Chapter 13
It had felt…right.
Her fingers interlocked with his. Him staring intently into her eyes, breathing her name.
So odd.
What wasn’t odd was how he looked. Really beautiful up close. Dark hair freely tumbling over the side of his forehead, expressive dark eyes that seemed to speak right to her soul. Unspoken words of comfort, understanding, and…trust.
After her father, trusting a guy wasn’t an option. Oh, she had had a few boyfriends in college, but she never let them in close. None of them knew how horrible her father was or how he had fueled her drive to succeed. She saw them more of companions; guys she could go to the movies with or have a date to the club.
Not real confidants. Not men she could give her heart to.
So why did she confide in Peter? And what did it mean that she could trust him with her deepest pain?
Keke shook her head. She brushed her teeth while running cool water over her left hand, which had been burning since being fastened to Pete’s. What was he doing? He was supposed to be focused on Lea, not her. Besides, they were just commiserating over their awful fathers. That couldn’t possibly mean anything more.
Satisfied that her hand had cooled, Keke spit out the toothpaste and dried off her hands. She trekked back to the bunk, dropped her shower caddy next to her bed, and climbed in. She couldn’t wait to sleep in a normal bed. Campsite bunk beds were the worst. She preferred her dorm room bed to this one.
Bertie turned off the lights to the room. Several flashlights came on, and the girls continued laughing and whispering. Neither Bertie, Keke, or the other counselors cared. The girls would fall asleep in an hour after exhausting all topics, namely boys.
Bertie climbed up the ladder to the top bunk above Keke. Her friend released a happy-sounding sigh. A perfect opportunity to demand Bertie set the record straight.
“Bertie?” Keke hissed.
“Hmm?”
“We need to talk.”
A less enthused sigh. “Okay, what about?”
“You and school.”
“Not now, please, Keke? I’m tired.”
“All you have to do is move your mouth. Tell me why you haven’t finished school. What happened?”
Bertie huffed. “I’m…just tired, that’s all. School is a lot of work. It’s not for everyone.”
Keke crossed her arms, even though her friend couldn’t see her. “Bertie, you always got straight As in school without even trying. You lived and breathed studying.”
“So?”
“So, your argument makes no sense!” Keke hissed. “How come you can’t tell me the truth? Rule number two, remember?” Keke wouldn’t bring up how Bertie had consistently lied to her for more than a year.We were supposed to graduate at the same time.
A few moments of silence passed, and then Keke heard the bed above her squeak. Then the ladder groaned underneath Bertie’s weight.
Bertie sighed. “Scoot over.”
Like they’d done many times during sleepovers at the Headley house, Bertie and Keke shared a bed where they could whisper and trade secrets. Keke leaned in close. “When did you drop out?”
“After sophomore year.”
“Two years ago!”
“Shh!” a number of voices ordered.
Keke put a hand over her mouth. “Two years ago, Bertie? You’ve been lying to me for two years?” Boy, Keke felt like an idiot. Had she been so self-absorbed that she couldn’t see the signs when they FaceTimed? Either that, or her best friend was adept at lying, something Keke wasn’t sure she could appreciate even though she’d used that tactic recently with her own family.
