Nine

Ace was quiet for a long time, and he refused to meet my eye.

“Answer me; do you remember who I am, and that we’ve met before?”

“What if I said yes?” he answered quietly.

The blood ran cold in my veins, and I hated that I was right.

He knew this whole time. Or maybe he didn’t, when did he realize?

“How long have you known, and you just didn’t say anything?” I asked.

“The moment I first saw you.”

I sucked in a sharp gasp as it felt like I was sucker-punched in the stomach.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

He scoffed. “I don’t need a reminder of the way I treated you; I didn’t think you’d give me the time of day. I thought…this was maybe my second chance.”

“Second chance for what, to bully me even worse this time? What were you planning now, to wait until the moment was right and humiliate me with everything you learned about me? Was that the only reason you wanted to be friends?” I went off on him, though I hadn’t intended to. I wanted the truth, and I got it, but I wasn’t sure