Bully Me (Bully Me #1) by C. E. Starkweather Page B

screamed. "Shut the fuck up! You think that makes me feel any less humiliated?"
    He shook his head, closing his eyes.
    "How about when you made pig noises every time you passed me in the hallway and got everyone to call me piggy? Are you sorry for that too?"
    He stared at her, not speaking.
    "I don't care," she sobbed. "And you know what's even worse? I thought that maybe you actually liked me. That you gave a shit about me. Why were you so mean to me, Shane? What did I ever do to you?"
    Shane pulled her closer, resting his forehead against hers as she cried. "Because I'm in love with you, Kaine."
    She gasped and pulled back, wrenching her arms out of his grasp. "What?"
    "I love you, Kaine," he said simply. "I’ve had a crush on you since 9 th grade, but I was worried about getting made fun of if I asked you out back then. So I teased you like a third grader instead. And by the time I didn’t care what anyone else thought, it was too late. Do you remember when I was really nice to you last year?" Kaine nodded slowly. She had thought he was trying to get on her good side so he could pull a particularly devastating prank. She had ignored him and eventually he stopped being nice to her. “I tried, Kainie. But I realized it was too late. I could see in your eyes that you hated me, and that I could never have you. And I was going through a lot of shit and I was angry all the time and I took it out on you. I'm not trying to justify what I did. I feel awful about it. I tried to pretend that I didn't give a shit about you, until stalker Camden kept coming around. Then I realized that I couldn't pretend that I didn't care about you anymore. I can't lose you, Kaine," he said, cupping her face and wiping away a tear. "When my mom told me that she was marrying your dad, it was the happiest I've ever been, knowing that I get to be around you all day."
    Kaine stared at him, shocked. "You love me?"
    He nodded sheepishly. "I mean, I liked you a lot before, but being with you now, seeing how selfless and strong you are, how you offered to give up half of your summer just to make my mom happy, how you play games with Logan whenever he asks...how you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen...I love you, Kaine Spencer. And I know you hate me right now. And that's ok. I'd hate me too if I was you. But I'll wait, Kaine. I'll wait as long as it takes."
    Kaine stared at him, feeling lightheaded. The room started to spin. She looked over at the chair and thought that she should probably sit down. That was the last thing she remembered before she hit the floor.
     
    "Kainie? Can you hear me?"
    Kaine opened her eyes and looked around, confused. Jay stared down at her, his brow furrowed. "Are you ok? What happened? Do you need water?"
    She nodded and he jumped up to get her a glass of water. Kaine tried to sit up.
    "Don't. Just stay there."
    She looked to her left and saw Shane sitting in the recliner, watching her with worried eyes. At the sight of him, everything came rushing back to her and she gasped, sitting up. She immediately felt dizzy and put her head back down. Jay came back with the water, which she gulped gratefully. "What happened?" Jay asked.
    "I, uh...fainted."
    "Yeah, I see that. Why did you faint? Are you ok? You're not, like, pregnant or anything, are you?"
    Kaine managed a laugh. "No. I think I was just dehydrated."
    "Good," Jay said. "Saves me the trouble of going out and murdering someone."
    Kaine rolled her eyes and slowly sat up. "I think I'm just stressed out. I didn't really eat or drink much today."
    "Well make sure you eat then. The wedding's on Friday. Just two more days, then you can go back to being lazy."
    Kaine nodded and turned on the tv. Jay sat next to her, which she was thankful for. She didn't know how to react to what Shane had told her. "What time is it?" She asked. Jay checked his phone. "4:15. Why?"
    "I have the bachelorette dinner with Nancy at 7. I might lay down for a little while first."
    Jay stood up.