Chapter Thirty-Seven
After the final bell rang, I found August in the crowd of students flooding the parking lot, his back turned toward me. I called his name, and his steps faltered in recognition, but he didn’t stop or turn. His pace only quickened, bounding toward his pastel purple chrysler.
“Lola!” I heard my own name being called from behind me. I turned slightly to see Andy on my trail. I didn’t stop. I was only thirty feet or so behind August, as I did my best to catch up with him in the growing crowd.
My movement only halted when Wyatt stepped in front of me. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough damage already?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, trying to peer around him to keep my eyes on my target.
“Your stupid jock boyfriend is going to put him in the river if you don’t leave him alone. But I bet you knew that already. Is that why you keep leading him on?” Wyatt sneered.
“Wyatt,” I huffed, finally looking at him. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. But you’re in my way, and I need to catch up with—”
His words finally caught up with me as I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder. “Wait, what do you mean?” I asked.
At the same time, I heard Andy say, “Lola, I need to talk to you.”
I spun to see him smiling sheepishly at me. “What did you do?” I asked, my heart rate rising.
He gave me a pitying frown and said, “I didn’t do anything the kid didn’t deserve. He said some very uncouth things about us.”
“About us, or about you?” I sneered. His mouth tightened into a flat line.
I rolled my eyes and pushed Wyatt out of my way to slip between two cars.
I pulled myself on top of the half wall separating the parking lot from the driveway.
I walked along it, balancing myself with my arms held out as quickly as possible toward the end of the lot, then jumped down. Right in front of August’s car.
He was already at his door, his hand gripping the handle as he looked up at me, startled.
A bright gash sat in the center of a swollen bruise on his cheek bone. I sucked in a sharp breath. “What happened?” I asked, moving toward him.
The small step he took backward planted a sharp knife in the center of my chest.
“Why don’t you ask your boyfriend?” The pieces slid slowly into place.
“Andy hit you?” I asked, astonished. I knew he was bothered by August, but I didn’t think he would ever physically harm him.
August only scoffed in response. He opened his car door, but before he could open it all the way, I slammed it shut. “August, I didn’t know.” I pleaded.
He searched my face, then let out a long breath, his shoulders dropping. “I know, Lola.”
“Then why are you acting like I’m the one who hit you.”
Before he could answer, Andy’s voice boomed from the end of August’s car. “It was just a misunderstanding, right, Brooks?”
I didn’t give him the chance to answer, instead I pushed past him, charging toward Andy. “What, did his face misunderstand your fist, Andy? What is wrong with you? You can’t just hit people because you don’t like them. You’re turning into your father.”
The words were out before I could stop them. Andy looked as if he was the one who’d been struck.
“Why don’t you ask him what he said about you, then you can call me to apologize later.” He growled. He sent a deadly look toward August before turning to stalk away from us.
I spun back to August, looking at him expectantly. “Are you going to tell me what happened, or are you going to force me to be nice to him just to hear it?”
August glanced at his car, as if debating whether he could escape. He let out a long breath, and said “Can you get in?”
I eyed his passenger seat through the window, debating if I had the patience. I huffed and crossed behind the car to get in. When I slammed the door shut, August was already in the driver’s seat.
“Andy saw us talking in the hallway this morning.” He started, his head leaning back against the rest. His hair brushed the ceiling of the car, and I forced myself to not think about how comically tall he was in this car.
“I’m aware. I was there, remember?” I pushed.
“And I guess he really doesn’t like the idea of me hanging out with his girlfriend. So he did me the great kindness of putting me in my place.”
“What does that mean, August?”
He lulled his head against the rest to meet my harsh gaze. The cut under his eye looked painful, and I wanted to go to the cafeteria and ask for ice, but I forced myself to stay put in my anger until I heard the full story.
“He said that someone like you would never be interested in someone like me, and I needed to get my head out of my ass for wishing that you would.”
My anger dissolved a bit. “August, that’s not—”
“I know.” He said harshly. “But please stop looking at me like a kicked puppy. Andy was right. I deserved to get hit.”
“August, why would you think something like that?” The knife in my chest dug deeper.
He looked away from me, out the windshield, and grimaced. “Becuase I did not respond very…maturely.”
“What did you say?” I asked, eyes narrowing on his profile.
He sighed. “That’s not what your girlfriend said when she spent the night in my bed.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. I was pretty sure my chest was bleeding now, and I glanced down for a moment just to make sure the knife wasn’t real. A long moment passed before I finally spoke.
“Well, now I am even more mad at him for hitting you.”
“Why?” he asked, turning back to look at me, surprise flickering across his features.
“Because you did deserve to get hit for saying that, but I was the one who deserved to hit you. And now I can’t.”
August gave me an apologetic smile. “You can hit me. But please hit the same spot, I don’t want to have to explain to my mom why I have two black eyes.”
“Shit, your mom. What are you going to tell her?”
He shrugged, like it was no big deal. “ I’ll just say DnD got a little too heated.”
I nodded. “Are you going to tell your sister you got in a fight over me?” I asked with a half hearted smile.
He shook his head against the head rest. “No one would believe me.”
“Why?” I laughed.
He rolled his eyes. “Do you really think anyone would believe that Andy, the star quarterback, was jealous of little ole me?” he asked tauntingly.
“Why do you say things like that?” I demanded.
“Beacuse they’re true,” he said as if the answer were obvious.
“But they aren’t,” I argued.
He pinned me with a bullshit glare.
“Andy was jealous of you,” I stated plainly. “August, do you think you’re the first guy to say something to the star quarterback,” I repeated his words mockingly, “about his girlfriend? It’s not even remotely the worst thing someone has said about me.”
August’s expression seemed to grow annoyed. “Yeah, so he’s just taking out the sins of many on my face?”
“No. He hit you because he believed you, August.”
He turned to me, studied my face for any hint that I might be lying. “I’m sorry I said it, regardless.”
“I don’t care.” I said, when I was sure I could keep my voice steady.
He sighed, “I know.”
I huffed. “Could you let me finish a thought for once, before saying I know. You don’t know everything, August.”
He swallowed tightly, nodding in agreement.
“I meant,” I started, “I don’t care if anyone knows that I spent the night in your bed. I don’t care if anyone knows if I slept in nothing but your t-shirt.”
I see his mouth open like he wants to interject again, but thinks better of it, and closes it again.
“My point is, I don’t care what other people—Andy included—think about what happens between us.
Other people’s assumptions about my behavior is none of my business.
What I do care about however, is that you know I love you.
And I’ve never been embarrassed of you, August.”
He swallowed tightly, nodding in understanding. He waited a moment, making sure it was his turn to speak now, before saying, “I love you, too.”
I nodded. “I know, August.” Then, after a moment, I said “Okay, I’ll see you in a bit, then.”
“In a bit?” he questioned, as I moved to exit the car.
“I’m not done talking about this.” I said flatly. He didn’t answer right away, and I asked, “Do you have somewhere else to be?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a roster of Victoria’s Secret models dying to go out with me. I should probably call one of them back.”
I rolled my eyes. “See you in a bit.”
“See you in a bit,” he echoed as I shut the door.