Page 33 of The Boy I Loved

He said nothing, but also didn’t release me. The world faded out of existence all around me, my heart thumping to a deadly tune as we just stood there.

Voices echoed throughout the halls, blurring in the background—my gaze never wavering from his. He stilllookedlike the same Dominic … up close, anyway. He stillsmelledthe same as he always had. He was more grown now and had more tattoos. There was a dangerous edge to him that hadn’t been there before. But underneath it all, he was still there. Turmoil swam within his gray eyes, revealing all of the pain and agony lurking beneath the surface.

If this wasn’t a cry for help, then I didn’t know what one was.

He needed me. This proved that, even if he didn’t explicitly say anything. It was the look in his eyes, the hard set of his jaw, and the knit between his onyx brows.

As if coming to his senses, his eyes hardened. He released me so quickly that it caused me to stumble from the sudden lack ofsupport. My heart crumpled into my stomach from the loss of contact. Why was he fighting this? Why was he fightingme?

“Watch where you’re going.” He snarled, moving to step around me.

Confusion tore through my limbs as I watched him go, turning as he did. His shoulders were drawn tight, and his steps were purposeful.

He owed me an explanation. He didn’t just get to come back to Greenbriar and treat me like shit—like I never fucking mattered. Screw that. A surge of anger ignited through my body, heating me up from the inside out.

“What the hell is your problem?” I demanded, not bothering to hide the edge of rage lacing throughout my tone.

He froze, his hands curling into fists at his sides. For a few moments, he didn’t so much as turn around—just stood there. He was giving me whiplash. He didn’t get to demand things from me one minute and then treat me like shit the next.

Slowly, he turned. “You didn’t strike me as the desperate type, Hazel.” He tsked mockingly.

The words were another stab to my chest. Was that truly how he perceived me?Desperate. My only consolation was that the hallway was empty. I wasn’t sure I could handle any more humiliation.

There was a part of me that wanted to help him. Despite all the cruel things he said and did, he was still my best friend—my first and only love. But there was also a part of me that knew I deserved better than this. Whatever he was going through, he was intentionally pushing me away and hurting me in the process.

“And you didn’t strike me as a piece of shit. Guess we’re both surprised.”

I didn’t bother to look for any kind reaction from him. He made himself loud and clear. Instead, I turned on my heels and hurried into the bathroom located at the end of the hall. The bell rangmoments later, echoing throughout the building, but I couldn’t find it in me to care.

My stomach twisted painfully as the nausea worsened. Originally, I’d needed a breather after English class went to shit, but now … there were two things weighing heavily on me.

I braced my hands on the bathroom sink, allowing my chestnut-colored hair to trickle over my shoulders and brush along the fine polish of the counter. I focused on that, refusing to meet my reflection in the mirror. I knew I wouldn’t like what I saw.

Desperate.

I love you, but don’t contact me again.

Gray eyes.

Jet-black hair.

Beautiful pale skin.

First kiss.

First everything.

I’d given Dominic every part of me, and in return … it had never meant a thing, not to him. I was just anotherdesperategirl, pining for his attention.

He used to call Stacy desperate—said he hated it when girls made themselves too obvious.

Had I been looking at the situation wrong this entire time? What if he didn’t need protecting? What if he truly meant the words he spewed?

That can’t be it.

There was too much history there for it to have never meant anything. My shoulders dropped in defeat. That didn’t mean he hadn’t changed his mind about me, though. Maybe he really did want nothing to do with me.

The walk to my second period was slow. I intentionally dragged it out, wanting to get there as slowly as possible.