Why do I get the feeling she set that whole thing up?
“Heather, wait!” I called out. Pain shot through my body, and I threw my head back against the pillow, letting out a sigh.
“Jesus, Josh. Next time I try to tell you to shut the fuck up, you should listen. ” Jeff turned and followed my mother out the door.
I glanced back at Gunner. “Fuck, Gunner. I’m sorry, dude. I don’t know what the hell came over me just now. It just feels like it’s all happening now and not four years ago. ” I looked over toward Tori.
Gunner shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sorry I never told you about sleeping with Victoria. ” He turned to Victoria. “You mind giving us a few minutes?”
“I’m so sorry, Josh. I wasn’t even thinking,” Victoria said.
“Can you just please give us a few minutes?” Gunner said, a little angrier this time.
“Oh yeah, sure. I’ll be back in a few minutes for that breathing exercise, Josh. ” She winked at Gunner before she walked out the door.
Gunner closed his eyes and shook his head. “I really don’t like that girl,” he said as he looked at me.
I let out a small laugh. “Victoria is just being Victoria, that’s all. ”
“Well, she better not ever pull that shit around Ellie,” he said, sitting back down.
“What did you want to talk about, Gunner?”
“Josh, you need to know something about Heather. I should probably let her tell you, but…” He trailed off, looking down at the floor.
“What is it? Is she sick or something?”
Gunner snapped his head up. “No! Oh god, no. It’s nothing like that. During Heather’s senior year of high school, her, um…her parents both died in a car accident. ”
Holy fuck. That poor girl. “I’m all she has, aren’t I?” I asked, feeling tears build up in my eyes. This was the first time in my life I’d even cared about a girl, and I’d just hurt her.
Gunner nodded.
“And my big fucking mouth basically just told her that I didn’t want her as a girlfriend. ” I closed my eyes and saw the look on her face when I’d said it.
When I opened my eyes, I turned to Gunner. “I always fuck things up, Gun…always. ”
Chapter Eleven
“Elizabeth, let me talk to Heather. ”
She nodded and gave me a weak smile. “I think I’ll go have a few words with Victoria. ”
Fuck, I hate Victoria.
I caught up to Heather just as she was getting on the elevator. We rode down to the first floor in silence. I followed her as we walked outside. She sat down on a bench and leaned her head back.
“Why did this happen, Jeff? Am I just not meant to find happiness?”
When she looked at me with tears in her eyes, my heart dropped to my stomach.
Shit, this girl can’t catch a break. “Sweetheart, he didn’t mean it. I promise you, he feels something for you, something very strong. He’s just scared of how he’s feeling, Heather. In his mind, he’s this young kid in college, just having a good time. He’s confused, and Victoria threw some shit out there on purpose to confuse him even more. ”
“That’s just it, Jeff. What if that’s the life he wants again?” Heather started shaking her head. “Damn it! I’m so damn confused. Do I back off? Do I keep telling him about us? I mean, I want him to remember us on his own, not because I’m feeding him with my memories. At the same time, I need him so much that I…” Heather’s voice broke off as tears began rolling down her face.
“You know what to do. You don’t give up on him. You love him, Heather.
You need to be there for him as his girlfriend. ” I grabbed her hand and held on to it.