"Oh, please," I scoffed. "Wanna know what I think?"
"What?"
"He feels guilty."
Her smile faded. "So…you think because he's trying to help, it means he slept with another girl?"
"No," I bristled. "I just think it'sreallyweird that on the same day Sierra invited him over, he never came home.Andhe made his friend lie about it."
She cocked her head. "Which friend?"
As if she couldn't guess."Ryder."
She hesitated a tad too long before asking, "But how wouldheknow that Griff never came home?"
"Oh, you're gonna love this. Apparently, Ryder was crashing there for the night."
She frowned. "You don't mean in that dumpy apartment?"
Already, I'd described the place in great, grubby detail, and Tessa had looked nearly as disturbed as I'd felt. I nodded. "That's exactly where I mean."
"But why would he do that?"
"You mean Ryder? Heck if I know." I shrugged. "But he said something about whiskey, which I guess makes sense."
"What do you mean?"
I made a face. "You'd need to be drunk to staythere."When she said nothing, I kept going. "And seriously, why would Griff be living there at all?"
She gave a weak laugh. "Probably because of the bet."
Wait, what?On the sofa, I grew very still. Back in the beginning, Griff had made me promise not to tell anyone about that stupid bet, including Tessa. And even though Griff and I were on the outs, I had kept that promise, even tonight, when I'd been pouring my heart out.
So, how did Tessa know?
At something in my expression, she asked, "What's wrong?"
I was still trying to make sense of it. "I'm just wondering howyouknow about it – the bet, I mean."
Suddenly, she went motionless, too. "Didn't you just mention it?"
Nice try.I studied her face. "No. I didn't."
She glanced away. "Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Oh. Well…" She gave a shrug that was way too casual. "I'm thinking…Ryder might've mentioned it?"
She was acting way too shifty, and I had no idea why. "So you talked to Ryder? When? And where?"
"I dunno…maybe at the coffee shop? Whenever?"
It was vintage Tessa – casually evasive. And just like that, I was beyond sick of it. Even though she and I had gotten surprisingly close, she still had way too many mysteries, which she refused to unpack.
But this latest mystery – it was hitting too close to home.
It wasn't lost on me that on the night in question, nobody had been where they were supposed to be. Griff had been MIA. I'dbeen alone in my bed. Ryder had been at Griff's. And Tessa had been…where exactly?
