Page 19 of Dear Love, I Hate You (Easton High)

“You said you remembered me as a bully,” he clarifies. “Did we use to hang out or something?”

I consider denying it out of self-respect. I can’t lie, I’m a tad offended that he didn’t connect the dots sooner. I get that we were eight, but even Finn brought it up once. If Finn Richards, the biggest airhead I know, not to mention a guy who, unlike Xavier, didn’t steal my first kiss, remembers me, why the hell can’t he?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I spin to leave.

“No fucking way.” It clicks in his mind. “Little Vee?”

Here he is.

“You’re that girl Finn and I used to…” He doesn’t complete his sentence, but I know all too well what he was going to say.

“Annoy? Tease? Torture? Why, yes, that would be me. Did you seriously just figure that out? A bit slow, are we?” I snark.

My outburst only seems to amuse him.

“Look, in my defense, your mom only ever called you ‘Vee.’ I thought it was short for Vicky or Vivian or something. And it was ten years ago. I can’t even remember what I had for dinner last night.”

“Whatever.” I shrug.

“Shit, I’ve got to say, Vee.” He gives me a once-over. “Puberty did you a solid.”

My cheeks combust.

“Wish I could say the same about you,” I lie through my teeth.

Xavier smiles at my failed attempt to deny the undeniable. Let’s not pretend like puberty didn’t do every female on earth a solid when Xavier Emery went from “cute” to “sinfully hot” in the span of a summer.

“I

think you mispronounced thank you.” He flashes a smug grin that makes me want to knee him where it hurts.

And yet… my heart beats a hair faster when he proceeds toward me. He’s intimidating, and in the most annoying way. The “unintentional” way. He’s not even trying to get to me. He just has this presence to him, this charisma that’s hard to ignore. I wish I didn’t notice how tall he is, how bright his eyes are.

I wish I didn’t see the kid I used to know.

“Surprised you remember what I looked like then. You know, Alzheimer’s and all,” I fire back.

“Aw, are you offended that I didn’t remember you, Little Vee?” he teases, and it irks me.

Because he’s right.

It shouldn’t bother me, but it does. I never let myself admit it, but I think “Little Vee” might’ve developed an itty-bitty crush on the blue-eyed boy who kissed her under the slide that day. How unfortunate that said boy grew up to be a conceited tool.

Finn, Dia, Theo, and Lacey all come tumbling into the kitchen before I can answer.

“Told you I heard him,” Theo tells Finn.

“Xav, you’re back.” Finn states the obvious.

“Thanks, Einstein.” Theo snorts, and Finn elbows him in the stomach.

“Where’d you go earlier, man?” Finn snakes his arm around Dia’s neck to draw her closer.

“Got detention on Sundays now, dipshit. I told you yesterday,” Xavier explains. “I remembered they started tonight right after I got there.”

That explains it.

“Right. I’m sorry, man. For… everything.” Finn’s voice is dripping with guilt. I’m guessing the school board went twice as hard on Xavier for claiming to be the only brain behind the stink bomb operation.