End Game

End Game - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

            Zane walks towards me and gives me the biggest hug. I can feel his whole body relax. I am not sure how long he held me, but I wouldn’t have cared if it lasted forever. I can feel every muscle of his perfect body against mine. This hug was doing things to me that a hug shouldn’t do. My body was tingling all over. It was actually tingling in places that I didn’t think hugs should cause.

            “I am just happy that you weren’t crying over that piece of shit outside.”

            I am taken aback from the sound of Zane’s voice, but I was so engulfed in the hug I didn’t care about anything else. Hearing Zane talk about Jason brought me right back to the here and now.

            “I don’t think he really deserves anymore of my tears. I cried enough last night, and I think that is all a person like that needs. He didn’t break me and I wont let it break me.”

                        Zane looks down at me and smiles a big, goofy, Zane smile. I love when he does that. It makes me remember the first time I looked at him and realized I love him. I was 14 and he was 16. We were watching some stupid movie, and he knew that my mom had been extra hard on me that day, so he was trying his hardest to make me laugh. I couldn’t believe how much he cared, whether or not I was happy. I mean, Rayanne always did, but I felt she was obligated because she was family. Zane just wanted me happy.

            “I am so fucking proud of you Hannah. You are more and more amazing everyday.”

            “What happened out there?”

            “Well, lets see. Jason was on his way to confront you, because not only did he get kicked out of the frat, but also when his parents heard they told him he had to come home. He was also drunk off his ass out there. I think that was the only reason he told me anything. But, anyways, this isn’t his first try at doing something like that. It goes all the way back to high school, so his parents cut him off and told him to get his ass home.

            “So, he is really gone from school? Like, never coming back here?”

            “Never coming back Hannah Banana Split.”

            “Wow. I feel bad that I don’t feel bad for him. Does that make me just as bad of a person as him?”

            “No, and never ever think that way Hannah. You are the best person I know.”

            “Okay, well that is being a bit dramatic Zane. I am so not the best person you know. I have so many cracks in me that I don’t know if I will ever be all put back together.”

            I have no idea why I am telling him all of this, but the verbal diarrhea of my mouth wouldn’t stop.

            “To be honest, I worry sometimes that I wasn’t even born whole because of her. What if parts of a person that you should have, I don’t, because she never taught them to me.”

            “Shit, that is the furthest thing from the truth. The person you are today is fucking amazing. I wish that you could see you the way I see you.”

            I can feel my next question burning the back of my throat, because I am terrified of the answer.

            “How do you see me?”

            “You are smart, beautiful, funny, brave and quite honestly, the strongest person I know.”

            “Oh.”