, do you want to share your ideas first?”
Chris clears his throat, pulling out his notes frantically. Jenni just stares at me before rummaging through her bag.
I shift in my desk chair, trying to pretend I don’t feel wrecked, and a little wet. “Right. So, I was thinking about a story on—”
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
I flinch, annoyed that my stomach immediately tightens whenever I hear my damn phone going off. Zach just left, so it’s not him, which means it’s either my father piling more work on me… or someone is ready to tear me down again.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
Sighing, I grab my phone to silence it, but not before catching glimpses of the notifications.
Unknown: The entire dorm heard you moaning like a good little football slut just now.
Unknown: Zach’s leaving?
Unknown: Wonder who’s going to suck his dick tonight since you ditched him with a boner the size of Montana.
My hands shake as I lock the screen quickly.
“Honey,” Chris says, his voice a little hesitant. “Are the messages getting worse?”
Well, shit. I thought I was hiding my reaction. Guess not.
I can’t lie. Not to the only friends I have here.
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “I guess they saw Zach come in here.”
I toss my phone on my desk just as Jenni rests her hand on my knee. “This sucks, Honey. I feel like it’s escalating.”
“It’s fine.”
She gives Chris a look before turning back to me. “It doesn’t feel like you’re fine. Do you ever think that Zach’s actions are contributing to the situation?”
“Zach’s actions? He’s done nothing but support me. Hell, he wants me to live with him, so I don’t have to put up with people in the dorm. I’m the one hesitating.”
She tries to hide her eye roll, but I see it.
“Yeah, we all know he threatens bodily harm to anyone who looks at you the wrong way.” She nudges Chris with her elbow. “But…”
“But?” I lift a brow, trying to sound amused instead of defensive.
“But maybe the issue is how visible you are together. Every time people see you two, it’s… obvious. It gives them something to talk about.”
I blink at her. “So what—you want me to hide?”
“No,” she says quickly. “I think just… being less public might help. You know, fewer grand gestures for people to pick at. Who knows, I bet if people thought you were taking a break, they’d stop.”
“Are you seriously suggesting she pretend to break up with Zach because some anonymous assholes can’t stand seeing her happy?” Chris asks in disbelief.
Jenni shifts uncomfortably. “Not actually break up. Just… maybe stop adding fuel to the fire.”
I stare at her. “That sounds ridiculous.”
She shrugs. “Sometimes it’s the only way to survive,” Jenni says softly. “I’m not saying it’s fair. I’m saying it might be necessary. If people think you aren’t together, then they can’t hate you.”
She jerks her thumb at Chris. “Hell, let them think you’re dating this guy. That’ll make people stop caring about you in a heartbeat.”
“Jenni,” Chris says sharply, not looking at me.
“What? Oh, sorry, you’re right, that would be like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. The hockey girlies would eat you alive.”
I blow out a breath in disbelief, only for my gaze to drift to my phone. It’s lighting up, and unfortunately, I can see the message on the screen.
Unknown: Do you really think this ends with a happily ever after? Just because Zach is a light reprieve from Jamie doesn’t mean you won’t end up in the same ashes.
All the blood drains from my face.
Jamie.
How do they know about that?
“Honey?” I barely hear Chris’s voice as my head spirals.
I look up at my friends—these people who claim to care about me—and realize what they're really suggesting. That I make myself smaller. That I hide the best thing in my life because other people can't stand seeing me have it.
We won’t end up like Jamie and me. I know it.
“No,” I say firmly. “Absolutely not.”
“Honey—” Jenni starts.
“No.” I stand up, pacing to the window. “I'm not going to pretend to have problems with Zach just to make other people feel better. I'm not going to hide the fact that I love him, and he loves me. That's exactly what they want—for me to be miserable and alone.”
“But what if it would stop the messages—” Jenni tries.
“It won't,” I interrupt. “It'll just change them. Then they'll say I'm pathetic for losing him, or that I never deserved him in the first place, or that I'm trying too hard to get him back. There's no winning with people like this.”
The room falls silent except for the sound of my phone buzzing again.
Jenni sighs. “I just hate seeing you go through this.”
“Then help me figure out who's doing it,” I say, turning back to face them. “Help me find out who has it out for me instead of suggesting I change my entire life around their hate.”
Chris nods slowly. “You're right. That's… that's what we should be doing.”
But when I look at Jenni, something flickers across her face. Something I can't quite read before she gives me a sympathetic smile.
“Of course,” she says. “We'll figure this out together.”
The room falls quiet, the tension thick enough to cut. I can feel both of them watching me, waiting to see if I'll change my mind about their suggestion, but I won't. I refuse to let anonymous cowards dictate how I live my life or love my boyfriend.
“Look,” I say, settling back into my desk chair. “I appreciate that you both care, but I'm not going to pretend to have problems with Zach. End of discussion.”
Chris nods, though he still looks worried. “Fair enough. But promise me you'll be careful? You looked like you saw a ghost after reading that last one.”
“I will,” I assure him, though we all know there's not much I can actually do to protect myself from faceless harassment.
I reach for my phone, ready to turn it off completely so we can focus on studying without interruption, when it flashes with a message one more time.
For a split second, my heart sinks, expecting another cruel message, but when I see the name on the screen, my entire body relaxes.
Zach: Just wanted to say I love you. You’re everything to me, Honeycomb.
A genuine smile spreads across my face before I can stop it. The warmth in my chest pushes away all the ugliness from those anonymous messages, replacing it with something bright and real.
“There,” I say, looking at both of them. “No more distractions. Now can we please get back to the assignment before I end up not writing a thing again?”
“Um,” Chris shifts forward. “Actually, do you remember how the ice rink last week made things a little easier?”
“Mhm,” I answer, setting my phone down and looking between my two friends.
“I’ve got a game on Thursday, and I thought you guys could come? It might be a good way to get away from all the stress for a while.”
Jenni doesn’t answer immediately, so Chris continues. “It’s one of our biggest rivals, Rome U, so It should be a good game.”
“I’d love to,” I answer. “Would it be okay if I brought Zach?”
“Zach?” Jenni says.
I shrug. “Yeah, he’s not leaving to play Michigan until Friday, so he’d be here.”
“Of course. We’d love to have some football royalty supporting us,” Chris says, his eyes lingering on me for a moment.
Jenni perks up beside me. “I’m there! I've never been to a hockey game before.”
I can’t help but feel a flutter of excitement. A new place where no one cares I’m dating the quarterback. No phone signal to get me riled at times I shouldn’t, and Zach right by my side.
Nothing sounds more perfect and is exactly what I need right now.
“Then it’s a date,” I say, hoping Zach will agree to it.