“Why do you think I’m dating Mariah?” Zayne asked as we sat down with our sundaes. The parlor was nearly empty, providing us the privacy we needed for this conversation.
“I overheard some of the girls talking about it while we were stretching. She told Mia you guys got back together over the summer.”
His jaw clenched, and his eyes flared. “That’s a lie.”
“Why would she lie about that?” I couldn’t tell if he was angry because he got caught being a player or if she truly was lying.
“We dated last year.” Jealousy flared in my chest, but I tamped it down. It was a useless emotion that never did anybody any good. “She’s been trying to get back with me ever since.”
“You two looked awfully cozy the other day,” I challenged.
“I know how it must have looked, but trust me, it’s been over between us for a long time.”
“I don’t have any reason to trust you.”
“You don’t have any reason not to.”
I was silent for a beat as I swirled my spoon in the ice cream, mixing it with the hot fudge.
“What’s on your mind?”
“I’m just wondering how neither of us knew we’d be on the same team. I mean, how did I not see you at tryouts?”
“I wasn’t there.”
“Why not?”
“It was the weekend before Spring Break.” My brow knitted in confusion, wondering how that explained anything. Then I remembered he’d been sick.
“Okay, so why didn’t you say anything when you found out I cheered?”
“I didn’t think I needed to. What were the odds we’d end up cheering at the same university? Besides, we were just having fun, and I wanted to keep it casual. No reason to get in too deep.”
Pain speared through my chest at his declaration. I swallowed hard and nodded. I was nothing more than a fling to him. I’d thought about him every single day since I'd come home from vacation. I’d wager he hadn’t thought about me once.
I pulled my phone out and sent Blake a text to let her know I was ready to leave.
Blake: Just pulled in.
“You’re right,” I said. Sliding out of my chair and grabbing my barely touched ice cream. My stomach had soured, and there was no way I could take another bite. “As shallow as it was, it was fun while it lasted.” I tossed the cup into the trash and went to Blake’s car, pretending all the while that I hadn’t heard Zayne calling after me.
I avoided Zayne after that. The best thing I could do was stay as far away from him as possible and forget what had happened this summer. It clearly meant more to me than it had to him, and I’d be damned if I pined after someone who didn’t want me. Still, it hurt when he flirted with the other girls. I’d been the center of his attention on vacation, and now he constantly had a group of girls huddled around him.
When classes started up, it got even worse. He was as popular if not more so than the football players. Women flocked to him. Luckily we didn’t have any classes together, so I only had to witness it when I saw him occasionally around campus.
I didn’t know why it bothered me so much or why it hurt so bad knowing our time together hadn’t meant anything to him. It wasn’t like I was in love with him or anything, but he’d been special to me. I convinced myself it was just because I was inexperienced. I’d only been with two people my whole life. Maybe I needed to change that. Maybe, if I immersed myself in college life and all the debauchery that came along with it, I wouldn’t have time to think about Zayne.