The Player

Brielle

2:58 PM

My blood ran cold. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled at me. "I knew that you would be here."

"There was no reason you could have known." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why are you really here?"

He dodged the question, placing his hand on my arm. "How have you been?" I quickly recoiled away from him.

"Don't touch me." I seethed. He ignored my gesture, leaning into my ear. "We might as well get down to why you're here. We can go to my place; my parents aren't home."

My jaw dropped. How dare he think that I would ever go anywhere with him after what he did? What he threatened to do?

I pushed him away from me. "I would never go anywhere with you." His face dropped, the warmth leaving his eyes.

His fake kind exterior was replaced with his usual cold demeanor. This was the Derrick I knew.

"Cut the crap Brielle, I know that you want me back. You wouldn't have come here if you didn't." The smile on his face made my skin crawl.

"No, I don't."

"Then why did you come here?" He said, as if it was obvious.

I paused. Why did I come here? I knew that Sam, Scott, and Christopher would never come here to look for me but, maybe subconsciously I did want to see him.

I shook the thought out of my mind. This is why I avoided him like the plague. He was always able to screw with my head without even trying.

I gathered up my courage. "It doesn't matter why I came here, what matters is that we are over. You don't deserve me." I was always unable to stand up to him, but with everything that I've been through, Derrick was the least of my worries. His lip curled into a snarl.

"You start dating this Christopher guy and suddenly you think that you're too good for me?" He gripped his hand around my arm, tighter this time.

"Let go of me!" I demanded, fruitlessly attempting to yank my hand from his grasp. He held me in place.

"Just remember what might happen if you don't do what I say."

The color drained from my face. "You- You wouldn't..." I stammered.

a smile. "I would. I'll

bathroom door behind us opened, revealing a tall blonde walking towards us. She wrapped herself

She asked, only focusing on him. She

about." They turned around

Our booth.

me a smile, relishing in my

back together with him, it hurt me to realize that our special booth wasn't that special to him. I was

booth. My mind wandered to his earlier demand. I didn't want to meet Derrick here, but if

going anywhere after what just happened to me

and drove home. When I arrived, Scott was on the couch waiting for me. I breezed past him. Now was not the time for us to talk. If I did, I'd be afraid that

bed. All the pain and hurt from the day hit me,

what was happening but me, and that might have hurt me

confused, looking around the room, unaware that I had

memories came flooding back, and the familiar pang in my heart returned.

taking a seat on the edge of my bed. "I

okay," I yawned shaking off

up straighter. "I wanted to talk to you about something, but I realize how confused

have a question." My voice was much scratchier than usual. "Can you just explain

a few minutes of talking, I was finally filled

Scott did that to you, that

know, I didn't expect it from him either, but I know that deep down he's a good

I didn't need to

pleaded, recapturing my attention. "Just listen

story. But the part of me that still saw him as the guy wooing me with desserts wanted to hear him out. Without my

know how to channel all my anger and sadness. So, I grew depressed and I was anxious all the time. And when you factor in me

with me.

me like this, but he couldn't do anything to stop it. So, he took all his pent-up anger and grief about my parents' deaths and me and focused it on Scott. He became convinced that he was the cause of all

but he wasn't the cause. At the time, I thought he was too, but looking back, he wasn't. We were just two kids who lost our parents and didn't know what to do. My eating disorder

having to experience all of that

however I could see the tears building up in her

and it still is, but I'm okay. But Christopher still holds onto his pain and anger, and It's hard for him to let it go. He may seem like a carefree guy, but he's not. He's hurting. And I know that

sat in silence, trying to process the information. "Did you know about

he told me one day after you guys kissed. He was a wreck." She laughed softly to herself. "He felt so guilty, Brielle. He said that he couldn't break your heart and that

he wasn't going to follow

he say that to Scott