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There were cars still parked in the lot, but I wasn’t surprised I had to park in a different lot because I had been so late Hurrying through a few of the rows, I got to ht flickered abovethe door, I tossedinside and started to climb in when I heard my name

"Mason"

Marissa was on the other side ofher hair to her face She earing a baggy sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers All of it must’ve felt like fifty extra pounds on her

"Marissa?"

She stepped closer Her eyes were bright and alert, skirting overdown on her lip for a estured to her chest, and her sleeve hung liet it out It’s just eating me alive"

"Okay" I was drenched too "Can we have this conversation in ure It was cold, she could get sick "You should warm up too"

She shook her head "No It has to be here It has to be now I have to say this"

"Marissa," I started to argue This was insane

"No, Mason" She scooted back a step and pressed against the front of my Escalade The door was still open between us, so I closed it and leaned against it, facing her She added, "I’ve been crazy these last few years"

"Marissa" Fuck Really? "Let’s go soain "No" Her hand went up to her head and grabbed a fistful of hair She kept shaking her head, swinging her elbow around with it "You have no idea what it’s like for people likethe rain I’et this offto shole Mason," she stopped, and her eyes found mine, "when you became my friend our sophomore year, you have no idea what you did toas she did, "I was nothing I a I had two friends That was it My life was all about studying, helping ht with my friends We read books That was our excite for me"

"I’m sorry"

"No" She released her hair, and her arainst her side "I think you helped me I mean, there were bad times Trust me I was picked on I was bullied Girls beat me up They calledup when soed our number twice, but it never mattered They always found out the nu That was the bad tih it because of you I kept thinking about you, daydreaestured to ly loser and a waste of space, and you became my friend anyway I still have no idea why And then, even when I moved away, you were still my friend You protected me, ere at the cabin You had Nate stay withcare of"Marissa"

"No Please, just let me talk I know I sound crazy I know I probably look crazy, but you don’t knohat it’s like I was invisible until you became my friend No one cared about me No one Even ether because ere the three outcasts We were on the outside, looking in, and you," she waved ather hand up and down, "you were the in You were the god Even the seniors respected you" Her voice kept rising, growing shrill "I thought you were uy I was the plain wallflower No one saw me, but you did You saw me"

"Marissa" She needed to stop this

"NO!" She held her hand up "I irlfriend I am aware of all of this in here," she tapped the side of her head, "but I feel all of it here," she said, pressing her hand to where her heart was "I have to get this out, or I will never o away You just keep building and building, but I saw you in the hallway I sa you looked at her I know in my head how much you love her, but this," her other hand went to the middle of her chest too, "won’t accept it"

"Fine" I surrendered, hanging my head "Go ahead" I rested back on ain

"I have convinced myself over the years that you loved me I have comforted myself every time I felt lonely and, like a loser, felt that it was uy who shouldn’t have noticed ether I have everything worked out, froe We were going to be together You were going to realize you loved irlfriend I even told h at me now" Her voice trembled, but I wasn’t sure if it was fro cold "I never expected you to protect h school Why would you? I didn’t protect ht I deserved it I was a nobody, remember? Then the cabin, when you invited me there and had Nate take care of me, I convinced myself it was because you loved me You loved me, but you couldn’t be with hed at herself "I even talked to Tate about it I talked to her for hours about you and le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">