My Valentine

Twenty-Four

Nightengale Phillips

He was wearing the same hoodie the next afternoon I saw him. He was sitting on the loneliest bleacher, looking as if the world had chewed him up and spat him out.

The dark bags under his eyes and the cigarette he was smoking was hanging for dear life between his thumb and his index finger.

I asked Tammy to save me a seat and started to climb the bleachers, fully aware of the fact that he probably didn't want to talk to me.

The football team was still practising, in spite of the fact that they had a game in a few minutes.

They were going to lose anyhow.

He didn't look up, even though my shadow loomed over him.

"Where is your girlfriend?"

"All five of them are avoiding me."

It didn't even seem as if he was affected by this. He was just stating a fact. That's how seriously he took his love life. What did those girls see in Sly?

"Well, considering how you treated Bethany yesterday, I can understand why they must all be avoiding you."

The metal creaked and sank when I sat. I ignored the dent in my pride. I thought I'd been losing weight.

"Why do you treat women like that Sly?"

I really was curious. I'd seen guy after guy toss around girls like they did their underwear and naturally, as a female, I assumed it was because men didn't respect the opposite gender, but I sat beside Sly, whose head was still hanging as if he'd been the one who got hurt yesterday and not Bethany.

For the first time since I sat beside him, he looked up at me.

"Because it hurts."

"What hurts?"

His gazed was directed at the football team who were finally beginning to come off the field.

I put my hand in his shoulder. Physically, I was close to him, but at that moment, I felt even closer to him. Something told me that Sly would never say this to just anyone, or maybe I'd caught him in a vulnerable state.

"What hurts Romanov?"

Sly's eyes were clouded when they focused on me. Perhaps he was thinking about a distant memory.

"I treat Bethany and the rest of bitches like that because every single one of you deserve to be hurt."

His voice was low, but he sounded so bitter.

"What're you talking about?

He smirked, almost nastily.

It reminded me of Lisa's trademark smirks.

What?

I didn't even have time to react, or even realize what he was doing when he leaned over and pressed his lips against mine.

He stood and I gaped, my body limp. Sly just kissed me.

"What the hell?"

He just winked, "Thanks for checking up on me babe."

"Okay, kinda freaky, I'll admit, but on the bright side, I told you he liked you!"

I gripped both her shoulders and shook her slightly.

"Did you not hear what I said? Sly kissed me after he basically told me that he likes seeing women suffer."

She eyed me as she drank from her straw.