Pained (Bullied Series #2) (SAMPLE)

Chapter 3

In the evening, Mateo and I went to a Mexican restaurant. It was one of Mateo's most favorite places to eat because they made alambres just the way his grandma, Consuelo, did, and he claimed she made the best alambres in the world. The songs of a Mariachi band played through the speakers around the place, and the air brimmed with the smells of ambrosial dishes that made my mouth water.

Since it was Monday, the place wasn't that crowded, but I'd already noticed a few seniors from my school whose curious glances found their way to Mateo and me every once in a while. I tried to ignore them, but my cheeks burned in response to their attention.

"Why aren't you wearing the bracelet?" Mateo asked me from across our table. I glanced at my naked wrist, confused as to why I'd forgotten to wear it.

"I forgot. I'm sorry," I said with a small smile, noticing a look of hurt that briefly shadowed his face. "I see you're wearing my gift. Or rather, I can smell it." I was referring to the cologne I gave him for our one month anniversary. His previous cologne wasn't to my taste, so I bought this one, which had a leathery fragrance.

I took his hand in mine, and his warmth seeped into my cold hand. He half-smiled, the dimple in his right cheek making an appearance. A few girls openly ogled him, which was no wonder since Mateo Diaz was super attractive. His dark hair fell in curls around the face that was adorned by a chiseled jaw and sharp cheekbones many guys would be jealous of.

I had some classes with a few of those girls, who were probably curious as to why such a gorgeous guy would be with me—a plain Jane weirdo.

I certainly didn't look anything special, even though I was on a date. I was clueless about fashion and terrible at putting on makeup. Mel had tried teaching me, spending hours applying her foundations, eye pencils, and eyeshadows on me in front of a mirror, but it was pointless. My hands always trembled when I tried to do it myself, which was odd because I was a good artist, but I couldn't put one simple line on my eyelids.

That was why I didn't bother wearing makeup, even when I was with Mateo. I tried wearing nice clothes, though, following Jess and Mel's suggestions, and I tried doing something with my wavy hair that reached my mid-back, taming it with a flat iron, but it was far from extraordinary.

Mateo noticed me watching those girls, and he placed his hand against my cheek, making me look at him. "Hey. I know what you're thinking now. Don't. You're so pretty."

I blushed, which was a usual occurrence whenever he complimented me. Even after one month, I couldn't get used to receiving compliments from him. "Thank you. How do you always know what I'm thinking? You have some powerful mind-reading ability."

He surprised me when he grew serious. "It's not so powerful. If it was, I'd be able to know why you have that Band-Aid on your forehead."

I gnawed at my bottom lip and glanced away, removing my hand from his. "I told you, I bent to pick up something from the floor, and I hit the edge of—"

"Yeah, I've already memorized the story you told me, so you don't have to repeat it. I just don't know why you're lying to me."

"I'm not lying."

"You are lying. You always blush when you do."

Like he'd pressed a button, heat surged into my cheeks. "I blush all the time."

"That's true, but I learned to recognize why."

My fingers reached out to play with the fries on my plate. I didn't want to talk about it. I was never able to admit to him that I couldn't truly be myself in front of him. I just wanted everything to be perfect between us, and I took extra care not to ruin our relationship or his image of me, but I was aware I did the same thing I'd done with Kayden. I'd never been fully honest with Kay, afraid he would think I was a loser if he knew how truly unpopular or unloved I was.