by E. L. Todd
I held my breath for a moment as I gathered my words. “I think you’re just scared to call him…because you think he’s already moved on.”
She looked out the window and watched the sun as it finally disappeared over the horizon.
“Skye?” I pressed.
“Perhaps.” She pulled her knees to her chest. “But what’s done is done. It’s been almost six months. I’m probably just a memory to him. He hasn’t called me or—”
“You haven’t called him either,” I reminded her.
“Because I didn’t want to make it harder for him. But now if I called…he probably wouldn’t even want to talk to me.”
“You keep making assumptions,” I said firmly. “Just talk to him.”
“No.” She stood up then walked into the bathroom and slammed the door.
A moment later, I heard her crying.
Slade demolished his food, his attention focused on his burger and fries. Whenever he was hungry, I didn’t exist. His mouth was big, so he could shove a lot inside.
I sat across from him and didn’t touch my food. I wasn’t hungry, and my appetite was nonexistent. Skye was sleeping, so I’d decided to go out. It was difficult to be around her because she made me depressed. Seeing my best friend suffer like that was agony.
Slade focused his eyes on me. “What’s your deal?”
“My deal?” I asked.
“You’re all quiet and moody.”
I sighed then picked at my fries. “Just tired.”
He kept eating then glanced at his watch. “I have to get back to work soon—and scrub a few toilets.” He rolled his eyes. “So lame.”
I stared at my food and felt my mind race.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” he pressed. “When you’re tired, you usually lay into me. But right now, you’re distant with me.”
I pushed the tray aside, the smell of the food making me sick. “Have you…ever made a promise to someone?”
He shrugged. “No. I don’t think so.”
“Well, if you made a promise to your best friend, would you ever break it?”
“No.” He said it without any hesitation.
“What if it was the best thing for them?” I pressed.
“A promise is a promise.” He sucked on his straw even though his cup was empty. It made an annoying slurping sound.
“Can you knock it off for a minute?” I snapped.
“What?” he said, offended. “I’m trying to eat. It’s not my fault you’re moody.”
I rubbed my temple because he drove me crazy sometimes. “If Cayson made you promise to keep a secret, but that secret was hurting him, would you still do it?”
He shrugged. “He’s never asked me anything like that before.”
“Hypothetically,” I said.
“I don’t know.” He sucked the straw again and made the same annoying sound.
I snatched it away. “Knock it off.”
He grabbed my soda and drank that instead.
At least it wasn’t making a noise.
“Why are you asking?” He put the drink down when it was empty.
Should I tell him? I promised Skye I wouldn’t say anything, and I hated the idea of betraying her trust. But my gut was telling me to come clean, to take the hit and do the right thing. How could I live with myself if my two best friends walked away from each other? How could I sit by and watch Skye cry all day and night?
“Trinity, is there something going on?” Slade directed his full attention to me.
I knew Skye would hate me if I confessed her secret. She would never trust me again. Our friendship wouldn’t be the same. And I wouldn’t blame her for feeling that way. I was the one person she’d trusted with this, and now I was going to go against my word.
Slade studied my face, concern coming into his features. “Why are you being so cryptic? If there’s something going on, you can tell me. But don’t expect me to read your mind.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. When I felt calm, I opened them again. “Okay, I need to tell you something.”
He scooted closer to me and rested on the edge of his seat. “You want to have a threesome?”
I gave him a look of hate. “Slade, I’m being serious.”
“Oh, sorry. What?”
“Skye…didn’t actually cheat on Cayson.” I watched his face when I finished my sentence, looking at his reaction.
Instead of relief or surprise, he was just confused. “What?”
“Skye didn’t cheat on Cayson. That was all a lie.”
His eyes narrowed. “But I saw her with that guy. I walked in on them.”
“It was staged,” I said simply. “We paid the guy to play the part, and I tricked you into walking in there. If Skye just told Cayson she cheated on him, he wouldn’t believe her. So we had you do the dirty work.”
He slowly leaned back in his chair, and his mouth was wide open. He seemed speechless, completely caught off guard. He leaned forward again to speak but shut his mouth instead. “I…what?”
I gave him a moment to process it.
He finally found his voice. “Why the hell would she do that? Is this some sick joke?”
“No,” I said immediately. “She needed Cayson to go to Stanford. The only way she could get him to go was if she broke his heart.”
He rested his face in his hands and sighed. Then he slowly lowered his hands. “That is the most fucked-up shit I’ve ever heard.”
“I know…” I was guilty, and I knew it.
“Do you have any idea what he’s been through?” His eyes burned in hate.
“After being around Skye, I can imagine…”
“No,” he snapped. His eyes bored into mine. “It’s totally different. Cayson thinks she betrayed him and their entire relationship. He’s been questioning everything ever since. The guy is a damn mess. It’s not the same thing at all. If Skye thinks she knows pain, she’s wrong.” He shook his head, his jaw clenched tight. “I think I hate her even more now.”
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true. This is worse than cheating on him. She put him through pain on purpose. Who the hell does that?”
“She did it so he would go to Stanford. If anything, she was selfless so Cayson could keep his dream.”
“What’s the point of him having his dream if he’s totally miserable?”
I didn’t have a response to that.
He covered his face again. “Fuck, I can’t believe this.”
I stared at the table.
He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Why are you telling me now?”
I grabbed the wrapping from the straw and fidgeted with it in my hands. “Because I can’t stand to see Skye like this any longer. And I can only imagine how Cayson must feel. They should be together, not going through the worst pain possible apart.”
He stared at me, still pissed off. “You want me to tell him.” It wasn’t a question.
I nodded slightly.
He stared out the window.
“Don’t you think he’ll be happy?”
He laughed in a sad way. “It’s been six months, Trinity. That’s a long time.”
My heart fell. “You think he’s over her?”
“No,” he said immediately. “Definitely not. Cayson forgives Skye for everything because she can do no wrong in his eyes, but this…this is different. It’s a lot of agony to just forgive.”
I hadn’t thought of that. “I know Cayson loves her. He’ll take her back.”
He shook his head. “I really don’t know, Trinity.”
“Well, you need to try.”
He looked into my eyes for a moment while he rubbed his knuckles. “I will. But I have no idea how that conversation will go. He might hate her even more.”
“He won’t,” I said firmly. If I believed in anything in this world, I believed in Cayson and Skye.
“And what will Cayson do even if he does take her back?” he asked. “Move back he
re and act like nothing happened?”
“That’s for them to decide, not us. He needs the truth.”
Slade glared at me. “He wasn’t entitled to that before?” He’d never been this angry with me before. “You and Skye played him like a damn puppet. He’s the best guy I know and doesn’t deserve to be treated like that.”
“I know—”
“No, you obviously don’t.” He stared me down, the rage burning in his eyes. “How would you feel if this were reversed? If Cayson did this to Skye?”
I wouldn’t like it at all.
“Answer me.” He smashed his fist into the table.
“I wouldn’t be happy about it.”
He clenched his jaw and sighed. “This is so fucked up.”
“Just talk to him, okay?”
He was quiet for a long time. “Why did you wait so long to tell me? What’s changed?”
I shrugged. “It’s been six months, and she’s still a wreck. She originally went back to tell him the truth, but when she arrived on his doorstep, some girl opened the door wearing his t-shirt.”
Slade’s eyes narrowed. “What?”
“She was so hurt, she left. She just told me that a few days ago.”
Slade shook his head. “Cayson hasn’t slept with anyone.”
“You know that for a fact?”
“I do,” he said defensively. He stared out the window again. Then he turned back to me, his eyes bright. “He has a roommate, Mitchell. It must have been one of his girls.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “I hope you’re right.”
“I am,” he said firmly. “I know my best friend.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
We sat in silence while people around us kept eating. Slade wouldn’t look at me. Anger still burned in his eyes. He was tense and uncomfortable. I could read him better than anyone.
“Are you going to call him?” I asked.
“Why doesn’t Skye tell him?” he demanded. “She’s the one who pulled the trigger. She should clean up the mess.”
“She won’t do it,” I said. “I already tried.”
“Fine,” he said through clenched teeth.
I was anxious for him to make the call. “When are you going to call him?”
He glared at me. “You think I’m going to tell him this over the phone? How cold do you think I am? I’m not just dropping a bomb on him with no warning.”
He had a point. I stayed silent.
He shook his head with disapproval. “I can’t even look at you right now.” He rose from the booth.
I stayed in my seat and didn’t chase after him.
He walked out without looking back.
110
Theo
Christmas was over, and it was back to reality. My jeans were a little tighter from all the pie I ate. When my mom put delicious food on the table, I had a hard time saying no. Anyone would.
Returning to Cambridge was always hard. I had to go back to work and school, both of which were boring. But now, it was more unbearable because I’d have to see Alex. She’d turned my world upside down and made me loathe my job.
Our last conversation wasn’t pleasant, and I somehow had made our relationship more strained. I shouldn’t have been such a dick in the locker room. I was normally a nice guy, but she brought out the worst in me.
I should just make nice with her and apologize for my behavior over the past few months. That would make the most sense and make my life easier. But for some reason, I was undeniably stubborn around her. Just looking at her ticked me off.
And now she’d challenged me in front of all my coworkers. I was certain I’d win this time. I was prepared, and I wouldn’t go easy on her.
I was sitting in the library thinking about it when Conrad sat down across from me.
“I wish the break wasn’t over,” he said with a sigh.
“Ditto.”
He opened his textbook and stared at it blankly. Then he shut it again. “I can’t wait until I’m done with school.”
“How’d it go with Beatrice?” I asked.
“Fine,” he said with a shrug. “Like I said, she and I are just friends.”
“That you invite to meet your parents?” I asked incredulously.
He lowered his gaze. “Just a friend,” he repeated.
“Whatever.”
“How’s it going with that Alex chick?”
“How’s what going with her?” I asked with confusion. “There’s nothing going on with her.”
“Then why do you hate her so much? She’s all you ever talk about.”
“Not true,” I insisted.
“Yeah, it is, man.”
“Last time I saw her, I said a lot of mean things to her. I went to her place to apologize, but she didn’t want to hear me out.”
“Well, you have been a dick to her…”
“No, I haven’t.”
He gave me a serious look. “Yes, you have.”
“Like you haven’t been a dickhead to Beatrice. You were just being nice to her to sleep with her.”
“I was,” he snapped. “I’m not anymore. I actually care about her and like to spend time with her. Nothing else.”
I leaned back in my chair. “It sounds like we’re both jerks.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I think so.”
Alex and I ignored each other at work. We pretended the other one didn’t exist as we continued about our day. Whenever we were in the same conversation, one of us left. She was perky and friendly to everyone but me.
As the night progressed, everyone left except her and me. We were closing, so, unfortunately, we were the only ones in the building. Since we didn’t speak to each other, we tried to stay on opposite sides of the building.
By the end of the night, I showered in the locker room then dried off. I vaguely heard another shower running and assumed it was hers. When the water turned off, she didn’t come to my aisle. She stayed on the other side of the locker room, not coming close to me.
I waited by the front desk so we could lock up together and set the alarm. When I thought about how great my Christmas was, I imagined how lonely hers was. She spent the holiday with complete strangers because she had no one else. Maybe I had been an ass to her…
“I’m ready.” She had her purse over her shoulder. She looked at her phone and ignored me.
“Okay.” I set the alarm then we walked out together.
She stood beside me while I locked the door. Once the keys were in my pocket, we headed across the parking lot.
I watched her out of the corner of my eye, noting her features and shiny hair. She seemed indifferent to my existence. “Alex?”
“Hmm?” She kept walking.
I stopped then grabbed her arm. “Hold on a second.”
She twisted out of my grasp with lightning speed. “Don’t touch me again.” Threat was in her voice. “You can get my attention with your words, not your hands.”
I stepped back and lowered my hands. I wanted to say something like a smartass, but I decided to let it go. “I’m sorry.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “What? I’m in a hurry.”
“I… Did you have a good Christmas?”
“It was fine.” Her response was short like she wanted the conversation to end quickly. She didn’t ask how mine was.
I ran my fingers through my hair, unsure what else to do. “Alex, I don’t want it to be like this.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “I tried to be friends with you several times. Every time I did, you were an ass. That was your chance to make a change. You blew it.”
She had never been this cold before. I knew I’d really messed things up with her. “Would it make it better if I apologized and said I regretted treating you the way I have?”
“No.” She shifted her weight. “Because we both know your apology comes from pity. Now that you know I’m some poor girl with no family, you feel bad for me. Theo, I don’t want your pity, and I don’t need it. The only way
I’ll accept your apology is if you really mean it.”
“I do.” I held her gaze, trying to show her my sincerity.
“What’s changed? Why do you feel remorseful all of a sudden?”
“I…I just do.”
She studied my face.
“Look, I’ll quit and find another job if that makes your life easier. I’ll bring you coffee and donuts every morning if that will help…just tell me what to do.”
“You know what I want?” she asked.
“What?”
“For you to take a long look at yourself and figure out what’s wrong with you…on a deep level. Because I’ve never met someone so cold in my life. And believe me, I’ve dealt with a lot of assholes.” She turned around and headed to her car.
“Alex, wait.”
She kept walking and got her car unlocked.
I came after her then stopped in front of her door. “Wait, hold on.”
“Go away.” She warned me with her eyes. “You don’t get to rectify this just because you’re ready. Because now I’m not. You’ll have to deal with that. I’m a very nice person, despite what you think. It’s unfortunate you don’t get to experience it.” She got inside her car and started the engine. Then she took off without looking at me.
When I reflected on the past few months, I realized just how horrible I’d been to her. She and I got off on the wrong foot. She may have told everyone I was weak in our match, but maybe she genuinely believed I didn’t go easy on her.
It was possible.
The fact that she didn’t have a family made me open my eyes. I did pity her, and it did make me rethink my ways. But that didn’t make my apology insincere. All it did was give me some perspective.
I went to the bar with Conrad on Friday night. The week at school had been torture, and I had so much studying to do it made me want to hang myself. I preferred being outside, running around or working in the studio. Hitting the books didn’t interest me at all. My dad was an amazing writer and my mom was a dancer, and I felt overshadowed by their success.
Conrad sipped his beer then leaned back in his chair, his mood thoughtful.
“Anything new with Beatrice?”
