Page 107 of Damaged Boys Don't Fall For Bubbly Girls

Does he sense I don’t feel anything? I feel horrible that I don’t, but I can’t exactly control my emotions, can I?

“Okay. Because you know you can, right? Being honest with me won’t hurt my feelings.”

I bite my tongue. I don’t want to tell him I don’t feel anything because I don’t understand it myself. And I don’t want to hurt him. I know that the more time we spend together, the higher chance I’ll have to feel something.

“Thanks. I know. You’re very nice to me, Finn. Like, really, really nice.”

He smiles. “Well, yeah. I mean, you’re awesome.”

My insides prick with even more guilt. “Thanks.”

We reach my classroom, chat for a bit, then I walk inside. Throughout the entire lesson, I can’t stop thinking about how bad I feel about Finn.

What does one do if she knows she’s with a good guy, but doesn’t feel anything for him?

Chapter Thirty-One

Brock

I keep busy over the weekend reading my books, watching my TV shows, spending time with Mom and Dad, and catching up with Zoey. Of course I thought a lot about Lexi.

When my phone wakes me up on Monday, I let out a loud groan. I’m not in the mood to go to school. I know it’s wrong of me to skip, but…

“Brock?” Dad says as he knocks on my door. “Are you awake?”

“No,” I groan again as I roll onto my side.

He lingers in the doorway and I can feel his eyes on me.

“Just tired,” I say.

“I don’t want to stand here and wait for you to get up,” he tells me. “You’re old enough to get to school on time.”

I sit up, running my hands through my hair. “Guess I’m just not in the mood.”

He steps into the room, lifting a brow. “Is anyone your age ever in the mood for school?” Moving closer, he sits down on my bed and pats my arm. “Talk to me, Brock. What’s going on?”

I shrug. “Nothing, really.”

He bumps his shoulder into mine. “I remember being your age. There’s never nothing going on.”

“It’s just hard when things change.” Will our friend group ever be the same? Is that wall Lexi and I worked so hard to break slowly rebuilding? Will it always be there?

“Growing up is all about change,” Dad says. “It’s hard, but sometimes change is necessary.”

I puff up my cheeks. I know he went through a lot when he was my age. I honestly don’t know how he managed it all. And he turned out to be an awesome dad.

I wrap my arms around him. “Thanks for being such a cool dad.”

He holds me close, laughing gently. “What did I do?”

“You and Mom have always been there for me. So thanks.”

He draws back to study me. “Is everything okay? You’ve been very quiet the past few days. Mom and I wanted to give you some space, but we’re worried.”

I wave my hand. “I’m okay. Just have a lot on my mind.”

He nods slowly. “You know I’m here if you want to talk.”