The Bully (Calamity Montana #4)(58)

He sat taller too, twisting in his chair as he leaned in closer. “That day by the pool. Our freshman year. You remember it, right?”

Of course, I remembered that day. Girls didn’t forget their first kiss.

“You told your dad I was a dumb jock. That you hated me. Right after I confided in you. Right after I trusted you. Right after I let you in.”

Wait. He’d heard me talking to Dad? My mind raced, trying to recall the details of that day. They were fuzzy, blurred from time and hate.

Mostly I remembered thinking he was so cute. Sitting beside him, talking to him, had been such a rush. My heart had been in my throat the whole time. Then he’d leaned in, and I remembered the kiss being over so fast that my brain hadn’t had a chance to catch up.

Maybe I’d called him a dumb jock. Dad had warned me away from him, but Dad had warned me away from all boys.

“I was fourteen,” I said. “Talking to my dad about boys. Do you actually think I would have told him the truth? That the son of his client had just kissed me? Of course I lied.”

“I didn’t take it as a lie.”

Because we’d been fourteen. And I’d probably bruised his ego. Was that the reason he’d been so horrible to me afterward?

Nearly twenty years was a long time to rewind and replay in a new light. But God, it made sense. Cal had reacted like most boys at that age would have. He’d taken his revenge.

Part of me wanted to rage at him. To smack him upside the head for being so incredibly stubborn. But we’d been kids. Miscommunication was our specialty. And since high school . . .

The years of arguments, bitterness and resentment seemed like such a waste. And for the second time today, Cal Stark made me want to cry.

That fourteen-year-old bully had let me in. And I’d thrown it in his face.

“I hurt your feelings and you pushed me away,” I whispered.

He lifted his empty, crushed can, shaking it like he wished it was still full. “What would you have done in my shoes?”

“Probably the same thing,” I admitted. “That still doesn’t explain why you push everyone else away. Why you put up this front.”

He lifted a shoulder. “It’s easier that way.”

“Why?”

“Why not?” A bullshit answer, but before I could call him on it, he stood from his chair. The RV rocked slightly as he took the stairs, slamming the door behind him.

A flock of small birds flew overhead, disappearing with a swoop and sway into the sky.

And I sat frozen, staring at Cal’s empty chair.

These feelings for Cal—the guilt, the affection, the yearning, the fear—weren’t going to go away, were they? No matter if he lived in Calamity or Calgary or Calabasas, they all had one thing in common.

Cal.

He was tangled in my heart.

And it was only a matter of time before he’d break it.





-





Diary,





* * *



Cal got my dad fired today. That jerk ruined Daddy’s business. And it was all a lie. Dad had to pick me up from school again because Mom took a double shift for some extra money. I offered to help Dad mow. We did one house first, then went to the Stark place last. I hate going there and I could tell that Dad didn’t want me there either, but it would have been too late if he’d driven me all the way home and then gone back to the job. So we just went and he did the edging while I mowed. Cal was there this time. I was finishing up in the front yard when he came home with his dad. He didn’t even look at me as he got out of the car, but whatever. That’s nothing new. They went inside the house and like ten minutes later, Cal’s dad came storming out and got in Dad’s face. He said that I wasn’t allowed to come here anymore and that I’ve been stalking Cal. Can you freaking believe that? Why would I want to stalk Cal? I hate Cal. Dad stood up for me. He didn’t even have to ask if it was true because he knows I’d never do that. He said Cal had to be mistaken. Well, that sent Cal’s dad over the edge. He got red in the face and screamed that his son wasn’t a liar. Oh, wait. It gets better. He accused me of sneaking into their house the last time I was there and stealing one of Cal’s football jerseys. What?! I said that was a lie and called Cal a liar. Cal’s dad told me to shut up. My dad said he couldn’t speak to me like that. So Cal’s dad fired Daddy and told us to get the “f” off his property. I cried the whole way home. Dad promised it would be okay and that it was just one client. I was like almost feeling better. Except then we got home and the phone started ringing. All of Dad’s other clients called and fired him. Yep. Worst. Day. Ever. Cal’s dad told all his rich friends about what happened and they believed it. Of course they’d believe it. Mom got home fifteen minutes ago. They sent me upstairs to do my homework so they could talk. I don’t know what they’ll do if Dad’s not getting paid. Maybe he can pick up new clients? It just makes me so flipping mad. We shouldn’t even have to worry about this. All I want to do is punch that liar Cal Stark in the face tomorrow when I see him at school. But then I’d get kicked out of Benton and Mom would really be angry and Dad would have gotten fired for nothing. This is so not fair. None of this is fair. It’s all Cal’s fault. I hate him ten times more than I did yesterday.