Page 81 of Don’t Forget Me

“What did your charming brother tell you?”

I never thought I’d see another person with an evil grin other than Mario’s—my psychopath stepfather—but there she was, right in front of me. Mischief. Envy. Jealousy. The girl in front of me beamed at the demise of my happiness.

“You really don’t know, do you? I thought your friend Camille would have told you since the whole school knows by now.”

“Knows what?” I snapped.

“That Ezra was paid to date you,” she said.

That couldn’t be true. No. That was not true. For a split second, I allowed the fear to manifest through my widened eyes. Until I hid it behind my deep irritation for this girl.

“I don’t really like you, but I just didn’t think it was right for Ezra to have such a beautiful girl by his side when he’s lying about his true intentions.”

I gulped. As much as Scarlett’s words had been a warning, I knew there was envy laced in her tone. I knew she had always desired her brother’s best friend. And I got him before she ever had a chance. Although my intention had never been to steal another woman’s love. It simply happened.

Yet, I knew the type of malicious person that she was. I would not give mind to her lies, and I would not give her the satisfaction of seeing any type of emotion in me. “Thanks for the warning.”

However, it explained the guilt that passed through his face whenever I mentioned our plans to travel to Mexico this summer. As if he feared we wouldn’t make it. It would explain the heated conversations between him and his friend, which stopped when I was within their proximity. It would explain why he had been interested in me in the first place. I had nothing to offer back then. Nothing but snide remarks and sarcasm. It explained why he insisted so much.

He had lied to me. He’d been lying to me all along. Scarlett was the one telling the truth, and he was full of lies.

To say that I didn’t feel anything when she told me that would be a fallacy. Because I felt rage I’d never experienced before. My shoulder collided with Scarlett’s as I walked out of the lavatory.

Ezra was about to begin his soccer practice, yet I didn’t mind the fact that everyone would see the show that was about to go down. I marched my way through the halls, pushing past the crowd, ignoring the glares of most of the students. I hauled open the doors to the football field. I found him immediately in the mob of students that were in the same athletics period as him.

I dropped my bag and stomped toward him. I was no longer calm nor collected. The boys in his team, wearing the same maroon and black uniform, nudged him and pointed in my direction. When he turned toward me, Ezra had a smile on his face, one that I no longer enjoyed looking at.

I lifted my hands, pushing him into the arms of his other teammates. They yelled, “Hey, what the hell?”

“How dare you?” I questioned him.

Ezra furrowed his brow. “Lysandra? What’s wrong?”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?” I yelled.

I used to love his ocean eyes, and in this moment I began to hate them once his gaze widened in despair. His lie had come crumbling down and he knew it. There was no redemption for what he had done.

“It’s not what you think!” he began, walking toward me with his hands outstretched. I pushed him again. He sighed.

“Then what was it?” I asked. “Give me a reason why I should trust you again after you lied to me for all of these months.”

Ezra kept on striding in my direction, yet I continued to shove him away from me. The sadness in his eyes only enraged me even more. I pointed at him. “You bastard! I trusted you. I opened my heart to you. You⁠—”

I stopped my discourse. I didn’t know what would have become of me if the entire school had watched me cry.

“Love, listen to me. It’s not what you think.”

“Oh, really? You weren’t paid to date me?” I questioned.

When he remained silent, when he lowered his chin, when he rubbed his temples, that was when I knew that it hadn’t been a lie.

“You liar! You hypocrite! You traitor!” I yelled. I grabbed the collar of his jersey, bawling it between my fists. “Don’t you ever dare utter another word to me.”

I hauled him backward before he fell into the arms of his friends, who had been snickering under their breaths. I marched away, my legs trembling. His footsteps loomed behind me. I turned as he grabbed my forearm. “Let me explain.”

“It’s over, Ezra,” I screamed, unraveling my arms from his grasp before forcing him back. “Don’t touch me.”

His gaze stabbed my heart as I picked up my bag and walked out of the pitch. There’d been students who had their eyes glued to us, and their looks caused me to feel more embarrassed than ever before. And suddenly, I wish I hadn’t exploded. I wish I hadn’t shown my anger like that.