Page 14 of Damaged Boys Don't Fall For Bubbly Girls

With a grin, Finn digs his elbow into his arm again. “Are you gonna ask any of them out?”

Brock stabs his fork into a roasted potato. “I don’t think dating is the right thing for me right now.”

“What are you talking about?” Cooper says with a laugh. “Dating is the best thing to do to take your mind off things. Check her out.” He points to a cheerleader at the popular table. “Man, look at her eyes. They’re like golden.”

Brock doesn’t lift his eyes from his plate, just plays with his fork that’s still lodged into the potato.

“Come on, dude,” Cooper prods. “Just ask her out. You’ll forget all your problems when you make out with her—”

“Coop, shut up,” I hiss.

His lips snap shut as his brown eyes scan around the table, the smile vanishing from his face when he realizes none of us are laughing. “I was just trying to make him feel better,” he says. “Geez.”

“You can be a real idiot sometimes,” Dean mutters.

Brock gives him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, Coop and Dean. Yeah, distracting myself with a girl might take my mind off things, but I’m good.”

The guys exchange glances.

Brock forces a laugh. “Are you guys always going to look so glum? Lighten up. I’m not made of porcelain.” The legs of hischair scrape against the floor as he gets up. “I think I saw some Jello? I’ll be back in a sec.”

We all watch him walk away, shoulders a little hunched.

I slap Cooper’s chest. “You suck.”

“Yeah, not cool,” Finn agrees.

Cooper holds up his hands helplessly. “Sorry. I still don’t know how to act around him.”

Gael’s chest expands with a sigh as he plays with his dark hair. “Neither do I.”

“We need to be his friend and treat him as normal as possible,” I tell them. “And no teasing. We’re not there yet. And enough with dating, Cooper. He’s obviously not ready for that.”

Saying the words causes my stomach muscles to clench. Because a part of me still yearns and hopes…

But no. This isn’t about me or my feelings. It’s about Brock and his feelings. That’s the only thing that matters.

The guys nod, Cooper looking guilty. “I wish it was easier,” he says. “I wish things could go back to the way they were before.”

“Don’t we all,” Nate says with a sigh.

I turn around to see if Brock’s heading back to our table, but he’s not there. Actually, as I survey the cafeteria, I don’t see him anywhere.

He…left.

I wait a few minutes, hoping he’ll return, but he doesn’t.

“Be right back,” I tell the guys before leaving the cafeteria. I walk through the hallway, looking around for him. Maybe he went to the bathroom?

I stop in my tracks when I spot him in the distance, sitting on the floor with his back resting against his locker. He’s reading his book, looking so into it that a meteor could crash right next to him and he wouldn’t notice.

I’m about to head over to him to see if he’s okay, but then it dawns on me that I’m part of the problem. Just my being inhis presence probably causes his heart to bleed. Because I’m a constant reminder of that horrible day. Even if he doesn’t want it to be like that and even if he wants to put it behind him, the truth is that my existence brings him pain.

Maybe he and I could never be close again.

Chapter Six

Brock