Beauty and the Beat

Beauty and the Beat (32)

“Whore.” 

I was getting really tired of hearing that word. Slut was another one that was starting to really get on my nerves as well.

“Hey, babe,” some guy called out to me as his friends around him snickered. “You wanna go have some fun on Mr. Deveraux’s desk? I’m sure it wouldn’t be the first time!”

I scowled at him as I walked by. “No, thanks. I wouldn’t want you dirtying it.”

The boy, who I’d never even seen before, seemed so surprised by my response that he didn’t have anything to say back. His friends laughed even harder, but this time at him.

“I can’t wait until everyone forgets about all of this,” I sighed once Bennett and I got out of that awful hallway and outside to freedom. Maxxon had to stay after for another class, so he wasn’t with us. “Or I can’t wait until we graduate. Whichever comes first.”

Both felt like years away, even though it was only a few months. They were going to feel so long without Ethan here with me. They were going to feel even longer with everyone calling me names.

I hated that all I could think about was Ethan. I hated that all I did during the last period of the day was imagine what it’d be like if he was still there, teaching up at the front of the room instead of the old hag that took his place. I hated that my mind was entirely flooded with him.

But then there was Maxxon. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do about him. He really was a great guy, and I didn’t want to hurt him. But at that moment, it felt like I was never going to be over Ethan.

Suddenly stopping before we could get down the steps at the front of the school, Bennett turned toward me in concern. “Sadie? Is everything okay?”

“Did you know how Maxxon felt about me?” I found myself suddenly asking.

Bennett looked at me with wide eyes. “What?”

“Did you know?” I repeated, swallowing when my voice came out scratchy. “Did you know Maxxon was in love with me?”

Bennett seemed surprised. “He told you?”

So Bennett did know. I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about that. Bennett was my best friend, but he was also Maxxon’s best friend as well. There were things I’d told him that he didn’t tell Maxxon. My relationship with Ethan being one of them.

“How long have you known?” I questioned, almost afraid to know the answer. I knew that Maxxon had been in love with me ever since we had met, and we’d both known Bennett for that long. “He told me he’s been in love with me ever since we met…”

Bennett nodded. “I’ve known since then.”

My eyes went wide. “You’ve known since then?”

Bennett only nodded as we continued our way to the parking lot. I stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. I’d met Maxxon in preschool; he, Bennett, and I were all in the same class together. I didn’t even understand how a four-year-old could even understand what love even was.

“I can remember the first day you two met,” Bennett began, but I wasn’t so sure I wanted to hear this. “He came up to me and told me you were pretty and that he liked you. I didn’t really think anything of it. Throughout the first couple of years, he didn’t talk about it much. I’d ask every once in a while if he still liked you, and he’d say yes. And then one day, I think it was in fifth grade, I asked him that same question. But this time, he said no." 

I gulped. “Why?”

“He said he didn’t like you. He loved you.”

I had nothing to say. I couldn’t say anything, because my throat was practically closed up tight. That’d been such a long time ago, and hearing the details only made it feel even more real. Maxxon really was in love with me and he always had been. And I’d always been so awful…