by Mia Belle
She bursts out laughing. “I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“I think you do,” I say. “I know you’re the one accusing my dad. The truth will come out, no matter how many girls you convince to help you. And when it will, who knows what will happen to you? You might end up in jail.”
Her smile drops as she glances at the people at her table. The girls avert their gazes. The guys look confused.
“Hold up,” one says. “All that stuff about Principal Kelly is a lie?”
“No!” Alexis sputters. “He behaved wrongly to me! And he embezzled that money!”
They narrow their eyes like they don’t believe her.
“You want to send an innocent man to jail?” I ask. “All for what? To grab the attention of some jerkass who doesn’t even care about you? Don’t you have any respect?”
She raises her chin. “He loves me.”
“He doesn’t,” I tell her. “And he never will. Please, Alexis. Tell the cops the truth. Don’t send my dad—the only parent I have left—to jail.”
She’s quiet. The guys at her table shoot her disappointed looks before dispersing to other tables. The only ones remaining are Alexis and her friends, who I’m pretty sure are as responsible as her.
“Alexis, please,” I say.
She shakes her head. “Why should I?”
I take the empty seat next to her. “I know Burke hits you, and I’m sure he treats you like garbage. Wouldn’t you want to teach him a lesson? Tell the cops he’s hurting you and I’m sure your punishment for accusing my dad will be minimized.”
She shakes her head.
“Please, Alexis. I know you hate me, but my dad has done nothing wrong to you. Do you want Burke and his friends to get away scot free? Or do you want to take them down?”
Her eyes roam around at the kids shaking their heads at her. A hard swallow makes its way down her throat, as if she’s worried she’ll be an outcast now. “No…I can’t tell the truth. They’ll be so pissed at me…” Her voice wobbles.
“We can’t let those guys control us,” I tell her. “We need to stand up for what’s right. We need to be stronger than them. Alexis, you know I’m right.”
She’s quiet as she thinks it over. Her eyes roam around the room again, taking in the disappointed faces. “Everyone hates me,” she says, her voice so low I can barely hear it. Then she looks at me. My heart pounds in my head as I watch her face brighten, as though a lightbulb lit up in her head. She straightens up. “No. I’m not afraid of them. It’s time for me to stand up to those football jocks.”
I blink at her, not sure I heard her right. “You’re going to tell the truth?”
She nods. “You think I like that jerk controlling me? You think I like hurting your dad? He’s the best principal I’ve ever had.” She shakily gets to her feet, nodding to herself as if reassuring herself that she’s doing the right thing. “Okay, I’ll go to the station.” She turns to go, then faces me. “This doesn’t mean we’re friends or anything.”
I hold up my hands. “I wouldn’t dream it.”
On my way back to the guys, I still can’t believe what happened. The events replay in my head, but I still can’t process it. Sophie gives me a small smile as I pass her, and I return a grateful one. I’m not sure where we stand, if we’ll ever be friends again, but it’s nice to have her on my side.
***
Dad’s been officially cleared of all charges. Alexis gave the cops vital information regarding Burke and his friends and they’ve been arrested. Of course because they have parents in high positions, they’re only going to have to do community service and not go to jail, but they’ve lost their shot at playing football for their school, or any school. No one will take them seriously now that they have criminal records. And they sure as hell won’t be playing against our school this weekend.
Looks like the guys and I have indirectly gotten our revenge as well. Hopefully those assholes learned they’re not gods and their actions have consequences.
Dad’s in such a good mood he can’t stop gushing about going back to school tomorrow. He and I make dinner together, following one of Mom’s recipes.
Sophie and I have been texting a little after school. We’re still distanced from one another and talk about silly things, but it’s nice to have that connection again.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Zane
Zack’s been calling nonstop.
I haven’t blocked his number like I did in the past. A part of me wants to meet him. It’s been three long years since I’ve seen him. But I’m wary. His life’s a mess. Julia and Craig tried to take him in three years ago and sober him up, but he was beyond help. He fled one night and I hadn’t heard from him in three years, until he contacted me a few weeks ago.
He’s been begging and begging me to give him a shot, and I figure I at least owe him for taking care of me those months after we lost our parents. So a few days ago I texted him to meet me today, on Saturday, at a pizza place two towns away from Willow Lake. He lives in Ohio but assured me he doesn’t mind traveling. It’ll take me about an hour and a half to get to the town by bus, but I’m not stupid enough to tell him where I live. He has friends in all the wrong places and I need to keep my family—specifically Caleb—safe.
I take the bus to the pizza place and wait. My fingers drum on the table, my stomach twisting in a way that doesn’t feel good at all.
My thoughts drift to Lia. I can’t stop thinking about the smile on her face when her dad was cleared of all charges. Alexis will be punished for spreading lies, but she’ll be fine. It was actually a little odd to see her not glaring at my girlfriend the last few days.
“Little bro,” a deep voice says from above me. When I glance up, I find Zack standing there. His black hair is shorter than I remember, his clothes cleaner and not wrinkled. The tattoos spreading out from his shirt and to his neck are as I remember them.
I stand. “Zack.”
He flings his arms around me. “Damn, bro. That’s a nice set of muscles ya got there.” He pushes me back to study me. “What happened to my kid brother? You’re a man.”
I roll my eyes. Laughing deeply, he throws me into his arms again. “Bet you could finally beat me at arm wrestling,” he says, beaming.
I take a good look at him. His brown eyes are clear and not bloodshot. He looks…normal. Not like a druggie whose life is spiraling out of control.
He claps me on the back. “You look good, man. How are Julia and Craig? Aidan and Caleb?”
“They’re great.”
He nods as he scans me from top to bottom. “Looks like they’ve been taking care of you.”
“Yeah.”
He drops down in the seat across from mine, reaching for a menu. I don’t take my eyes off him as I sit. “You said you got a job?”
“Sure did. I’m a janitor at a private school. Those stuck-up rich kids sure make fucking messes. So tell me, how life’s treating you? Got a girlfriend?”
I can’t help smiling as Lia’s beautiful face pops into my mind.
Zack chuckles. “Got my answer. Is she hot?”
“She’s perfect.”
He laughs again. “I don’t have a girl right now. Been focusing on getting my life back in order.”
“Where are you staying?”
He shrugs. “Don’t know yet. I’ll probably find a hotel. Why you being all secret about where you live? Don’t you trust me?” He waves his hand. “It’s cool. I wouldn’t trust me, either.”
Silence.
Zack calls for a waiter and we give him our order. Then we once again sit in awkward silence.
I shift in my seat. “You’re still doing drugs?”
His eyes snap from the table to me. “You keep asking me that. I told you it’s hard.”
“And you still run around with those jerks?”
He doesn’t say anything.
I lean back in my seat. I don’t know what I was expecting. I’m glad he has a job, but i
f he doesn’t cut loose from those guys, he’ll always be getting in trouble.
“I’m sorry, okay?” he says. “Sorry for all the shit I caused you.”
“Julia and Craig were trying to help you. Do you know how I felt seeing you go down that path? I wasn’t sure if you’d live.” My scars tingle. The only way to cope with everything that happened with my brother was by cutting. Zack doesn’t know about them, and I’d rather keep it that way. I don’t want him feeling guilty.
“Look, man,” he says, “I did all I could to help us. I was only fourteen when Mom and Dad died. What would you have done?”
I shut my eyes for a second. “You could have gone into the foster system like me. Instead, you abandoned me and ran off with those jerks.”
He throws his hands up. “I didn’t come here to be interrogated. I came because I miss you and want to catch up. But I can see you don’t want me in your life.”
I sigh, pushing some hair out of my eyes. “I do want you in my life, but not like this. I don’t want to be dragged down by your lifestyle. You need to drop those friends.”
His lips press in a deep frown.
The waiter comes with our food and we dig in. The food’s great, but I’m not really feeling it right now.
“Hey, bro?” he says after a few minutes of silence. “Is it all right if you take care of the bill? I don’t have a lot of money on me right now.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, not surprised. He probably spent all his money on drugs. I try to calm myself. He’s trying to fix his life.
“And maybe some cash for a hotel?” he asks with a bright smile. I know that look too well. He didn’t come to see me because he missed me. He misses my wallet. It’s always the same thing. I let my guard down and he pounces.
That’s not happening again.
“What about your job?” I ask.
He rakes his hand through his hair. “I had a job.”
I clench my teeth and get to my feet. He grabs my arm. “Zane, please. Don’t walk away.”
I yank my arm out of his hold. “You’re exactly the same, Zack. You never change, and something tells me you never will. Don’t text or call me again. I want you out of my life.” I chuck the money on the table and stalk off.
He calls after me, but I fist my hands at my sides, forcing myself not to glance back at him. It’ll only make me feel sorry for him and run to help him. Zack’s always been good at manipulating me. I used to look up to him when I was younger. Now I want nothing to do with him. As much as it pangs my heart to ignore him as he shouts after me, I force myself out of the pizza shop.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Lia
Saturday afternoon, Sophie and I are at my kitchen table working on our homework. She stopped by earlier to borrow my math textbook, since she left hers at school, and Dad insisted she stay for lunch. It felt like old times. Sort of. There’s still this wall between us.
“You know, I never thanked you,” I say. “For telling me the truth about Alexis and Burke.”
Her smile is small, but filled with emotion. “The truth is, being her friend was a nightmare. I just pushed through because I thought it was what I wanted, but the only person I wanted to be friends with was you. I know we can’t just go back to how we were, but I’ve really missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too.”
She waves her hand. “Pssh. How could you miss me when you have three hot guys after you?” She lifts a brow. “Three boyfriends.”
“What?”
She rolls her eyes. “Come on, Lia. I’m not blind. I see the way they look at you. It’s obvious you’re dating all three of them.”
My mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. Silence fills the room as we focus on our algebra homework.
“By the way,” she says, glancing up at me. “I never apologized for ditching you to hang out with Alexis. I know I don’t deserve your friendship, but I’m not giving up on it.”
“I want to be friends, too. Do you think we can get past this?”
She grins. “I think we can get past anything.”
I return the grin and we once again sit in silence. Sophie slips off her chair and heads for the fridge. “I think food will get us back on track. Ooh, what’s this?”
She pulls a cake out of the fridge, one me and Caleb worked on last night. He didn’t bake it out of stress but happiness.
Her eyes shine. “Did Caleb make this with you? That’s so sweet. Can we have some?”
“Sure.”
She grabs two plates and forks and returns to the table. “You’re lucky you have three boyfriends. I can’t even get one. The guys are so good to you. I’ve seen a change in you and in them, too. Wow. Three boyfriends.”
My heart and tummy warm up when I think about how special each and every one of the boys is. How their lips felt against mine, their bodies touching mine. The way they care about me and fill up the hole that appeared in my heart when my mom died.
“Ironic.” She playfully rolls her eyes as she chews her cake. “The girl who swore off boys now has three boyfriends. You know what they say about life? Sometimes it really takes you by surprise.”
I laugh. “I know. Sometimes I want to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. I’m sorry you’re having a hard time finding a boyfriend. You’re so much fun to be around.”
She twists her nose. “Alexis kept telling me I try too hard. Maybe I should take your attitude and not look for one. Maybe he’ll come to me.”
“Maybe.”
“This cake is delicious, by the way.” She cuts herself a second slice.
I take another forkful of mine. “Thanks. It was mostly Caleb, though. I’m just his sous chef.”
She giggles. “If you marry him, you’ll eat cake all the time.”
“And be fat.”
“But you’ll eat cake!”
I laugh.
Her smiles drops as her eyebrows dip. “How does it work with three guys, anyway? Like, do you kiss in front of one another?”
“Sophie…”
“What? It’s not like I can ask my mom about it or Google it.”
I playfully roll my eyes. “Speaking of your mom, how are your parents? Still arguing?”
She shakes her head. “No, they’ve been getting along because…” She inhales deeply. “My grandmother had a cancer scare.”
“What?”
“But it wasn’t cancer. It brought my parents together, so I guess that’s a good thing?”
I search her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She sighs. “We weren’t friends. I talked to Alexis about it, but she didn’t really care. I needed my best friend, but I treated her like crap.”
“You didn’t.”
She gives me a look. “Of course I did. I ran to Alexis. But at the end of the day, she’s not a true friend. You are. And I was so stupid to throw you away. All to be popular.”
“Let’s forget about it. It’s in the past.”
She nods, and we once again sit in silence. Then Sophie brings up random topics that keep us occupied for a little while. But it’s still not the same as it was.
Dad must sense something is off with us because he tells us to put our homework away for now. He places a board game between us, giving me a small wink. Mom always thought board games was the best method to ease tension between people. As Sophie and I play, I’m starting to believe she was right. We argue over almost every little thing, finding ourselves laughing. It’s starting to feel like old times again.
Maybe she’s right. Maybe we could get through anything.
***
I enter my room and stop dead in my tracks as my eyes pin on the window. Zane’s in his room, shirtless and doing pushups. Sweat shines on his muscled chest, and I can’t help staring as they strain along with his movement.
His head shoots up. “Hey.” He gets to his feet, heading to the window. His eyes drop to his chest, then to me. “Earth to Lia. Did someone take control of your mind?”
I blink. “Huh?”
He chuckles, flexing his arms. “Like what you see?” He teases, giving me his signature crooked smile.
“Why are you working out so hard?”
His smile drops. He grabs a towel and pats his face. “Just felt like it, I guess.”
I sense there’s more to this, but I don’t press him. “Your chest is really huge,” I find myself saying.
“Too bad you can’t lean over and touch it. Is your dad home?”
“Yeah.”
“Shit.”
I laugh. “Don’t worry. We’ll have more than enough opportunities for me to touch your amazing chest.”
He lifts a brow. “Amazing chest, huh?”
I want to kick myself. Who says that?
“Well me and my amazing chest need to hop in the shower soon. Had fun with Sophie?”
“Sort of. There’s still some stiffness between us. She knows I have three boyfriends.”
He lifts a brow.
“She guessed it. She’s good at reading people—especially guys. Apparently you all look at me a certain way.”
He chuckles. “Okay. And don’t worry about your friendship. It’ll get back to normal soon if the two of you want it enough.”
I do want it. Having three boyfriends is amazing, but there are some things I can only talk about with a best friend.
“Well, I’d better get showered,” he says. “And I may or may not return shirtless.” He winks before vanishing out the door.
I get comfortable on my bed with my book. Half an hour later, Zane’s back in his room, shirtless.
The cold doesn’t seem to bother him as he climbs into his window. I climb into mine, and together we stare at the twinkling stars.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Zane
Craig, Julia, the guys, and I go out to celebrate Craig’s birthday. He doesn’t like making a big deal about it, which is why we treat him to a fancy dinner. We’re not even allowed to buy him gifts. He hates gifts.
As we return home, Julia’s eyes widen. She springs toward the house, and the rest of us follow. The door is wide open.