Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 125121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“I know you’re the only one I told about Rhys!”
She is the only one you told. In a HapApp message.
“I can’t believe you. You’re spreading shit behind my back to get back at me for Ahmed.”
“No, I’m not, but if I was, you’d deserve it,” she exploded, blowing me back. “What kind of friend doesn’t tell you your boyfriend cheated on you!”
Saylor flung a hand at Katie. “What kind of friend fucks your boyfriend in a toolshed? How are you mad at me and not Katie?”
Katie slammed her glass down. “I told you I was wasted and he lied and said they broke up. I also apologized a hundred times.”
“Like sorry makes up for it,” Everleigh scoffed. “You said sorry after hooking up with Ivan at Graham’s Christmas party.”
“You never told me you liked him!”
“Like that would’ve stopped you,” Everleigh flung, spilling her wine. “Besides, it was obvious I liked him. Even Ivan knew it. He only hooked up with you to make me jealous, but all is good for Katie. She plays innocent and we’re all the assholes for not taking her side.”
“What else have you told her?” Saylor asked. “Huh? You and Sinclair are such buddies now. I’m betting she also knows you went skinny-dipping with your sister’s husband.”
My eyes popped. That was not in any of the chats.
I edged back, letting the cross-fighting play on. Far be it from me to interrupt them when they were burying their friendship all on their own.
Let’s see how you like having nothing and no one, Saylor Burkhardt.
“I can’t believe you, Saylor,” Piper screeched. “You swore you’d never tell anyone!”
“You swore you wouldn’t tell anyone about Rhys!”
“I didn’t!”
“Guys!” Gabriella shoved in the middle of the group, holding up her hands. “Stop it. We came here to make up after all the stupid fighting and drama. We’ve been best friends forever.”
Best friends Piper, Saylor, Everleigh, and Katie glared at each other like they wished they could telepathically explode heads.
“We’re not throwing that away for Ahmed—” She swung to Piper. “Who always lied and treated you like shit. The best thing you ever did was leave that asshole.
“We’re not throwing it away for Ivan, who did know you liked him, Everleigh, but still hooked up with Katie to play mind games with you,” she said. “And we’re sure as hell not throwing it away for a cheating skag of a husband, or a guy who refused to date Saylor because it turned out he was gay. So can we all just chill out and go back to having fun?”
“Sure we can,” Saylor said, folding her arms. “As soon as someone answers the question you all dodged. Have you lied to anyone in this room?”
A long, pressing silence spread through the room—smothering every victim she got her claws on. No one moved. No one breathed.
My phone buzzed.
Moving slow, I peeked at the screen.
Rafael: I’m outside.
I blinked, reading it again. Then again through blurry vision.
Rafael: Where are you, Cloud Girl? Security is about to call the cops ’cause I’m not leaving without you.
“Gotta go, guys.” I got off—fell off the bed. Righting myself, I gathered my things as quickly as I could. “My ride is here. See you tomorrow, Katie.”
She didn’t answer. None of them did. I left them locked in their stare down.
Rafael was waiting outside the gates as promised.
“Sir, you need to leave. You can’t—”
“It’s okay, Marc.” I waved through the gate. “Let me out and we’ll go.”
Pissed, the guard marched off and opened the gate. I slid in the passenger seat, turned my head to say hi, and swung it too fast. My forehead bounced off the headrest, sending me into a giggle fit.
“Are you drunk?”
“No, but I was on my way. Good thing you got me out of there. Saylor did not have good intentions with that game.” I grinned. “But neither did I.”
Rafael backed out of the drive. My eyes traced his face, following the curve of his strong jaw, and the pink tinge to lips that were as soft as they looked. Rafael was his father’s son for sure, but looking close, there were signs of someone else in the warm eyes and mischievous smile.
“Your mom was beautiful, wasn’t she?”
His brows crumpled, not expecting that question. “Yeah, she was. Why?”
“You look so much like your father, but I can tell the parts of you that aren’t him are all her.”
“When did you talk to my father, Luna?” He spoke to me, though he faced the road. His whitening knuckles on the steering wheel stirred concern under my tipsiness.
“When everyone was at the memorial. I walked inside and he was just sitting at the kitchen table.”
“What did he do?”
“He... made me tea,” I confessed. “He told me he wasn’t going to help me against the Phantom or discovering what the secret is, which gave away that he knew it, or knew how to find out. He also knows about the T.O.D. Club. Not that he admitted that or anything else.”