Curvy Girls Can’t Date Soldiers by Kelsie Stelting

Thirty-Nine

Nadira

I watchedApollo as he left the room. Even though his back was to me, his expression was seared into my mind. One of the ultimate betrayal and deceit. My eyes flicked to Tatiana, who giggled silently in her seat, then to Josh, who followed Apollo out of the room.

Without thinking, I moved to chase after him, but Regina tugged on my hand. “Nadira,” she hissed. “We have a match!”

I glanced at the opponents. Everyone knew they’d made it to state on a technicality. Donovan could defeat them handily on his own. “You’ll beat them just fine without me,” I whispered. “I’ll be right back.”

I pulled out of her grip and continued toward the door. Behind me, I heard my parents’ and Mr. Aris’s voices, but I couldn’t let Apollo leave. I’d never see him again if I didn’t speak to him now.

I hurried down the hall—they were already almost to the exit. I’d lose them in the parking lot if I didn’t catch up.

“Apollo!” I called.

As if he didn’t hear me, he fled out the door, and I chased behind, desperate tears stinging my eyes and exertion making my lungs ache. I couldn’t let him go. Not without a chance to explain.

I sprinted to the doors, ignoring the befuddled expressions of those I passed, and finally I reached the heavy double doors. After yanking them open, I took the steps down as fast as I dared, yelling, “Apollo, wait! Please!”

He stopped at the curb, and Josh almost bumped into him.

“What?” he asked, turning to face me with his arms spread at his sides. “What could you possibly say to me? And how would I even know if it’s the truth?”

His words hit me in the chest, but I kept jogging toward him, desperately trying to catch my breath. “Please.”

He blinked at me, folding his arms across his chest.

Now that I was standing in front of him, Josh watching us, my parents and Mr. Aris sure to be close behind, I had no idea what to say.

“What’s going on?” Apollo asked, looking at me sideways. As if I were a threat. It ripped the fabric of my heart.

I stepped closer, needing to make him understand. Needing to be close to him. “Apollo...” I rolled his name over my tongue, savoring it and aching on it because I knew it might be the last time he ever heard me say it. The last time I could ever say it to him. “I lied.”

The two words hung between the three of us. Two words but a million feelings.

Apollo said, “What do you mean?”

Josh watched me, waiting.

Waiting.

I took a ragged breath. “That first day that we emailed? I sent you a picture of a girl from school because I was embarrassed about how I looked. I’m the real Nadira. The girl you sat next to today? Her name is Tatiana.”

Apollo stumbled backward, shaking his head, until he fell onto the bench.

Josh spoke for him. “He’s been dating the wrong girl?”

I nodded.

Apollo said, “She told me her number was changed. That someone was stalking her.”

“She was trying to trick you because she wants to make me miserable,” I breathed, watching every expression his face made, flashing from disbelief to hurt to shock and denial once again. “She said if I didn’t go along with it, she would tell you I was the stalker, and I’d never get to talk to you again.”

“No,” Apollo said, shaking his head. “No. Nadira wouldn’t do that to me. She wouldn’t lie to me.”

My heart ached at the words. Because he was right. The girl who’d gotten to know him, who cared for him so deeply, never would have hurt him like that. Would never have let someone like Tatiana come near him.

“I’m telling the truth,” I said. I reached for my phone in my jacket pocket and navigated to my social media account. The same one where I’d lifted Tatiana’s picture, wishing so much I could look like her. I went to her profile, finding the picture with her name underneath it and held it out to Apollo.

His hands shook as he took it, staring at the screen. His eyes widened and narrowed. He rubbed his hand over his mouth. His chest rose and fell.

My heart didn’t beat at all.

He looked from the picture to me, so many emotions shining in his gold-flecked eyes.

“You were talking to Josh,” he said.

“I broke it off with him because I like you.”

He stood, extending my phone to me. “You lied.”

I fumbled for words, knowing I would fail but having to try anyway. “I didn’t lie. I sent you the wrong picture because I didn’t want you to see me”—I gestured at myself—“and not even give me a chance. I wanted you to think I was beautiful.”

He stared at me, his lip curling in disgust. “I did,” he said, extending the phone again. “But now I think you’re the ugliest person in the world. Not because of the way you look, but because of the way you lied.”

Giving up on me taking the phone, he pressed it into my hand. “I never want to see or hear from you again.”

He turned and walked away, and Josh gave me a final glance before following him.