"You hated that stuff. Every damn thing you threw in there."
"Notallof it," I said.
"And it made you feel like shit. And then I felt like shit. So I decided to fix it."
At his crazy logic, something in my heart melted. "That's really sweet," I said. "But you didn't need to hide them."
"You sure about that?"
"Yeah. Positive."
"Uh-huh," he said. "Suppose I wanted to buy you things for no good reason. Suppose I wanted to dress you up and watch you smile. Suppose I wanted to wipe that worry from your face—"
"I look worried?" For some reason, I hated hearing that. Never in my life had I been a worrier, and I didn't want to become one now. Still, the last few weeks had definitely taken their toll.
In front of me, Jake didn't answer. He was right, of course. I was worried right now, especially after Maddie's phone message.
Jake's eyebrows furrowed. "What is it?" he asked.
With a sigh, I pulled my phone from my pocket. "There's something you need to hear."
Silently, he waited while I scrolled through the screens to reach my voicemail. When I found Maddie's message, I set the phone on speaker-mode and hit play.
As that message played, I studied Jake's face, hoping to see some reaction. There was none, until it reached the part about someone trashing my old bedroom. His jaw tightened, along with the muscles in his neck and forearms. But his face remained oddly expressionless.
It wasn't until the very end, when Maddie called me a whore, that I saw his composure break. "You just got this?" he said.
I nodded.
"Come here," he said, reaching out for me. When I didn't move, he stepped forward and gathered me into his arms. I didn't resist. I couldn’t. I didn't want to.
He squeezed me tight. "You know it's not true, don't you?"
I leaned against him. "Which part?"
"The last part. And I'm not gonna say it. Because it's not what you are."
"I know," I sighed. "But still…"
"What?"
"She does have a point."
"No. She doesn't."
I pulled away to look at him. "But what about the other stuff? About someone trashing my bedroom? Does that surprise you?"
He shrugged.
I stared at him. "Don't tell me youknewthat was going to happen."
"'Know' is a pretty strong word."
"So you, what,suspected, that was going to happen?"
When he didn't answer, I took another step backward. I stared up at him. "What about Maddie?" I asked.
"She's full of shit," he said. "Just like I told you."
"I mean," I said, "why didn't you warn her?"
"Because no one's looking for Maddie."
As we spoke, something else was dawning on me. It was something I didn't want to think about. But I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Amidst all the other questions, there was something I absolutely needed to know.
"Jake?" I said.
"What?"
"Why exactly am I here?"