Chapter 165 155 - Moving On

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Veronica POV

It's all a lie, isn't it?

But no… I can feel it.

Georgie isn't lying right now.

He's always said that 'musicians speak through their songs.' And I think this is the moment, that very thing happening in front of me.

Georgie is speaking through this song.

And it hurts.

God, it really hurts.

I tried to stop him, but he couldn't. Not even when his eyes locked with mine.

I know what a mess I must look like right now.

I don't need a mirror to see the expression on my face, not when I feel the warmth of tears slipping down my cheeks.

What am I supposed to do?

This is wrong...

Totally wrong!

Georgie singing this song, it's so wrong.

And yet, I don't understand why I supported it. Why I smiled when Connie asked him to play it. Deep down, I already knew what would happen. That once he started singing, he would drown in it.

I've seen it before.

The way he disappears into a song, whether it's one of his own, or something like this.

The first time I heard him sing, it was here, too, in his backyard, with Connie and Missy beside me. Even then, I saw something in him that was more than just a voice.

Something that pulled you in.

Something that made your body move on its own, wanting him. Drowning in his voice.

"…Georgie…" I whisper, reaching out to tug at his sleeve.

But I know.

He won't stop.

And when he looks at me with those eyes, with lyrics like that on his lips… I realize, he's confessing.

Confessing to me.

A bad confession.

A confession that drags me down into the dark.

Because he's telling the truth.

Yes, I know it.

Part of me wants to say he's lying, to convince myself of it. But deep down, I know he's not.

Why?

Tears keep falling, streaming down my cheeks without my permission.

And no one else tries to stop him.

Only me.

Only I want to shout Stop.

But why is my voice so quiet?

I can't even hear it anymore, my own voice.

All I could hear was Georgie's voice, pulling everyone into his dimension.

I wanted to laugh at my own thought, but it was the truth.

Everyone was swept away by the song. But I knew… something was going to happen.

And then Coach Wayne shouted. Heads turned in his direction, even mine.

But not Georgie.

He kept singing, oblivious.

And in that moment, I felt it. The tension between Coach Wayne and his wife. My instincts were right.

But… something else was off.

Not from Coach Wayne.

From her.

I caught the smirk. A woman who already had a husband, smiling with her lips but aiming her eyes at me. A taunt. No, worse. A brag.

Her gaze locked with mine, and that smirk stayed.

I hated it.

God, I fucking hated it.

I wanted to storm over, to slap that smile clean off her face.

I didn't need a diploma to know what she was doing.

I didn't need Sheldon's IQ to figure it out.

I didn't want to admit it.

Because I believed in Georgie.

The song stopped.

And I still believed in him.

I… believed in him.

But he didn't look at me.

No… that hurt more than anything.

I rose from my seat without a word. Georgie didn't stop me. No words left his lips.

I walked straight into his room, packed my things with shaky hands, tears streaming unchecked down my face. And then I walked out. Out of the house. Out of him.

"Veronica? Where are you going?"

Mary's voice reached me as I stepped outside, but I kept my head down. I couldn't show her my tear-streaked face.

They'd been a wonderful family to me.

"…I'm sorry," I whispered, and kept walking to my car.

Mary didn't try to stop me. Maybe… that was for the best.

What a mess.

I left. I left the Coopers. I left Georgie.

It was official.

I was broken up with him.

No words needed to be spoken, I bet he knew it already.

He'd said it himself in that song.

"…Fuck."

Yeah. It hurts.

It really, really hurts.

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Georgie POV

Yeah. I'm officially broken up with my girlfriend, Veronica.

I don't even fully understand how it happened. At first, I just wanted to sing, just to light up the night, to make it more alive.

But everything fell apart.

All because of a song.

My feelings surfaced, dragged up from places I'd buried them. Pathetic, raw primal emotions I wanted to deny, to keep hidden. Instead, they spilled out into the music.

Pathetic, right?

Even my own soul felt sick with it, screaming at me for letting it slip. For not keeping it locked away.

"Nothing, Sheldon," I said into the phone, keeping my voice steady. "You don't have to do anything. Treat Veronica the same as always. If she still wants to eat lunch with you guys in the library, it's okay. Don't treat her badly."

"…Alright then," Sheldon replied in his flat tone.

Before he could hang up or pass the phone back, I stopped him.

"What happened to Libby?"

I'd already told him it was his decision, whether he still wanted Libby around or not. But I made it clear: he needed to tell her himself.

"…She doesn't hang out with us anymore," Sheldon finally said, still flat, before passing the phone back to Dad.

I chuckled to myself. He's crawling toward adulthood faster now.

"Hey, Georgie," Dad's voice came next. I waited for whatever he had to say. "Listen… I already spoke to Principal Peterson. You don't need to worry about attendance. He'll cover it."

I nodded silently, then sighed. Who am I kidding?

"He wants some kind of bribery, right?" I asked flatly. Honestly? That was fine. That was reality.

People loved money.

"…Don't say that…It's a donation," Dad replied awkwardly, pausing a little too long between words. "As long as your grades stay high, they'll cover for you. You'll graduate just fine."

I nodded again. "But I can't give them anything right now, Dad. We're still a small label. My name isn't really famous yet."

Maybe around Texas, people were starting to know me. Maybe my songs were playing in some bars and cafés. But for all of America? Not yet.

Sure, my name and my song had touched the Billboard charts. But that doesn't mean I'm famous.

For music enthusiasts, maybe I was a blip on their radar. But for the average person, just looking for whatever song fit their mood?

No.

"That's fine. They understand. Honestly, in their minds, having you come out of their school is already a prestige," Dad said, his voice calm, unconcerned.

"Alright," I muttered, ending the call.

When I looked up, Fenley was already back. She had looked awkward earlier, but now she was smiling faintly, though her eyes still carried worry.

"I heard about it," she said softly. "He's my colleague too." She stepped closer. She is talking about Wayne, but the smile on her face is really different from what is she talking about right now.

"…Are you happy I broke up with Veronica?" I narrowed my eyes, my voice accusing.

"Oh, Georgie…" she sighed, and before I could stop her, she wrapped her arms around me.

Her voice dropped to a whisper against my ear. "I'm happy… because now you'll only spend your nights with me."

Her words hit me harder than I expected. I let out a bitter laugh. "You women are terrible. You said you were fine with it before, but now you're happy."

She pulled back just enough to grin, though her eyes were serious. "I'm happy… because it's just us now."

Yeah. She wasn't terrible. I was.

I'm the pathetic one here.

"…I'm the worst," I muttered.

Fenley shook her head, hugging me tighter. "Maybe. But you're mine."

And at that moment, I didn't resist anymore. I am a terrible person. "How about Threesome?" I said in her ear quietly, while biting seductively.

"...how about…" She said and guided my hand to her ass, "... Eat me wholly first before tasting another meat…"

"..."

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3rd POV

When George Sr. hung up the phone, Mary was standing behind him, worry written across her face.

"How is he? Is he okay?"

George Sr. looked back at her, relief softening his expression. He glanced toward Wayne, who still sat slumped on the couch.

"He's okay, Mary," George Sr. said, then nodded toward Wayne. "Hey Wayne, you can sleep in Georgie's room for a while. He's not coming back anytime soon, he's focusing on his music."

Mary exhaled, her shoulders easing just slightly.

"Did he say anything else?" she asked.

"Was he talking about me, George?" Wayne added, his eyes darting toward him.

"No and no," George Sr. replied flatly. "He's just worried about you. C'mon, man, pull yourself together. It's not the end of the world."

Wayne sagged deeper into the sofa. "…I can't believe she cheated on me, George… I just can't see it…"

"Yeah, yeah…" George Sr. waved him off, his tone almost bored. Wayne had repeated the same words over and over, and both he and Mary were tired of hearing it.

"I'm heading back to church," Mary said, her tone clipped. "There are a few things I need to do."

George Sr. flicked his hand dismissively, already turning back to the TV. He switched to the football game, replaying old tapes.

Mary left, and the house grew quieter. Only the two men remained. Sheldon was in the garage tinkering with his train set. Missy…well, who knew where Missy had run off to.

"Shit… we're gonna get crushed by them, right Wayne?" George Sr. said suddenly, watching footage of another school team on the screen. His tone was half-serious, half a ploy to snap Wayne out of his misery.

"…Yeah…" Wayne muttered, his voice hollow.

George Sr. leaned back on the couch, exhaling. "Come on, pal. You can't keep on like this."

Wayne looked at him, his expression heavy. "You don't understand, George. I love her. I can't just throw all of that away."

George Sr. shook his head. "You're right. I don't understand. But let me tell you something, I've been married a long time. You think my marriage has been smooth sailing? Hell no." His voice grew firmer. "We've fought. We've had misunderstandings. For years. But I love my wife. And she loves me back."

He paused, his gaze hardening as it met Wayne's.

"Does Darlene love you?"

Wayne's face twitched, anger flashing in his eyes.

"I'm afraid to say this, but I'm still gonna say it." George Sr.'s voice was steel now.

"No."

Wayne's jaw clenched, his body tensing as though ready to swing at him. "…Don't talk about my wife like that."

"She's not your wife anymore!" George Sr. shot back. "She doesn't love you anymore, Wayne! You've already fought for her. Tell me something, are you really going to accept this divorce quietly?"

Wayne froze.

"You've already accepted it in your heart, Wayne," George Sr. pressed on. "Don't you see it? You're angry, sure. But you fought for her. You told me you tried to reconcile, to stay married. And what did she say? She didn't want it. She doesn't want you. She's not in love with you anymore."

Wayne's fists tightened in his lap, his knuckles white. His chest rose and fell, uneven, as if every word George Sr. had spoken had driven another nail straight into him.

For a moment, he looked like he might explode, shout, punch, break something. But instead, his face crumpled. His eyes grew wet, and he pressed the heels of his hands against them, fighting it back.

George Sr. stayed quiet, letting the silence stretch. He knew better than to say more.

Wayne drew in a shaky breath, then another, until he finally pushed himself up from the sofa. His legs trembled, but he forced himself to stand tall.

Without a word, he turned and walked toward the side door. His shoulders were slumped, heavy, but there was a finality to his steps.

George Sr. watched him go, his jaw tight. He wanted to say something, anything, but he didn't.

The door creaked open, and the late-afternoon light spilled into the living room, painting the floorboards with pale gold.

Wayne paused for a heartbeat, as though he might look back. But he didn't. He stepped outside, letting the door close gently behind him.

George Sr. leaned back in his chair, exhaling long and hard, his eyes drifting back to the muted football game on TV.

"…Damn it," he muttered under his breath.

From the garage came the faint sound of Sheldon's toy train, a sharp whistle echoing through the Cooper house, slicing into the stillness of the late afternoon.

George Sr. kept his eyes on the TV. He didn't know how long Wayne would stay outside. But after twenty minutes or so, the front door opened again, this time, with Wayne standing there beside Sheldon.

"…I brought someone who can change the fate of our game." Wayne said quietly, placing a hand on Sheldon's shoulder.

"…What?" Sheldon blinked, looking from his father to Wayne in confusion.

George Sr. was speechless. For a moment, he couldn't find words. But the smile tugging at his face gave him away.

He rose from the couch and pulled Wayne into a tight embrace.