“Stop dragging it out, Marissa. Say what you need to say and then get out of here.” Adrenaline rushed through my body at light speed. My fight-or-flight reflex was in full force, but I refused to give in.
“All right, all right. You know when you were assigned to be Fuller’s tutor?”
“What about it?” My stomach flip-flopped. How did she know I was tutoring him?
Marissa’s lips twisted into a wicked smile. “He didn’t want anyone to know that he was being forced to work with you. You know, because you’re Wrentainer and all.”
Dae scooted closer to me and put his arm protectively around me. “She’s lying, Wren. Ignore her.”
My heart hammered in my chest and the walls suddenly felt like they were swaying back and forth.
She shot Dae a nasty look before continuing. “Fuller lied about the tutoring sessions and covered it up by telling Marc that you two were hooking up in the AV room.” Marissa’s lips turned up in a wicked smile. “Marc obviously didn’t believe him, so they decided on a bet to prove it.”
“A bet?” My voice sounded hollow. I knew I was sitting in the stands of the gym, but it suddenly felt like I was in another dimension where only Marissa and I existed. “I don’t believe you. Fuller wouldn’t do that to me.”
She laughed. “You don’t have to believe me. Ask Fuller yourself. Also, how would I know the details unless he blabbed everything to TyShaun and Marc?”
Ice radiated through my veins. She had a point.
“Fuller bet that he’d be able to get proof of you two hanging out—which the picture on the Instagram account covered quite nicely—that he could get you to do some kind of PDA thing with him in the hallway, like holding hands, and the final step, that you’d show up at tonight’s game as his girlfriend. I guess you were supposed to wear his letterman jacket, but I’m sure his T-shirt counts.”
My heart pounded in my chest and my temples throbbed.
“Here’s the best part. After the game, he’s going to break up with you in the parking lot. Marc is supposed to ask you out after and take you to the Fall Harvest Dance next week, but Courtney wants to go with him, so I figured I’d do you a little favor and give you a heads-up.”
I couldn’t breathe, let alone respond to what my ex–best friend had spat at me in front of the crowd.
“Oh,” Marissa continued, feigning a sad face. “You thought he actually liked you?”
“You poor girl,” Courtney chimed in.
Dae scooted so close to me that our arms were touching. “There’s no way Fuller would ever make a bet like that. He cares about Wren. We all know you’re jealous, Marissa. You’re probably just making this whole thing up.”
“Don’t believe me? Fine, look at this,” she said, holding up her cell phone.
I scanned the screen. It was a text message between her and TyShaun.
TyShaun: He’s got two weeks to convince Wrentainer to be his girlfriend.
TyShaun: Otherwise he loses the bet with Marc.
Marissa: What a loser.
Marissa: He can’t stand her.
Marissa: Nobody can!
TyShaun: She’s actually kinda hot.
Marissa: Shut up!
TyShaun: You’re hotter?
Marissa: A question mark?
Marissa: Are you serious?
Marissa: Whatever, not like it even matters.
Marissa: Everyone knows Fuller and I will be back together by the Fall Festival.
Marissa pulled her phone back and sneered, “You didn’t really think that he liked you, did you, Wrentainer?”
“Don’t call me that.” My voice shook as the words left my mouth.
“What? You don’t like the nickname Fuller gave you in seventh grade?” She rolled her eyes.
I stood up, my body quaking with anger. “He didn’t give me that nickname. You did!”
“You’re such a loser,” she hissed as her face scrunched up and turned crimson with anger.
She and Courtney got up without saying another word. They climbed down the bleachers and headed out the gym door.
My chest heaved as tears welled in the corners of my eyes. I didn’t want to believe what she was saying, but it made sense. Everything from Fuller giving me his shirt to wear to the game, to the picture on Instagram, to TyShaun holding up two fingers when he saw us holding hands in the hallway.
The worst part was that he was going to dump me in the parking lot after the game. I was nothing but a joke to him. A stupid bet.
“I, um, I gotta go,” I mumbled to Dae and Jenna Marie.
“Wren, wait,” Dae pleaded.
I shook my head, bolting out of my seat and racing down the bleachers.
The stares and whispers of my classmates were almost too much to handle, but they didn’t even hold a candle to how it felt when Fuller looked at me from across the court.
I felt like he’d reached into my chest and torn out my beating heart.
His smile disappeared once he saw the tears running down my face. I wanted to scream at him from the sidelines, to tell him what an asshole he was—but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. He didn’t deserve one more second of my time or attention.
Vision blurred from hot tears, I raced through the crowd of people waiting to get into the gym and down the hall leading to the parking lot.
“Wren, sweetheart. Is that you?”
I stopped dead in my tracks.
Less than a foot away stood Fuller’s parents and his little brother.
Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I tried to smile and pretend everything was okay.
“Oh, Wren, honey. What’s wrong?” Fuller’s mother took a step toward me.
Fresh tears burned my eyes and dripped onto my cheeks. “Ah, I’m not feeling very well. I need to go home.”
Without another word, I sprinted down the hallway and into the fresh air.
Sucking it in, my legs propelled me forward toward the corner of the parking lot. How could I have been so stupid? Why would I ever believe someone like Fuller James would actually like me?
I reached into my small crossbody purse and fumbled through its contents. Finally, my fingers felt the loop of the key ring.
“Wren.” Dae’s voice cut through the crisp air.
Shaking my head, I unlocked the driver’s side door. “I-I can’t talk right now, Dae.”
I felt his hands on my shoulders. “Wren, I’m so sorry.”
Collapsing into his chest, I began sobbing. My entire body shook. Dae held me up as my knees turned to jelly.
“I should have seen right through him.” Dae whispered. “I never should have trusted that asshole.”
Hot tears streaked down my face, forming a wet patch on his shirt.
“I’m so stupid.” My voice choked with emotion.
Dae shook his head and held me tighter. “He fooled both of us.”
Sniffling, I pulled back and wiped my face with trembling hands.
The pain in my chest had been replaced with a numb sensation, and I suddenly felt exhausted. “I’m going to head out. You should go back in and be with Jenna Marie.”
“No way.” Dae leaned against my car. “She’s waiting by my car. Come with me. We’ll drive you home.”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. I just need to crawl into bed and pretend none of this ever happened.”
“Are you sure?” Dae spoke softly as he pulled me in for another embrace.
“Yes. I’m sure. Thanks for offering, though.”
Dae gave me one final squeeze before I stepped away and got into my car. My best friend stood with drooped shoulders, watching me drive off.
Twenty minutes later, I pulled up in front of my house. Somehow, I’d managed to stop crying on the way home. I searched my glove box for something to wipe the mascar
a off. Coming up empty, I used the bottom of Fuller’s T-shirt. It didn’t matter if I stained it. It was going in the trash.
I checked the mirror and sighed. While I managed to get all the black smudges off my face, I couldn’t hide my puffy red eyes.
Deciding that waiting wouldn’t make things any better, I grabbed my purse from the passenger’s seat.
Forcing myself to breathe, I walked through my front door and popped my head into the family room.
“Wren, is that you?” Gramps asked from the sofa.
“Hey, Gramps.”
My mom and dad frowned. “What are you doing home so early?”
I held my hand to my head. “Um, I’m not feeling so good. My head hurts and I feel…funky. I decided that it was best to come home and rest.”
“Oh, honey. I’m sorry. I know how much you were looking forward to watching Fuller at the game. Can I bring you a cup of tea or some Tylenol?” my mom asked with a still-furrowed brow.
“I’m going to grab a glass of water. I’m sure I’ll feel a lot better after I get some rest,” I lied.
Nothing would make me feel better about what happened tonight. Ever.
“All right, well, feel better, pumpkin,” my dad said.
“Night night, Wrenny,” Gramps added.
I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cabinet next to the fridge. After filling it at the refrigerator, I made a beeline for my bedroom, the chilled water sloshing around with every step.
Setting the cup down on my nightstand, I tossed my phone and purse on the floor.
That’s when I caught a glimpse of myself. Wearing Fuller’s stupid basketball shirt. I yanked it off and threw it across the room. Tears streamed down my face as my knees gave out. Reaching back, I caught myself on the edge of my bed. Pulling myself backward, I collapsed on top of my duvet. “How could I have been so stupid?” The words came out in between the sobs that shook my body.
Rolling over, I closed my eyes and vowed never to speak to him again.
I hate you, Fuller James.
Chapter Twenty
Fuller
My alarm went off at exactly five o’clock, but it didn’t matter; I was already awake.
I picked up my phone and unlocked the screen for what felt like the thousandth time since I went to bed. I’d sent her more than twenty texts starting Friday night and ending last night after dinner, but she hadn’t replied to a single one. I didn’t even know if she’d read them, since they all said only, “Delivered.”
Opening my Instagram app, I typed in her username and clicked on her profile picture. Blocked. I sighed and let my phone fall to my chest.
I wanted to drive to her house and apologize in person, but if she wouldn’t pick up my calls or answer my texts, there was no way she’d let me inside her house.
The darkness in my room matched my mood. As I lay there with my eyes closed, Friday night’s events played through my mind on an endless reel. Wren running out of the gym, my parents telling me that she left because she was sick, the worry in my gut that it was something else coupled with the helpless feeling that I was stuck at school until the game was over…
Then finding out the truth afterward.
I rubbed my face with my hands. I was furious with Marissa, and I’d called her out on it as soon as I’d heard what she’d done, but how mad could I be? I was the one who made the bet in the first place. No one forced me to do it. Then, instead of being a man and confessing everything to Wren, I made my friends promise to keep my secret. I’d been pissed at TyShaun for blabbing to Marissa, but ultimately it wasn’t his fault. Everything that went down was my fault. Plain and simple. Marissa had simply been the final nail in the coffin.
Wren’s feelings had been crushed because I was a cocky jerk who always put himself before others. My friends knew it, my teammates knew it, and now the girl I’d fallen in love with knew it.
I rolled over onto my stomach and slammed my fist into the mattress.
Holding my breath, I cursed myself over and over again. I love her. I freaking love Wren Carter and I lost her! What is wrong with me? Why couldn’t I buck up and be honest with her? Why did I have to continue to hide the truth from her? I’m such a loser!
Desperate to let off some of this pent-up emotion before school, I got out of bed and changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. My house was still as I slipped out the front door. Locking it behind me, I rolled my neck to the left and then the right before I started jogging down the sidewalk.
An hour later, sweat dripped down my body. While I felt exhausted from pushing myself to the max, I still felt like the world’s biggest asshole. Normally, I’d already have gone back to the house to take a shower and head to the gym to shoot some hoops, but I couldn’t possibly go back to the scene of the crime. Instead, I decided on heading in the opposite direction. I doubted anything would make me feel better, but an extra thirty minutes out here couldn’t hurt.
Friday was supposed to be one of the highlights of my senior year. The UGA Coach had shown up as well as three scouts from other teams. I’d played my heart out and managed to pull off a triple double, scoring twenty-three points and getting fourteen rebounds and eleven assists. Coach slapped me on the back after the game, congratulating me on my personal best. I’d been an animal on the court, and everyone had noticed.
Well, everyone but Wren. I knew she wouldn’t leave pregame unless something had happened. I was worried that her gramps had gotten sick again, but when I’d checked with Brandon at halftime, he didn’t know what was up, either. It had thrown me, but I managed to play through it. I figured Wren would want that…
Little did I know that she probably wanted me to trip on the half-court line and break my ankle. No… Wren wasn’t vindictive. She wasn’t like Marissa. Ugh! Marissa. It wasn’t really her fault, though. It was mine. I did this. Nobody else was responsible.
I raised my hands to my head. I was driving myself mad. Replaying the same things over and over in my head. There was only one thing that could make it better. Seeing Wren and apologizing face-to-face.
The pavement pounded under my shoes. If I could rewind time and take it all back, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I’d give up any of my possessions to be able to undo the pain I’d caused Wren.
That’s when I saw a figure racing across the street, a long braid bouncing off her back. She was hands down the fastest person I’d ever seen in real life. That’s when my conversation with Wren dawned on me. She could run seven miles in an hour. Praying it was her, I crossed the street. “Wren? Is that you?”
The figure skidded to a halt and spun around.
Wren’s face twisted into shock and then horror as her eyes landed on me. “Did you follow me here?”
“No, I wanted to get in a longer run. So, I, ah, I took a new route this morning.” Even though I didn’t want to believe it, the level of disgust in her voice hit me like a cannonball to the gut. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you all weekend.” I took a step toward her.
She stepped back. “Get away from me.”
Her eyes were dark, and she wore a deep scowl on her face. My heart ached to undo the pain I’d caused. “Wait, please. Let me—”
She held up her hand, cutting me off mid-sentence. “No.”
I wanted to reach out and pull her into my arms. Kiss those soft lips that tasted like coconut. Make things better. But that wasn’t an option anymore. Wren didn’t want anything to do with me. I’d screwed up everything and lost her in the process.
“I know it’s going to be tough, seeing as we go to the same school, but listen to my words. I never want to see your face or hear your voice ever again. Understood?”
My heart thumped wildly in my chest. “I never meant to hurt you.”
Wren rolled her eyes. “You want to bet?” The word hung in the air between us, causing me to wince
as though she had slapped me. Without another word, Wren took off and disappeared into the misty morning air.
…
“Fuller?”
A soft knock on my bedroom door followed. I caught the basketball I’d been shooting into the air.
“Can I come in?”
“Now’s not a good time, Hud.” I’d been staring at the ceiling for hours, trying to come up with a way to fix the destruction I’d caused.
“It’ll only take a minute,” his little voice called through the door.
He sounded so grown up. Like a younger version of our dad. When did that happen?
“All right, buddy. Come on in.” I tucked the ball under my arm and sat up.
Hudson came into my room and sat next to me on my bed. “Do you want to talk about it?” He placed his little hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
My heart broke into a million pieces with this simple gesture. As soon as the game was over, he wanted me to check in on Wren, make sure she was okay. When she refused to take my calls, he told me to go over to her house. At the time, I didn’t have the heart to explain to him what happened. He looked up to me. By admitting I made a bet about Wren, I’d be letting him down, too. The fact that he adored her would only make things harder. “It’s complicated, Hud.”
“She left your game before it even started. She blocked you on Instagram.” He scooted closer to me and wrapped both arms around my midsection. “I like Wren. So do Mom and Dad.”
My little brother’s concern cracked the tough facade I’d been putting on since I found out what happened on Friday night.
He squeezed me tighter. “Why isn’t she talking to you anymore?”
Blinking back the tears that had welled up in my eyes, I carefully hugged Hudson back. “It’s not good, little man.”
He tilted his face up toward mine. “Did you do something wrong?”
I let my head fall into my hands. “I screwed up. Bad.”
“Why doesn’t Wren want to be your girlfriend anymore?” His voice cracked, which almost sent me over the edge.
My hands fell into my lap. “I totally blew it. I acted like a complete jerk, and I hurt her.”
I Hate You, Fuller James Page 19