Broken and Screwed (BS #1)

“Yep. He told her that she should go back to her boyfriend because he’d be out with the guys tonight. I guess they party hard after their games, and he said he’d be getting other ass tonight. He told her not to wait for him and that she should patch things up with her boyfriend. I guess he thinks I’m a nice guy.”


The anger rolled off of him in waves, but he was tired too. I saw the exhaustion in his depths. Then he continued, “None of that went over with her. She came back to the room, screamed at me for an hour that I was a horrible boyfriend because I still had feelings for you and she knew it.”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. His hands formed into fists. Then he bit out, “She blamed me for everything. She said I wasn’t good enough for her in bed, that I was too nice to her. She liked having guys treat her like shit. She said Cord had been liberating in bed, that’d she do him anytime he called her.” He cursed under his breath and swung his head towards me. I jumped back at the bleak look in his eyes. “Is that what’s it like for you and Hunt? Are you with him because he treats you like crap? Do all girls go for that?”

I sucked in my breath and told myself that this wasn’t really about me and Jesse. I started to reach for his arm again, but he hissed as he yanked it away. “Don’t touch me, Alex. Don’t ever touch me again unless you’re going to follow through with it.”

“What?” My mouth fell open.

He jerked to his feet. “I mean it. Don’t hug me. Don’t pat me on the shoulder. Not unless you’re ready to follow through and screw me. Isn’t that what you do with Hunt? He touches you and you melt for him. It disgusts me. You disgust me.”

“Eric.”

“I mean it. I’m tired of it. I’m always the good guy. I always get crapped on. I’m done with it.” He started to turn away, but then pulled something out of his pocket. He threw it at me.

As four pieces of paper fluttered in the air, I couldn’t move. This wasn’t an Eric that I had ever seen before.

He grabbed his bags and glared at me. “I’m going back home. Marissa took off this morning. She said she couldn’t stand being around me. I took the tickets out of her purse when she was in the bathroom so there you go, you can still watch your boy’s game. Shit.” He shook his head again. “I’m still being the nice guy. I wanted to be with you, but you never gave me the signs. And then Marissa was all over me and I thought, ‘why not? She wouldn’t hurt me,’ but the sad thing is that she did. I cared about her. I actually did. And then this trip happened. This was the trip from hell. I got to watch both girls that I cared about fall all over the ass**les. That’s what he is, Alex. You know that too. I know you know that. He’s going to break your heart. Why won’t you stop it? I don’t get that. Why do girls like you always go for guys like that? I bet he hasn’t even lied to you about it either, like Cord did with Marissa. He told her upfront that he was going to screw other girls tonight and I know she’ll still go for him if he ever calls her. You do that too. You’re both so weak. You’re spineless.” He held a hand to his stomach. “You make me sick. I can’t even look at you.”

The tickets fell to the floor around my feet, but I couldn’t bend to pick them up. I couldn’t even pick up my own mouth as it fell beside them. My feet were cemented in place as I watched him leave. This was Eric Nathan, the good guy who was never going to hurt me. It was then, as I heard everything he flung at me, that I realized I could’ve been happy with him. He wouldn’t have hurt me as I knew Jesse would. He would’ve been good to me, treated me right. And maybe, even maybe, he might’ve helped me heal from the pain that I had left at home.

Shit.

He walked away from me, but he was right. Everything he said was right. And even as he left through the doors, I knew I’d still go to Jesse that night. But this time was different. This was the last time. I would end it after tonight. I had to, otherwise everyone would be right. I drew in a shuddering breath. I should’ve been crippled by what Eric had said to me, but I wasn’t. Strength started to fill me. I couldn’t explain it. I had no idea why I wasn’t crying or why I wasn’t filled with shame because he’d been right about me. Maybe it was because I knew I had one more night or maybe I was lying to myself. Either way, as I finally bent and picked up the tickets, I knew what I’d have to do.

I’d have to leave Jesse, but not until tomorrow. Tomorrow, I told myself. One more night in his arms, one more night to have everything else pushed away. I could forget for one more night.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN