Chapter Fourteen
Harrison
I sat on the bed with my head in my hands. I’d lost her. Big time. There was no coming back from sex videos leaked on the internet.
What the fuck? How had Aubrey videoed us? Had I just been clueless? Or had I been so horny I hadn’t paid attention to my surroundings?
My phone started buzzing yet again. It’d been going crazy since the videos hit social media. I looked at the name flashing up at me and groaned. My dad. I started to ignore it but thought better of it. Dad was the type of guy who’d just drive down here if he thought I was ignoring him.
He, Mom, and I were really close. I was an only child.
They’d wanted more, but Mom had struggled through multiple miscarriages.
When they had me, they considered me a miracle baby.
I might be unusual, but I considered my parents to be my best friends, in addition to being my parents.
Not in a weird way. My parents weren’t the type to let me have alcohol fueled parties in their basement when I was in high school or anything.
No, we were real friends. That was another reason this was going to hurt.
I didn’t want them to think badly of me, but I knew there was no way around it.
“Hey,” I said.
“Son, what were you thinking?”
I hung my head. He sounded so damn disappointed in me. “I wasn’t. Not really. I just… was lonely and Aubrey was there… and all the other guys were fucking around. I thought I should get to as well.”
“That’s some strange logic, Harrison.” He paused. “That’s her name? Aubrey? I assume she’s your girlfriend now.”
My skin crawled a little. “No. I… I was planning to stay with Sadie, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen.”
“Why in the world would she want to be with you after you cheated on her?”
“I didn’t mean for her to find out. Aubrey released the videos. I didn’t even know she was filming us. But she’s never going to be my girlfriend. I guarantee you that.”
He was quiet, but I could feel the disapproval coming off him in waves. “You mean to tell me that you threw away a relationship with the sweetest, prettiest girl in our town for some woman you don’t even care about?”
“I mean, we were friends, I guess. But I never wanted to date her.”
He sucked in a breath. “You’ll do the things in those videos with her, but you don’t want to date her? I don’t know where your mother and I failed you that you’d think that was okay.”
Mom was suddenly on the phone. “I have never been disappointed in you before this, son. I can’t go anywhere in this town without people talking about you having sex on the internet…”
“Mom!”
“What? You can do the act and have the whole world see it on the internet, but your mother can’t say the word ‘sex?’ That is seriously messed up, son.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“Listen to me. If I can’t get away from people talking about your… intimate life, think about poor Sadie. My God. That good, sweet girl. I am so mad at you.”
“God, now I feel sick for two reasons. One is because I know you looked at the videos.” I heard her snort with derision. “And two is because you’re upset with me.”
“I saw Sadie’s mother the other day at the grocery store. She looked like she’d been crying, and she confided in me that it’s awful knowing her girl is suffering away at school. That’s because of you, son. Do you understand that? Your actions have consequences.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And you leave Sadie alone. Do you hear me? I’m sure she’d rather not see your face, maybe for the rest of her life. And I don’t blame her.”
There was a click. “Mom? Dad?” I stared at my phone. For the first time in my life, my parents had hung up on me.
I couldn’t say I really blamed them. I’d probably hang up on me, too.
But as far as leave Sadie alone? I couldn’t do that. Not yet.
I had to try again.
***
I knew the days and times Sadie most liked to go to the library to study, and I took full advantage of it.
One evening I waited outside the library for her to appear, nervous about how I’d be received. I knew it wouldn’t be good, but I was hoping just seeing me would remind her of how much she loved me.
She was halfway down the stairs when she saw me. She stopped walking, and I could see that she was about to run off.
I hurried over before she could escape. “I want to talk to you. I want to explain what happened.”
“I think I’ve figured that out,” she said sarcastically.
“But you don’t understand! I didn’t even know about the videos. And she only released them because I ended things with her. I ended things. I chose you.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” she asked, bitterly. “There shouldn’t have been a choice, Harrison! Because you were supposed to choose me before you fucked her.”
Shit. That was a good point. Sadie’s eyes were getting glassy. I didn’t want her to start crying. That’s not what this was about. I just wanted to make her understand things from my point of view.
“I know you ended things right as you knew I was coming back to town. Would it have gone on longer if I’d been away longer?”
“No… I… I don’t know.” Damn. I wasn’t helping myself out here. I scrubbed a hand over my face, frustrated.
Angry tears started to fall from her eyes, and she wiped them away harshly. “I don’t know who you are, but you are not the person I fell in love with.”
“Don’t say that. I’m still me. You just don’t understand how hard it is, Sunshine! Hot women are throwing themselves at me every day, and I’m so fucking horny all the time, and you weren’t here this summer, and I watched everyone else on the team go through about ten girls each this summer.”
She looked… disgusted. That hadn’t been what I was going for.
“You don’t think guys hit on me daily? Because they do.
And some of them are tempting. They’re very good-looking, and they look at me like I’m the most beautiful girl in the world.
You used to look at me like that. But you haven’t in a while now.
” She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
“You know what I chose every single time a guy hit on me? You. I chose you and the life we planned together. You chose the kind of woman who takes videos without your consent and posts them on social media.”
I didn’t want to think about guys hitting on her. And it didn’t make me look good to know she withstood temptation just fine. I ran a hand through my hair, still wet from the shower I took after practice. “She blackmailed me,” I blurted out.
Sadie stared at me. “What?”
“She said she wouldn’t tell you about the cheating if I’d pay for breast implants for her with my NIL money. I said no. I didn’t think she was serious. I should’ve just done it…”
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew I’d fucked up.
She looked at me in disbelief. “You wish you’d paid for a boob job for her so that I’d still be in the dark about what was going on? You’re pathetic.”
“That’s not what I meant. I guess I just wanted you to know what I was up against with her…”
“You mean the girl I warned you about? The one you swore was just a friend even when I told you she wanted you?”
“Yeah. I should have listened to you.” I stared at her. Her eyes had a look in them I’d never seen before. It was scaring me.
I reached for her. “Sadie, please…”
“Don’t touch me, you sick son of a bitch! I never want to see you or talk to you again in my entire life.”
My mouth hung open. I’d heard Sadie curse more in the past few days than the rest of our lives put together. I’d driven her to that. “You can’t mean that… I still love you, Sadie.”
She laughed without mirth. “If that’s the way you treat someone you love, I’d hate to see how you treat someone you hate.”
“Please, Sadie. Don’t let it end this way.”
“I didn’t let it end this way. You did!”
“We can get past this, Sunshine,” I reached out my hand to hold hers.
She jerked away from me so fast she almost fell. “Don’t touch me,” she hissed. She was shaking with rage. “Don’t ever call me Sunshine again. And most of all? Don’t ever come near me again. We’re done.”
“Is everything okay here?”
I turned to see a tall, muscular, blond dude coming towards us.
“We’re fine,” I said. “Mind your own business.”
“It’s okay, Coop,” Sadie said, taking his hand. “It’s just my ex.”
“Yeah, I know who he is,” the guy said, staring me down. He was actually a little bigger than I was, but I still thought I could take him. My eyes kept dropping to his and Sadie’s hands entwined together. What the fuck?
“Who the hell is this, Sadie?”
She rolled her eyes. “None of your business.” Then she grabbed the front of the guy’s shirt, stood on her toes, and kissed him. He deepened the kiss until it was borderline inappropriate for public viewing, and I saw red.
“Get your fucking hands off my girlfriend,” I yelled, stepping towards him.
Sadie pulled away. “I’m not your girlfriend anymore. Come on, Cooper. Let’s get out of here.”
With that, she turned and started walking away from me, holding hands with the guy who’d apparently taken my place. I felt like my world was crashing down as I watched her choosing someone other than me.
“Please, Sadie!” I called after her. “I love you!”
She didn’t even look back.