Bad Reputation

Bad Reputation (3)

Chapter 3

The sky had just begun to darken when I entered the park half an hour later. I had left my car at home, needing some fresh air after the two hours I spent on my homework. Usually, I didn’t walk outside at night. I hated the dark with a passion and every little sound freaked me out. But at the moment it felt good. Just thinking about what Damian had prepared for me in the park excited me.

It took me five minutes to walk over to our bench. Like the others that were scattered randomly around the park, it was painted white. Standing beneath a large oak tree, the leaves just touching the back of the bench, it was probably the most romantic spot in the park. It allowed some privacy.

Damian was already sitting there. His elbows were resting on his knees, and he had his head bent forward, his fingers clutching his short blonde hair.

“Hey there,” I said when I got closer.

Damian lifted his head to look at me. Uncertainty was swirling in his hazel eyes, but as his gaze glided down my body, it was replaced by a hard look. It was like he had seen something to make up his mind. He seemed… determined.

“Melissa,” he said.

I walked over to him and leaned down. My lips met his for just a small kiss. Damian pulled away. I smiled brightly at him and took the seat next to him. Our thighs were touching. I almost let out a dreamy sigh from the warmth I gained from that contact.

I looked up at him. He was running his fingers through his blonde hair, but he still held my gaze. He didn’t smile. His eyes didn’t twinkle in happiness. He just sat there… staring at me.

It was hard for me to wait. The L-word had been sitting at the tip of my tongue for weeks now and it was hard to keep it in. I wanted him to say them first.

But Damian didn’t make a move. He seemed lost in his own thoughts, like he had trouble finding the words he wanted. I sat in anticipation, waiting eagerly for those three words.

But when Damian opened his mouth, it wasn’t the words I wanted to hear.

“Melissa, we need to talk.”

My mind went into panic mode after hearing those words. I sat completely still, trying to solve through the disarray of thoughts clouding my head.

We need to talk.

Those words were like the universal sign for bad news. No good news began with that sentence. And it was most commonly used during break-ups.

But Damian wouldn’t break up with me. I loved him. He loved me. I was certain of it.

My gaze wandered away from him. It was physically impossible to do anything but stare into empty space. Damian wouldn’t break up with me. He loved me.

I kept saying those words to myself, but my brain refused to believe them. And when I turned my head back to look at him, the emotions were there in his eyes.

He gave me a hard, cold look. Nothing like the Damian I knew. I couldn’t recognize the boy I loved in there. His gaze almost gave me chills.

“Are you breaking up with me?” I asked finally, when my mouth began working again.

Damian scooted a few inches away from me.

“I’m sorry, Melissa.”

But he wasn’t. I could see it in his eyes that he did not mean those words. He didn’t care that he hurt me. He didn’t care about the pain this would cause me. He didn’t care about me.