Chapter 106 HEY, ASSHOLE
CORMAC.
AGE 16
The last couple of weeks had been rough.
I’d been doing everything I could to distract myself, but it hadn’t been easy.
I decided to take Valtor’s advice about avoiding Merrielynn, and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.
I didn’t skip school—not even once. Not because I suddenly cared about my grades, but because it kept me away from Merrielynn. Her homeschooling hours lined up perfectly with my classes, which was probably the only thing keeping me sane.
Still, it pissed me off that our dads insisted on enrolling her in the same homeschool program as Lorelai.
How far was he willing to go with this?
It was difficult staying away from her. No matter how hard I tried to avoid her, there were moments I would catch glimpses of her.
Like when her dad drove her home from one of their dinners out, or when she wandered near the pool or other places I couldn’t avoid forever. Every time I saw her, I forced myself to look the other way, even though doing that was very painful.
As I climbed up my room, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out and saw a text from Juniper:
'Had fun on our date tonight! Can’t wait for next time.'
I read it one more time but I didn’t reply. Instead, I turned my phone off and let out a long sigh. The date with Juniper had been nothing more than a show.
She liked me enough.
Valtor always said she was borderline obsessed, which honestly wasn’t far off.
She was princess from a high ranking pack on the east. The Pierce Wolves.
My dad would approve of her.
After taking my clothes off, I got under the shower and let the hot water take the edge off my mood.
Juniper wasn’t Merrielynn.
No one was.
No one could ever be.
And honestly? Taking Juniper out today wasn’t even about her. It was about my father. Everything I did with her was just to catch his attention, to make her presence in my life known. Whether it was working or not, I had no clue. But I just had to keep trying.
After getting out of the shower, I laid in bed, tossing a baseball up to the ceiling and catching it, over and over.
The thumping sound was supposed to help me think. Or stop me from thinking too much, but my mind was everywhere.
A knock on the door interrupted me mid-throw. The ball fell to my chest as I sat up, wondering who was at the door.
I stood up and went to open it, only to find Lorelai standing there with her arms crossed. She greeted me in her usual charming way, “Hey asshole.”
Except today wasn't so charming.
“What’s up?” I asked her.
“You’ve got a visitor,” she said, leaning against the doorframe.
“A visitor?” I frowned, raising an eyebrow. “Who—”
Before I could finish, she stepped aside, revealing Merrielynn standing just behind her.
My heart skipped at the sight of her and I swallowed hard, trying to maintain a straight face.
Lorelai glanced between us, then she shook her head. “I’ll give you two a moment,” she said before disappearing down the hall.
I stood frozen for a second, my hand still on the door. Merrielynn shifted awkwardly, her eyes looking up at me, but I turned away, trying to play it cool.
My heart was racing.
I walked back into my room like she wasn’t there, tossing the baseball to one corner and sitting on the bed.
She followed me in and in a soft voice she asked, “Did I… do something to you?”
Her words made my heart splinter, but I kept my expression blank. I leaned forward, choosing my next words carefully. “Why would you think that?” I asked neutrally.
Merrielynn did not hesitate when she answered, “Because you’ve been avoiding me.”
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself not to look at her. She wasn’t wrong, but admitting that was the last thing I could do.
I shook my head, “I’m not avoiding you.”
Merrielynn didn’t buy it. Her eyes narrowed, but instead of arguing, she closed the distance between us and took my hand in hers. My gaze dropped immediately to the spot where her fingers wrapped around mine. I froze, saying nothing, my heart hammering against my chest.
“If you want to end things, all you have to do is say so,” she said in a shaky voice. “I can take it, Cormac. But this?” She gestured between us. “This isn’t fair. You don’t just get to cut me out.”
Her words got to me, but I kept my face hard, pushing back everything I wanted to say. I pulled my hand back and crossed my arms. “You’re a smart girl, Merrielynn,” I said flatly, trying to sound convincing. “If you figured it out already, I don’t have to do a thing.”
I saw the hurt flash across her face, just for a moment before she swallowed it down and slowly nodded. She pulled away and turned to leave, and it should’ve ended there. It had to end there.
But it didn’t.
Before I could think, I reached out and grabbed her wrist, spinning her back toward me.
Her eyes widened, but before she could say anything, I crashed my lips to hers, kissing her and desperately pulling her close.
When I finally broke the kiss, I pressed my forehead to hers. “I can’t do this,” I said, exhausted. “I can’t bear being apart from you. But I can’t... I don't want you to have a hard life."
Merrielynn's eyebrows formed a deep furrow on her forehead. Her hand reached out and she cupped my cheek. "What do you mean by that?"
I forced myself to finish. “Whatever this is between us… it has to end.”