“N-no. That’s okay…” I held up a hand to reject his offer, my heart pounding so hard.
Was this what it was like to be offered anti-Fold material?
Was he going to try to force something else on me? Tell me other wild stories to confuse me?
I’d thought Xander was safe. He had interned with my dad; he wanted to be a pastor someday.
Someone like that should be fully invested in the church and not look up weird, counterfeit stories.
“I think I better head out.” I glanced around the room, suddenly worried that he might try to keep me trapped here and force me to listen to more twisted stories.
He must have sensed my alarm because he put the book back down on the table and gently said, “Sorry if I startled you with this. I know it sounds crazy—I honestly thought it was really crazy when I first came across it.” He sighed and shrugged. “ I just thought your dad would have mentioned it to you by now.”
“Well, he didn’t.”
“I can see that.” He drew in a deep breath and seemed to think before saying, “Maybe just ask your dad about this. You talk to him every Sunday, right?”
I nodded.
“I promise I’m not making up stories,” he said. “I really just thought you’d be interested in the journal so you could have the background of everything that’s supposed to happen with us…”
What was he talking about?
I was still so confused at what was even happening, but I walked closer to the door and said, “I’ll ask him about it. But I really should head out.”
Before he could say anything else, I quickly left, heading down the stairs to go find my car.
29
HUNTER
“Didyou find Scarlett in the crowd yet?” Mack asked breathlessly as we walked off the court and into the locker room for our halftime pep talk from the coach.
We’d been neck and neck with the Jefferson High Knights for the first quarter, but managed to pull ahead by six points before the buzzer rang for halftime. If we could just do what we’d been doing in the second half, we might win Eden Falls Academy’s first state boys’ basketball title in over twenty years.
The first one since Mack, Asher, and Carter’s dads had played for the school.
“I tried looking for her when I was out of the game for a few minutes, but I didn’t see her,” I said, my shoulders slumping a little with the thought.
I knew she had her tour at Yale this morning, but I really had hoped that she’d make it.
But maybe I’d just been extra hopeful after those emails she’d sent toThe Confidant. Or maybe she’d changed her mind.
Or maybe she hadn’t come becauseThe Confidanttotally forgot to send the drafted email that strongly suggested she start spending time with me again.
Crap! How had I forgotten to send that through?
I’d discreetly read through the email when I’d been sitting next to her in class Monday morning, and I’d written the response after practice that evening. But before I could hit send, Scarlett had walked in the library. And I’d apparently been so busy with school and the playoff games this week that I’d completely forgotten to go back in and send my response.
Looks like I know what I’ll be doing when I get back to the school tonight.
“Maybe she’s just running late,” Mack said, patting me on the back.
“Maybe,” I said.
Everyone else was here, though. My parents and Bash had made the trip and were sitting in the seats just behind our team with the Hastings and Mr. Aarden. And the student section was completely full since most of the student body from my school had come on busses to cheer us on.
But no sign of Scarlett yet.
