Chapter 19
Going to university the next morning is noticeably different. The problem with Rodger (oh there’s plenty of problems, but I’m talking about one in particular) is that he’s popular and well known. So everyone knows about his charming little rumour and as a result everyone is looking at me like I’m just their absolute favourite person ever.
That’s obviously fucking sarcasm, and I genuinely feel unsafe walking around the university.
Luckily, the class I have today isn’t the one I share with Rodger so I fairly successfully shove myself back into a wall and the class passes uneventfully. And somehow, so does the rest of the week.
Rodger doesn’t try to talk to me or even look at me, and although the stares from everyone else only get worse, no one actually does anything. Right up until I leave the university site at the end of the week.
“You know, it’s so disgusting you’d try something with Rodger you know, I mean he already rejected you. At least take it like a man,” one of my old ‘friends’ drawls from behind me until someone else snickers.
“Yeah because taking it is all he’s good for apparently.”
I whip around, not feeling embarrassed and humiliated like they want me to. No. I just feel angry. So fucking angry. “You’re crazy if you actually believe a word that Rodger says, but honestly I already knew you were all insane; only people who are literally mad could be friends with Rodger,” I retort, knowing that they’re probably going to hit me for this, or at least make things more difficult for me.
As I had expected, one of them, Paul I’m pretty sure, lunges at me. I bring my arms up in front of my face to protect my head from the hit, but it never comes. Blinking slightly in the dimming light of early evening, I drop my arms to my sides.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, despite knowing that I’ll never hear the answer. Beck looks angry but also slightly worried as he glances between me and Paul, before letting his eyes roam over the other guys.
He’s definitely sizing them up and deciding that he could win. I mean, other than the fact that Beck is taller and stronger than these breadsticks, he’s also a pretty great boxer from what I’ve heard.
I gently place my hand on his arm, his hand still around Paul’s wrist, stopping him from hitting me. Beck lets go of Paul and I drag him back a step, before looking back over at the others. “You’re welcome to befriend anyone you like, but please, for your own benefit, get better tastes.”
I lead Beck away as fast as possible whilst he just sends me confused looks, his anger gone but his concern lingering like smoke after a fire on a windless night. I take us to the parking area nearby, where true to my assumptions, Beck’s car is.
As soon as we’re both sitting there, I ask him again. “What are you doing here?”
Beck pulls his phone out and a moment later, my phone pings.
Rebecca🌸: I wanted to see you. I thought maybe I could drive you home. Should I not have come?
I sigh; I mean I would’ve undoubtably been hurt if he hadn’t show up, but I don’t really want him to know about all the stuff going on with me at the moment. “No, and thank you. Just…let me know beforehand ok? I don’t really like surprises.”
Beck gives me a slight smile and a nod. He glances down at his phone for a moment, typing something and then deleting it for a few times before my phone eventually pings at me.
Rebecca🌸: Can I ask about what happened back there?
I don’t think I want him to know. But I also know that for things to work out between Beck and I, we need to be honest with each other.
“It’s a long story, you sure you want the whole thing?”
When Beck gives me a decisive nod, I lean back in my seat, closing my eyes and working out where to start from. “So, there’s this guy I used to have a crush on. We were really close friends but when I told him about my feelings, he publicly rejected and humiliated me. As you can imagine, any feelings I once had for the douche soured and now I’m disappointed in myself for ever being attracted to that piece of scum, but anyway. Well, he randomly started harassing me recently.”
I glance over at Beck and he looks angry all over again, his expression the most serious I’ve ever seen. I reach over, hesitantly placing my hand on his. He looks down at our hands, back up at me, down at our hands again, before smiling slightly and interlocking his fingers with mine.
“Anyway, he kept telling me I should date him or some bullshit and claiming that I still had feelings for him, even though I’d told him multiple times that I didn’t like him and that I didn’t want to be with him. In the end, I told him I was in a serious relationship with my um, boyfriend, and then he started giving me death glares, but overall, he left me alone.”
I feel Beck’s hand tense up slightly at the word boyfriend and when I glance over at him, he’s staring down at our hands again. When he meets my gaze again, he looks…sad? “Um, I feel like I should clarify something- I pretended that you were my boyfriend. I hope you don’t mind,” I say hurriedly.
Beck instantly looks relieved, before blushing and turning his head in the opposite direction, but I already got a glimpse of his smile. His sweet little smile.
“Yeah so um, after that, I hoped he’d leave me alone, but then Miri told me about a rumour going around about me. We’re certain that Rodger started it to get back at me or some bullshit, but he’s basically making me out as some cheating slut who tried to sleep with him or something, and now practically the entirety of the university believes him.”
Aaaaand angry Beck is back.
“Those guys were some friends of his, they chatted shit to me so I did the same back and they got pissy. It’s no biggie and I doubt they’ll try anything again, so it’s not like I’m going to get beaten up at university. I mean, the stuff going around about me is just a rumour, but if they hit me they know they’d get in trouble and they’re too busy being goodie-two-shoes.”
This seems to pacify Beck somewhat, and after a little while, he drives me home. I give his hand another squeeze goodbye as I get out of the car, thanking him for the ride and his help earlier before wishing him a goodnight and then trawling upstairs to my dorm room.
I’m glad I told him, even if I didn’t really give him a chance to say anything back. I want to be able to tell him about the serious stuff in my life, and this is a start. I want us to be honest with each other, and I’m going to work on that soon.
Not right now, because I have the party tomorrow, but I’m going to work up to telling him about my mother and the piano. I just have to get through the weekend first.
Comments (24)
See all