Bully

by Sky Corgan

  “Why would I have been pissed at you?”

  “You weren't answering my texts. It was all I could come up with.”

  “My phone is at the bottom of the river,” I informed him. My entire purse had been lost during the wreck. It would be a pain replacing everything inside, yet something else I'd have to stress about once I got out of the hospital along with making up all of the classwork I had missed.

  Dustin stopped next to my bed. “When I found out you had been in an accident, I came to the hospital right away, but visiting hours were already over, so I had to wait until after class today. I'm sorry I couldn't see you sooner.”

  “I'm not mad at you.”

  Dustin sat beside me, immediately reaching for my hand. It's exactly what I had wanted Bobby to do.

  “I'm glad you're not mad at me.” There was a hint of a smirk on his handsome face.

  “Leonor never came to see me,” I said, not that I was offended by it.

  “Apparently, she did.” Dustin gazed past me. “The resident advisor of your dorm told her about the accident. Leonor said that when she came to visit you were passed out.”

  That was probably when my face was all bruised up and I looked like I'd been hit by a semi. No wonder she had told Dustin it was bad. I guess, it kind of was.

  “You'll have to tell her I said thanks for visiting.” My fingers twitched in his grasp. He was stroking the back of my hand. It was so soothing that it was starting to put me to sleep.

  “I will. I'm sure she'll be along soon to check on you.”

  “I doubt I'll be here much longer. Maybe a day or two.”

  Dustin reached forward and brushed a few loose strands of hair away from my eyes. I felt warmth creep up my neck from his touch. The way he was looking at me was so affectionate. It made the butterflies in my stomach become unsettled, flapping their wings in preparation to take flight.

  “This is going to sound selfish, but I'm kind of glad I didn't hear about the accident right after it happened.”

  “Why is that?” I hummed.

  “Because I think not knowing whether or not you were alright would have driven me crazy.” His hand fell from my hair to my cheek, petting over it with the pad of his thumb. His gaze was so intense. The butterflies cleared a path as it burned into me. “I've grown to care about you quite a bit.”

  The warmth reached my face and settled there.

  “I've grown to care about you too.” I squeezed the hand that still held mine captive.

  He pressed his eyes closed for a second. “I don't think you understand what losing you would have done to me.”

  My heartbeat echoed in my ears. His grip tightened on my hand as if he was scared to let me go. I didn't want him to let me go. I wanted to stay in this moment with him forever—to feel all of the incredible emotions flowing between us.

  “It's funny.” I let out a short laugh.

  “What is?” He looked up at me, no amusement on his face.

  “Nothing.” I shook the thought away.

  It was too embarrassing. I couldn't tell him the truth. Even though the timing seemed right, it was too deep of a thing to admit to him—to admit to myself.

  When the car went over the bridge, my life flashed before my eyes. I had been certain that I was going to die. There were so many regrets and things I wished I would have done. But above all else, there was a throbbing pain in my chest from the thought that I would never see Dustin again.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Dustin came to visit me at the hospital every day after that. My mother recognized him from high school, which was a bit awkward, especially when she remembered all of the horror stories attached to his name. She furrowed her brow at him, and I had to launch into the twisted tale of how we had become friends. It was obvious she didn't understand how such a dramatic change could have happened, nor did she really seem to approve of him, but she didn't question it any further...until she saw him kiss me on the forehead when he was leaving one night.

  That was a whole other can of worms. The kind that came with a lecture about what college boys are after. If only she knew that he had already got that and was still coming around. I refused to disclose that much to her, though. She didn't need to understand what was going on between us. Hell, I didn't even really understand it.

  Finally, I was released from the hospital and allowed to return to the dorm. My parents helped me hobble up the stairs and to my room where Leonor was waiting for me with a small welcoming party. Everyone talked about how good it was to have me back, and for the most part, it felt genuine.

  After my parents and the rest of the girls had left, Leonor and I sat across from each other. I took a deep breath, my eyes sweeping the room. Everything was just as I had left it.

  “Well, that was something.”

  “There's more.” She beamed at me.

  “I'm not sure I can handle more,” I told her, feeling exhausted.

  “A certain someone gave me a present to give to you. It's under your bed.” She pointed beneath my bed.

  It was a bit of a struggle, but I managed to pull the box out from under the bed and set it on top. It was way too big to be a jewelry box. I gave it a gentle shake and heard rustling inside. To be honest, I had no clue what was in the box.

  There was a card attached next to the bow. Judging by the pristine wrapping job, I highly doubted that whoever had delivered the gift had wrapped it themselves.

  I opened the card, and a smile spread across my face as I read the handwritten note.

  It looks like we might be staying in on the weekends while your leg heals. Here's something to pass the time.

  -Dustin

  “Well, are you going to open it?” Leonor wiggled, leaning forward. She seemed just as excited to find out what was inside as I was.

  I ripped the bow off of the package and tore the red wrapping paper away with a curious smirk on my face. Exposing the front of the box revealed the picture of a red dragon. Then the Dungeons and Dragons logo came into view with the subtitle of Wrath of Ashardalon. It was a board game.

  “Really?” Leonor quirked her head back, her expression that of pure disappointment. “Does he think you're a twelve-year-old boy or something?”

  “I love it.” I hugged the box to my chest.

  There's no way she could have known how much the gift meant to me. It was a reminder of our time at the cemetery together—the first time Dustin had kissed me. It also held the nostalgia of my youth. I couldn't wait to get into the box and look at all of the pieces, but I wanted Dustin to be around for that.

  “Doesn't he know that diamonds are a girl's best friend?” Leonor bobbed her head, continuing to bitch about a present that wasn't even hers.

  “But wizards!” I held the box up to her like an idiot.

  She rolled her eyes, waving away my excitement. “To each her own. I'm just saying he could have done better.”

  He couldn't have. This gift was highly personal to me. Flowers or jewelry would have been nice, but it wouldn't have meant half as much as this did. It meant that he had listened to me. That the moment we had shared at the cemetery had meant something to him too.

  ***

  Hobbling across campus on crutches sucked. I swear to God, that damn cast weighed at least thirty pounds. I was sure I would have a weird limp long after it came off. I suppose that's what the physical therapy would be for. Something else I wasn't looking forward to.

  Bobby approached me as I was walking to one of my classes. Somehow, I had managed to do a pretty decent job of avoiding him since getting out of the hospital. Thinking about going out on a date with him gave me anxiety, mainly because I felt bad about the fact that I was going to reject him. Anything that could have happened between us was in the past. He had lost his chance to be with me when I realized how far removed from my feelings he really was.

  Since then, I had been dreading this moment. I kept our text conversations short and sweet. I turned him down every time he asked if I
wanted to eat breakfast with him, and I spent most of my lunch breaks studying in the courtyard.

  It seemed I couldn't avoid him any longer, though. He had found me, and with my injured leg, there was no way I could turn tail and run.

  “Hey.” He waved awkwardly.

  “Hey.” I avoided his gaze, readjusting my backpack to redistribute the weight more evenly.

  “Have you...been avoiding me lately?” He cut straight to the point.

  “No.” I lied, trying not to find ironic humor in the situation. This reminded me of us at the beginning of the semester, except our roles were reversed. I couldn't help but wonder how he was feeling, but the truth was that I knew. Because I had gone through the exact same thing.

  I was being shitty to him, but I didn't care. He deserved it for what he had put me through.

  “Because it sure seems like it.” He folded his arms over his chest.

  “I've just...needed some space is all.” Now things were turning strained. I needed to make my exit, and quickly.

  “Well, I hope you've gotten past that. I've missed you.” He took a step closer, and I almost instinctively inched back.

  “Yeah. I think I'm over it. We can go back to the way things were. Friends and all,” I put emphasis on the word friends.

  “Oh, well.” He teetered on his heels. “I was thinking I could take you out on that date this Saturday. I'm banned from the frat parties, and you're obviously not going to be drinking anytime soon with that leg.” He glanced down at my cast.

  I sucked in a deep breath, my stomach twisting with discomfort from the situation. “Yeahhh,” I dragged the word out. “Well...”

  “Sorry bro.” An arm wrapped around my shoulder, causing me to jerk. It took a second before I realized that the arm was attached to Dustin. He had somehow managed to sneak up on me from behind. “Brenna is all mine this weekend.”

  I blushed from his words.

  Bobby looked at us, his eyes narrowing slightly.

  “Um, yeah.” I touched the back of Dustin's hand. “I already told Dustin I'd hang out with him. Sorry.”

  “We have a date with some wizards.” Dustin's eyes widened as he grinned at me.

  I chuckled.

  When I had thanked Dustin for the gift the day after receiving it, I told him about the conversation that I had with Leonor, making sure not to leave out anything. I also disclosed how much the gift meant to me. He had seemed genuinely happy that it had pleased me.

  “You?” Bobby's head quirked back. “Play Dungeons and Dragons?”

  “Don't judge, man.” Dustin pointed at him. His tone was warning, but I could tell he was just joking. The entire exchange was playful, though Bobby didn't seem to be able to tell. I was laughing on the inside, thankful for the reprieve from the tense situation.

  “No judgies.” Bobby held his hands up in surrender. “Well, maybe some other time.” He took a few steps backward before turning to walk away.

  “I think you weirded him out.” I leaned into Dustin's side.

  “Pfft. He'll get over it. I know he's all nerdcore.”

  “Nerdcore, huh?” I snorted.

  “Not as nerdcore as you, though. You're the nerdcore princess.” He tapped me on the nose, making my face scrunch up.

  “You make me sound horrible.” I rolled my eyes, swatting his hand away.

  “So, we're on for this weekend, right?” He let me go finally.

  “You didn't exactly give me a choice.” I raised an eyebrow at him.

  “It's a date, then.” He smiled.

  “A date?” The word made my heart flutter. We'd gone out together many times before, but he'd never actually called it a date.

  “Unless you're going to reject me like you just did him.” He jabbed his thumb in Bobby's direction.

  My mouth hinged open for a moment. Dustin had very obviously come to my rescue.

  “It depends on what you mean by the word date.”

  He took a step forward, wrapping his arm around my waist. The closeness made a blush spread across my cheeks. The way he was looking at me said it all.

  “I was thinking that after you teach me how to play your little nerd game, maybe my bridge troll could go exploring inside your cave.”

  If I had been chewing gum, I probably would have spit it out. I guffawed so hard that I almost tumbled over.

  “Oh my God, did you really just say that?”

  “What?” He held his hands out to his sides, looking innocent. “I'm sure we can figure out a way to work around your cast.”

  “Bridge trolls don't explore inside caves. They hang out on bridges, usually side by side, demanding a toll to pass.” Almost as soon as the explanation left my mouth, I regretted it. Surely to God, he'd eventually realize that I was not the kind of girl he wanted. We couldn't be more different if we tried.

  He approached me again, his voice taking a soft turn as he gazed down at me. “I don't really care what we do as long as I get to spend time with you.”

  “Really?” I squeaked.

  “Really. Every moment with you is a gift to me.” He caressed my cheek, and I swooned from the warmth of his touch.

  “So this is going to be like...a date date, then?”

  “A date date,” he repeated. “Unless, of course, you're not interested in me like that. I mean, I wouldn't blame you when you've got Fabio pining for your affection.” He looked past me into the distance, but I could tell that he wasn't threatened by Bobby at all.

  “Oh, stop it.” I slapped his chest.

  He caught my hand, pressing it against his heart. “So, is it a date, then?”

  I couldn't smile any bigger if I tried. My face practically hurt from how happy I was. “It's a date.”

  ***

  It was one of many dates. I had expected that teaching Dustin to play Dungeons and Dragons would be awkward. I had expected that he would get frustrated with the rules and want to skip straight to sex. But he hadn't. He'd been patient and genuinely interested. We didn't even have sex on that first date, which I was admittedly a bit disappointed about.

  Playing became a weekend routine for us while I recovered from my broken kneecap, though his frat brothers gave him hell for it. He didn't seem to mind.

  Once Bobby saw that Dustin and I were officially a couple, he backed off. More than that, he started to fade away again, saying that I was just betraying myself for being with a guy who used to make my life a living hell. He didn't understand, though. Didn't understand the change that had happened...in all of us. Our experiences in college and our interactions with each other had turned us all into different people. Not all of the changes were for the better, but I was happy for the most part.

  One thing that I saw clearly was that Bobby and I had never belonged together. Even if I hadn't gotten with Dustin, I wouldn't want to be with him. I was never his first choice. Hell, I wasn't even his second choice. It seemed that I only became an option for him when he had no one left.

  In contrast, I was Dustin's only choice—the only person he let get close to him. The only person he let in. He never made me feel like other girls were more important to him...or important to him at all. To him, I was everything.

  “I never saw this happening,” I told him as we spread a blanket over his brother's grave to set up for a game of Dungeons and Dragons.

  To be honest, it was a horrible idea. With Christmas break looming ahead, the weather was so cold that I doubted we'd make it twenty minutes into a campaign before we had to pack things up and go back to campus.

  “Yeah. If someone ever told me I'd be playing Dungeons and Dragons, I'd think they were crazy too.” He put a rock on the corner of the blanket to keep it from flapping away in the wind.

  “Not that. Well, yeah, that too.” I tilted my head to the side. “I mean us.”

  He glanced across at me. “Yeah, I guess I never saw that coming either. I'm glad it happened, though.”

  “Me too.” I smiled. “You know, this is kind of a victory fo
r your brother.”

  “What do you mean?” He placed the board game on top of the blanket and pulled the top off of the box.

  “Well, we're kind of proof that the lion can lay with the lamb. That people are capable of great change. That they can love each other despite their differences.”

  “You sound like a poet,” he snorted.

  “I'm serious.” I glared at him.

  He crawled forward to pull me into his arms, and I giggled. “So which one are you, the lion or the lamb?”

  “I'm the one who fell in love with the biggest asshole on the face of the planet.” I reached back to curl my fingers into his hair and gaze up into his eyes.

  “You're the one who tamed the biggest asshole on the face of the planet.” He leaned in to give me a gentle kiss on the lips.

  “We're proof that the wrongs in the world can be made right.”

  “Not all of the wrongs in the world can be made right, Brenna.” His eyes scanned over my face.

  “Not all of them. But this is a pretty big step.” I rolled forward a bit to dig through the box, taking out one of the miniatures and holding it up to him. “Most of the wrongs in the world can be made right with a little bit of compassion...and wizards.”

  He let out a low laugh, pulling me back against him and nuzzling his face in my hair. “Brenna Davis, I think I love you.”

  My heart fluttered from his words. There was no more perfect place for him to say them.

  “I think I love you too.”

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