Tucker padded over to Claire and put his head on her lap. Claire’s face softened and she reached down to pet him. “I used to lie awake at night thinking of what I would do if I ever came face-to-face with JT again. I thought of yelling at him, calling him all sorts of names, punching him in the face and even stealing his stash of Peeps.” She gave Tucker one last scratch behind the ears before straightening. “But the truth is when he came to my house two days ago, I didn’t do any of that.”
Keeley’s stomach clenched. “You saw him?”
“I didn’t want to at first. But I realized I had to if I was ever going to move on for real.”
Why would Talon visit Claire? And why would she come here after that? Keeley’s mind filled with questions.
“We talked. About me, about him, about your brother.” She lifted her gaze. “And about you. I got a lot off my chest. And I realized all those nights I lay awake, I wasn’t looking for a chance to yell at him, but a chance to move on. I was stuck in this loop of hating him and myself, and it never ended. And it wasn’t until I saw him that I realized in order to move on, I needed to forgive.” Her eyes glowed with determination. “And I have. I forgive JT.”
Good for Claire, and good for Talon, but Keeley was still confused. “How do I fit into all of this?”
“JT told me about how he kept you in the dark for most of your relationship.”
“Try all,” Keeley corrected.
“Out of the four hours we talked, two of them were about you. I won’t go into specifics, but he told me how you two met, how he fell for you, your time at Barnett and even about your first date. A little rude considering I’m his ex-girlfriend” — she laughed a little — “but I didn’t mind that much. Especially when I heard about all the times you put him in his place.”
Keeley’s lips twitched. She’d had such a great time messing with him.
“The reason why I came here today was to tell you that JT has changed. He’s not the same guy I knew three years ago.”
Her smile faded. “Did he ask you to come here and say this to me?”
“He doesn’t know I’m here. I’ve made peace with JT. He apologized for what he did and he really is sorry. I believe him.” Claire leaned forward in her chair, her face earnest. “I get why you broke up with him. I would have done the same thing, too, but now that you know the worst about him and all the cards are on the table, can’t you forgive him?”
“But what he did to you and how he used me —”
“I know,” Claire said quietly. Briefly, she glanced at a picture of Zach that was hanging on the wall. “I know all about boys who use you, but JT genuinely cares for you.”
“But he cared about you, too, and look what happened.”
“He made a mistake — a stupid, idiotic, rage-induced mistake. I’m not saying it was okay, but I think he’s learned from it.” She placed a hand over her heart. “I’m telling you as a girl, as someone who’s made plenty of mistakes myself, that JT’s changed.”
Keeley’s mind was spinning. “I have to be honest. You’re not what I expected at all.”
Claire threw her head back and laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Keeley prayed she wouldn’t get too offended.
Her face sobered. “You can ask.”
“Why didn’t you break up with Talon when you started having feelings for my brother?” She’d wondered that for a long time now.
Claire looked out the window. The ends of her mouth turned slightly down. “You know, I ask myself that, too. I could have avoided a lot of pain if I had.” Her hands clenched in her lap. “I told myself I was doing JT a favor by not breaking up with him. He was really upset about moving and his grandpa’s death. I convinced myself breaking up would only hurt him more. But the truth is I stayed because I was insecure.”
“What do you mean?” Keeley asked.
“I was never the girl that guys chased after, especially back then. In middle school, I had these horrible braces and glasses …” She shuddered. “It was awful. But freshman year, I got contacts and my braces came off. Suddenly, I was the one guys looked at, and not just any guy, but JT. He blew everyone else out of the water.”
Keeley’s teeth clenched. Hearing about the two of them together was harder than she thought. But she knew what Claire was saying. How special it feels to be liked by Talon.
“When he asked me to be his girlfriend, I couldn’t believe it. All these girls around him, and he chose me. Everything was fine at first but then the girls started getting more aggressive. They would do all sorts of things to try and attract him.”
Keeley wouldn’t know. They’d spent most of their relationship hiding so Zach wouldn’t find out.
“I felt I needed to do something extreme to keep his interest so I sent those photos.” Claire sighed. “Worst mistake of my life. After I sent them, I felt … dirty. Everyone thinks it will bring you closer together, but it did the opposite. I pulled away and that’s when I met your brother. He was my chance at a fresh start. A way to get away from JT and those awful photos. But being with Zach while staying with JT was selfish.”
Claire ran a hand through her hair, pulling it out from behind her ear and letting it fall around her face. “As much as JT hurt me, I hurt him, too. That’s why I’m here. Trying to make amends for cheating on him.”
Keeley took a deep breath. She didn’t know if what Claire said changed anything, but she appreciated hearing this. It gave her a lot to think about.
Claire put her hands on her knees and stood up. “I should get going. Thanks for hearing me out.”
As Keeley walked her to the door, Claire held out a white envelope with a large bulge in the corner. “Oh, and before I forget, can you give your brother this?”
Keeley took the envelope but didn’t peek inside. She knew it was Zach’s class ring. “Why are you giving it back now?” Claire had kept it for almost three years.
“I think I held on to it so I wouldn’t forget the bad choices I made. But forgiving JT made me realize I have to forgive myself, too.” Claire paused, her hand lingering on the door frame. “Good luck, Keeley.”
Keeley went back to the couch and sank down, trying to absorb everything Claire told her. Had Talon changed? Could she truly trust him now? After all, Claire, the girl he hurt the most, forgave him. Did that mean she could as well? She was in the same spot when Zach finally returned.
“I’m back,” Zach yelled, tossing his keys on the dining room table. He put the bags of Chinese food on the coffee table in front of Keeley. “You won’t believe how long the line was.” He took out the containers and opened them. “Can you get the plates, Keels?”
She clutched the envelope in her hand. She almost wished Claire had kept his ring. This was going to bring up a lot of memories for him. Ones she wasn’t sure he was ready for.
“Keels?”
Keeley’s leg started to bounce as she fingered the white envelope. “Zach, uh … I — Well … here.” She shoved the envelope into his lap.
“What is it?” he asked, holding it up in the air.
“Something for you.” When he narrowed his eyes, she said, “Just open it.”
“You’re acting weird,” he muttered, but did as she directed. His face went white when he saw what was inside. His piercing eyes turned to her, holding her in her place. “How did you get this?” he asked.
“Claire stopped by while you were out.”
“She was here? What did she say?” The eagerness on his face nearly broke her heart.
Keeley hesitated, unsure of what to tell him. “She wanted to talk about Talon and she wanted me to give you the envelope.”
Understanding dawned on his face. “She’s moving on,” he said, his eyes blinking rapidly. “This is her telling me goodbye.”
Keeley stood and
wrapped her arms around her twin. She rubbed his back as his breathing turned ragged, each exhale heavy with emotion. “Maybe this is a good thing. Now you can move on, too.”
“I can’t get her out of my head. Haven’t you ever liked someone so much that when you make them smile or laugh, you feel like you’re the king of the world? That’s how I feel about Claire. That feeling doesn’t just go away. It grabs hold and sticks with you.”
“Yeah,” replied Keeley sadly. “I know exactly what you mean.”
Keeley’s fingers tapped the table as she stared at the school library door waiting for Gavin. How long did it take to get here? She’d been patiently waiting for thirty minutes and the morning bell was about to ring. They were running out of time.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Nicky asked.
“Positive,” she stated. She knew Nicky didn’t agree, but she was through caring what other people thought. She believed what Claire said. Talon had changed and so had she. Keeley still didn’t know what she wanted to do after high school, but she knew what she wanted right now. A lot more Talon in her life.
Keeley shook her head and went back to staring at the door. She was getting nervous. Hell, who was she kidding? She was way past nervous and heading straight toward worried. Her whole plan hinged on this. What if he didn’t follow through? The library door opened and Gavin walked in.
“Do you have his phone?” Keeley asked.
Gavin pushed his hood down and set his backpack on the floor. He pursed his lips and stared at her for a couple beats before saying, “I want to go on the record and say I don’t like this. Not one bit.”
“Aren’t you the one who said I needed to make up with him?” She remembered when Talon told her about his girl cousin who played football. Keeley had said she didn’t think she could make a big statement like that, but he pointed out it just had to be big to her. Well, this was her big statement. She was letting all her emotions out. She just hoped he felt the same.
“Yes, but I thought you’d just talk to him. Not this.” He handed her the phone. It seemed a lifetime ago when she last had it. Back when Talon was just Talon, a mysterious voice on the other end.
“How’d you get it?” she asked.
“I pretended to forget a book at his house and ran over there this morning. He almost caught me going through his stuff, but luckily his mom called us downstairs. I still don’t understand how this is supposed to get you two back together,” Gavin said.
“You’ll see.” Before she gave Gavin her phone last night, she’d made a few changes to her settings. When Talon used it, he would constantly be reminded of her. It could be pictures of them on her background, or alarms randomly going off with inside jokes and heartfelt messages, or ringtones that held special meanings. Hopefully her phone showed Talon what he was missing.
Nicky eyed her. “Do you want to look through his texts? See if he has any other secrets?”
“He told me he has nothing to hide and I believe him.”
“You sure?”
“Absolutely.”
Keeley sighed. Talon hadn’t texted her yet and she was getting worried. It was already the last class of the day. She’d set twenty-five alarms to go off. There was no way he could turn them off without the password, which he didn’t have. She’d expected a voice mail or something by now. Had she waited too long? Was there no hope of getting him back?
No. She couldn’t believe it. Not after he reads the messages she posted with those alarms. Keeley had poured her heart out into those messages, spending hours last night writing and rewriting till each one was perfect. She had never been so honest in her life.
A wad of paper hit her forehead. “What?” she mouthed to Nicky. She quickly glanced at Mrs. Miller, but she was writing on the whiteboard.
“It flashed,” Nicky mouthed back, pointing to Keeley’s lap. Keeley was nervous as she discreetly looked at the phone. Was it finally him?
Talon: What the hell I like you? Why do I have your Keeley’s amazing?
Damn it! What did you do to my Keeley’s amazing?
She wanted to laugh, but she pressed her lips together, holding it in. It seemed her prank was working. She’d gone into her phone settings and changed a few keywords so that every time he typed a certain word or phrase, the phone would autocorrect to whatever she’d programmed. Her name automatically changed to “I like you” and “phone” changed to “Keeley’s amazing.”
Aww thank you! And no need to gush … I already know how amazing I am.
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