My eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”
“Just go. My parents will be home in a couple of hours, and you need to be gone before they do. Jacob, how about we watch some television?”
As she leads him away, I look at the stairs.
What could be up in the room?
Slowly, I make my way up the stairs, scared to find out. Many people fear death, but not me. I fear the unknown. I like to have control and know what’s going on. Right now, my nerves are on the edge.
When I make it to her room, I take a deep breath before opening the door.
I blink hard. Then I do it again.
There is no way I’m seeing this correctly.
“Get in here and shut the door.”
His voice is like a balm to my nerves, caressing my skin.
Without conscious thought, I obey his command, stepping into the room and closing the door behind me.
“Why are you here?” My voice is a whisper, not sure if this is even real.
“We need to talk. School isn’t safe. Coming to your house is out of the question, so here I am.”
“You arranged this?” I can’t hide the surprise from my tone.
He grunts, “You need to tell me what the fuck is going on.”
I bite my lip. I want to tell him. I want to confide in him, so I don’t have to carry this burden alone.
Then I remember the text.
“I can’t.” My eyes fall to the floor, unable to look at him any longer.
He moves closer, his finger coming under my chin. “Tell me why at least. You owe me that much.”
My eyes tear up. “Please let this go, Nate. Let me go. I’m not worth it.”
“Fuck,” he curses as he pulls away. He turns around, shoving his hands through his hair. “I’m so fucking angry at you. Willow keeps telling me to take it easy on you, and I don’t understand why. You betrayed us. You fucking stuck a knife in our backs and she wants me to take it easy? Then there’s you. I can see the pain in your eyes every time I look at you. No matter how many times I tell myself that I can’t, I want to fucking touch you. Be close to you, but I can’t because you’re a fucking traitor. You ruined this and you won’t even tell me why. Why won’t you tell me?”
His eyes are pleading with me. I almost break. I suck in a sharp breath, trying to keep the sobs from coming.
“If I tell you, it will have all been for nothing. Everything I’ve been doing won’t mean anything. Don’t make me tell you. Please,” I plead, letting the tears fall freely.
He mutters another curse under his breath before he pulls me into his chest.
For several minutes, I let myself enjoy the feel of his arms around me.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but I wish you would trust me. Willow too. I know you guys are in on this together.”
His voice is a whisper, but I can still hear the pain.
I pull back. “What do you mean?”
He sighs, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a letter sealed in an envelope.
“She told me to give this to you and specifically told me not to read it. Why would she do that if you two are really no longer friends? While you two are making me feel like I’m stupid, I’m not. I know there is more going on. I don’t understand why I can’t be in on it.”
