“We suggested they throw a party, but as athletes, we weren't allowed to smoke and drink. One of my teammates took pictures of them and sent them to the dean, but while I was there, I may have picked a fight with August-”
“Youmayhave?”
He ignores me. “We knew Sire would jump in if August was getting jumped, so one of my teammates hit him and stepped away once Sire joined in. They filmed the short minute of your brothers jumping me to send to the dean before my team… jumped them.”
I wait for him to tell me he's joking, but he sits on my bed with a serious face. “Do you even hear yourself?” I stand from the bed as he looks up at me. “You set them up? All for a dumb baseball game?”
Herollshis eyes at me. “It meant more than that. Nothing ever happened to them since your parents paid off the school.”
I open my mouth to counter but remember the boys getting in trouble, and everything makes sense now, given the full story. “That wasyou?” I say, thinking out loud as memories of August's rants about this from years ago come back. “They were going to get kicked out of school for that. Not just benched from a few games.Whywould you do that?”
His brows pull together as he focuses on me. “No, they weren't.”
“Yes,they were. I was there, and if they had scholarships, they would've lost them because of you.” I watch Liam, unable to believe he'd do that. Sire and August were offered scholarships but didn't take them because they wanted kids who needed them to have them, but that all would've been gone over a dumb game because of Liam.
He looks like he thinks of something before he shakes his head at his thoughts. “I didn't know that, and either way, they're not saints. They jumped me multiple times after that.”
“You jumped them first! Why don't you sound the least bit remorseful?”
“I'm aware that it was wrong, but-”
“No, there are no buts.” I put a hand up, stopping him from trying to justify this, but I stop myself from making this into a bigger fight when I feel myself getting angry. “This is all so dumb.” I shake my head at myself. This doesn't deserve my energy, at least not right now.
The tension in his shoulders eases as he stands from the bed and grabs my hand, but I pull away and take a step back. “I'm still upset that youlied, Liam. Go home.” I have no idea what he thought my reaction was going to be, but I certainly don't want to share a bed with him tonight.
He looks as if I just said I never wanted to see him again, and I'm genuinely surprised he really thought I'd forgive him that easily.
“You said it yourself that it's disrespectful to lie and that you hate it more than anything, yet you've been lying to me formonths.” I cut myself off as I realized something. “A few months ago, you came here with a black eye.” I take another step back as the pieces fall together. “That was Sire who you got into a fight with, wasn't it? I didn't think you guys werestillfighting? And you've just been sleeping with me like nothing? Do you know how stupid that makes me look?”
I nearly yell now, and his face drops.
“Get out.”
“Dory-”
“No, you're such ahypocrite, Liam. Get out. Right now.” I walk out of my room, and he follows me into the living room. The smell of all of the flowers wraps around me, and I shake my head at how ridiculous this is. When I open the front door, Liam doesn't walk out.
“I don't want to leave.” He watches me like I should really take his request into consideration.
“Well, I do want you to leave, Liam.” I keep the door open, but he doesn't budge.
“I'll sleep on the couch,” he tries to negotiate, but I shake my head at him. “Please?”
“No, sleep in your own bed. I don't want to be near you.”
He tries to say something, but I beat him to it.
“Do you not understand how much it hurts that you casually came to my house to sleep with me after busting my brother's lip? You really expect me to believe you didn't get with me simply out of spite or some sick payback?” I blink my tears away, forcing myself not to cry, especially not in front of him.
I see his face morph into anger now as he closes the distance between us. “Don't ever say that. That's not why I got with you. I have way too much respect for you to-”
“But not enough for you not to lie to me?” I let out a scoff as I step away from him. “Did your friends know?”
When he doesn't answer quickly enough, I have my answer.
“So you all just treated me like an idiot.”
“That's not-”
