The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback (Astra and Zayne) novel Chapter 114

Chapter 114

Chapter 114

ASTRA

“Have you been making out with Zane behind my back after we got together?” Jason repeated.

I just stood there in the parking lot feeling like I had been slapped across the face. When he finally replied to all my worried texts, he’d only said he was coming to the diner and that we needed to talk. I had been so eager to see him, to make sure he was okay. He wasn’t just my only true friend, he was my boyfriend. But hearing this now… it felt like the ground should ope up and swallow me whole.

I kept rubbing my hands down my skirt in a nervous gesture, heart pounding. The words stuck in my throat because I knew the truth, and from the hurt look in Jason’s eyes, he knew it too.

“Astra?” he called.

My eyes snapped up to his. Tears burned at the back of them. I bit my lip hard, then forced the words out.

“Yes,” I whispered. The word cracked in the middle like glass under pressure.

Jason’s face didn’t change at first. He just stared at me, violet eyes searching mine like he was waiting for me to take it back. To say it was a joke. To say anything except the truth.

But I couldn’t.

The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. A few cars passed by, someone honked in the distance, but it all felt miles away. All I could focus on was the way his shoulders slowly dropped, raw hurt blooming across his face.

“You..” His voice was quiet, almost disbelieving. “You kissed him? After you told me yes? After I asked you to be my girlfriend?”

Tears poured down my cheeks. My hands shook as I rubbed them down my skirt again, trying to wipe away the shame that clung to my skin like sweat and my stomach twisted violently.

“I didn’t mean for it to happen,” I said, voice trembling. “He just…”

“Don’t lie to me, Astra,” he bit out, making me flinch. He pulled out his phone, and my heart slammed even harder against my ribcage as sounds started coming from the speaker.

“Look at this,” Jason voice was tight as he shoved the phone closer to my face.

The video played.

There I was, pressed against the library shelf, Zane’s tall frame caging me in, his hand disappearing under my skirt while mine clutched the back of his neck. We were kissing like we were starving for each other. My soft moan carried through as he deepened the kiss, his body grinding into mine.

I slapped a hand over my mouth. “Oh God…”

Jason pulled the phone away after a few seconds, pocketing it sharply. His violet eyes were glassy with hurt, jaw clenched so hard I could see the muscle ticking.

“I didn’t fully mind the idea that he liked you,” he continued, voice cracking. “I thought maybe you didn’t feel the same. That it was one-sided. That you chose me. But this?” He gestured like the video was still playing in the air. “You don’t kiss me like that, Astra. You’ve never responded to me the way you responded to him.”

“I’m sorry,” I choked out. “Jason, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want this. I never meant for any of it to happen. He just keeps pushing and I..

Chapter 114

“You kissed him back,” Jason cut in quietly. The pain in his voice was worse than any shouting. “You were moaning into his mouth. In the middle of the library. While you were supposed to be my girlfriend.”

I couldn’t breathe. The guilt crushed my chest. Jason had been nothing but kind to me, and I had done this to him.

“I know,” I whispered, shoulders shaking. “I hate myself for it. You’ve been so good to me and I… I ruined it.”

He looked away, staring at the cars. His hands flexed at his sides.

“I really liked you,” he said after a long silence. “I thought we could be something real. But I can’t do this. Not when youre clearly still tangled up with him.”

He took a step back. “I need space. Don’t text me. Don’t call. Just figure out whatever this is with Zane. Because I’m not going to be the guy you settle for while another guy is obsessed with you.”

“Jason, please…”

He shook his head, eyes glistening. “Goodbye, Astra.”

He turned and walked back to his car without looking back. The door shut with a quiet click.

I stood there alone, arms wrapped tightly around myself, tears streaming down my face. The evening air felt colder than it should have.

The sobs tore out of me harder now, ugly and raw. My shoulders shook as I bent forward, one hand pressed over my mouth like that could muffle my breaking heart. Jason’s quiet “Goodbye, Astra” kept echoing. He hadn’t yelled or called me names. He’d just left. Because I’d made him feel like second choice. Like nothing.

Fresh tears burned hot trails down my cheeks. My actions sat like lead in my stomach. He had been my safe place in this chaotic school after years of being alone. My first real friend. And I had let Zane unravel me until I couldn’t even pretend

anymore.

I didn’t hear footsteps. Not at first.

But I felt him.

A shift in the air. The faint, unmistakable scent of his cologne, expensive, woodsy, with a sharp clean edge that always clung to his clothes and skin. It wrapped around me before I even turned, familiar and making my pulse stutter despite everything.

I whipped around, heart slamming against my ribs.

Zane stood a few feet away under the dim glow of a parking lot light, broad shoulders tense, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans. His dark hair was slightly messy, like he’d been running his fingers through it. Those intense eyes, the ones that had pinned me against library shelves and haunted my dreams were locked on me. Not with triumph or his usual cocky smirk. Just… watching.

The sight of him sent a violent mix of emotions crashing through me.

Anger surged up first, hot and blinding, burning away the numbness.

“You,” I spat, voice cracking but sharp. I took a shaky step forward, fists clenched at my sides. “Go away, Zane. Just leave me the hell alone!”

He didn’t move. His jaw tightened, eyes flicking over my tear-streaked face.

“I said go away!” I shouted, chest heaving with sobs I couldn’t control. “Stop messing with my head! You’ve already destroyed everything, don’t you get that? Jason saw the video. He saw *us*. And now he’s gone because of you. Because of what you keep doing to me!”

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