As I watched the girl embrace Hunter, I felt reality sink in. That girl was as beautiful as I was flawed. She looked perfectly matched for Hunter, the way I knew I would never be.
I turned away from them, gathered my tray and quickly dashed towards the next exit. Tears blinded my eyes. I tried to blink them back before I had the misfortune of running into either Chaise or Denise who would definitely ask what was going on.
For a moment there, I thought that Hunter was going to finally speak to me… that he finally remembered that I was his girlfriend once upon a time in his life when he was not as perfect as he is now.
I wiped the tears that rolled down my cheeks. Hunter may seem perfect now that he got his eyesight back, but damn! He was a much more beautiful person when he was blind and had nothing to offer me but the goodness of his heart.
I made it through the entire day without running into Hunter again.
Who was the girl?
She seemed to know him very well. Maybe that’s why she looked uninterested in any of the boys around her circle, desperately pining for her attention. She was looking around trying to find her target—Hunter.
Did Hunter go back to Jacksonville after his surgery and met her? Was she the reason he forgot about me?
Of course… I guess I could not blame him either. He didn’t know what I looked like when he said he fell in love with me. Hunter and I existed in our own little world… that garden by the lake. He had nothing, and had no one…. except maybe for his guitar and me. It was easy to feel affection for me then. He didn’t seem to have a choice. But now… he’s back to his normal self. He’s got everything going for him again. His life now was full of choices, some more wonderful than the others. He could have any girl he wanted—girls as perfect as she was. Why would he settle for me?
After school, when I got to the front gates, I saw Hunter getting into his car with that girl. And just when I thought my heart was maxed out, I felt it break just a little bit more. Tears rolled down my cheeks without me knowing. I quickly wiped them with my fingers before somebody could notice. Hunter didn’t deserve my tears. He made me fall in love with him, and then he left me. He asked me to wait for him… only to replace me with somebody who was like a slap in the face for me.
I knew I couldn’t score like that in a million years!
“Wait!” I heard somebody shout behind me. Then I saw Denise rushing off to catch Hunter before he drove off. They spoke briefly while the girl patiently sat on the passenger seat, without even a side glance at who Hunter was speaking to.
Well, if I was that pretty, I wouldn’t have to worry that my boyfriend will flirt with somebody else.
When Hunter drove away, Denise approached me.
“Sorry I didn’t see you there,” she said.
I just smiled at her, afraid that I would burst into tears the minute I opened my mouth.
“I just asked Hunter to tell my folks I would be late tonight.”
“Why? Hot date?”
Denise’s eyes lit up. “Yes, if you must know. And it’s dates, not date.”
“Dates? As in more than one?”
She nodded. “As in Chaise and you.”
“What?”
“Yeah. Chaise and I are hanging out in the bookshop tonight. He already promised to drop both of us home.”
“Why?”
“Because you, guys, are going to help me plan next weekend’s bonfire. And no buts! I know you won’t be too busy. More than half the population of this town are morons, who wouldn’t even make it past chapter five of a book. So, I know you don’t have a line of customers impatiently waiting for your assistance. But I, on the other hand, am in dire need of help.”
“My boss will not be happy if I brought a friend while I was supposed to be working,” I argued.
“But ahh! Did you forget that Chaise’s aunt owns the place? Surely, she wouldn’t mind. And besides, it’s school work. Not like we’ll be there drooling over boys and plotting how to lose our virginities.”
“Haha! Sometimes, you can be very funny,” I said, forcing a grin on my face.
“Is that Hunter Vaughn taking Tania Jameson home?” Chaise asked, appearing behind us.
Denise nodded. “Hunter used to go to Jacksonville. He and Tania are sort of an item. On again, off again type of thing. But for sure, Hunter did not really go out with anybody else other than her. And all the other guys in Jacksonville felt it was pointless to even try asking Tania out when they were up against the ‘King of the World’.
‘So, apparently, he wasn’t just the king of my world!’ I thought glumly.
“Besides, their parents are business partners. They had been matching the two of them since they were ten or something. It would be beneficial to their family’s wealth if they ended up getting married in the future,” Denise continued.
‘What do I have against that? Flawless, beautiful Barbie doll, whose parents are just as rich as Hunter’s. While me? Scarred, imperfect orphan, who had to work different jobs to help her aunt make ends meet?’
And worse? I had to hear my best friend talk about how perfect they are for each other!’
The problem with keeping your boyfriend a secret to your friends is that you had to endure minutes or hours hearing about him and another girl. It’s killing you inside, slowly but surely and yet, you couldn’t even cry and scream from the heartache.
I bit my lip to the point of feeling pain. I didn’t want to believe that one pain lessens another, but right at that moment, I would cling on to anything that would decrease the shattering pain I felt inside my chest.
On again, off again, huh!
Funny how he forgot to mention that! He had a girlfriend already when he met me. And yet, he still asked me out… kissed me, made me believe that he could really fall in love with me. And he said he would recognize me and never forget about me.
What a fool I have been!