Two-Faced

by Melissa Pearl

“Wanna go for ice cream?” He glanced down at me, looking sexy enough to eat, but I couldn’t stay silent.

  “Did you not see it? Or even feel the weird vibe?” I frowned, flicking my arm back at the large building behind us.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Eric, he’s high.”

  “Who?” His forehead wrinkled and he stopped walking to look down at me. “What are you talking about?”

  “Connor. He’s wasted. Did you not see it?” I squeezed his hand, rubbing my thumb over his knuckles.

  His muscles went taut beneath my touch.

  “No way.” Eric shook his head, adamant. “He’d never do that. He’s not into that stuff.”

  “I’m telling you what I saw.” I pointed after the tall basketball player. “And it wasn’t just him. The whole team was weird on the court tonight, like hyper, buzzed as if they’d all had energy drinks injected into their eyeballs.”

  “Caity.” He winced. “Are you sure? It seems a little far-fetched to me. These guys are working their asses off to get picked for the NBA. They wouldn’t jeopardize that. I mean, some of them might, but not the whole team.”

  I whipped my hand out of his grasp. “Why won’t you believe me?”

  “I—“ He let out a breathy chuckle. “I know Connor, okay. He’s a good guy. He’d never mess with drugs.”

  “I’m telling you, he was on something...unnatural.”

  “Caity...” He sighed, shaking his head slightly.

  “Okay, then why was he so jittery when we spoke to him?”

  “He wasn’t.” Eric frowned. “Look, I know you have this amazing ability and you can see stuff nobody else can, but...I mean, could you be wrong?”

  My mouth dropped open, disbelief no doubt radiating from my expression.

  Eric ran a hand through his hair. The long strands dropped back down past his face as he looked to the ground. His jaw worked from side to side and I could almost hear his brain telling him not to take this further. He didn’t want to get into it, because he didn’t want to hear what I had to say.

  It hurt—like a freaking knife through the gullet.

  I crossed my arms and lifted my chin, trying to hide the way I was feeling. “You know, I’ve got a bit of headache. Do you mind if we call it a night? I just need to sleep it off.”

  “Yeah, of course” His eyes filled with that tender concern I loved. He reached out for me and I stepped up against him, the weight of his arm over my shoulder felt good. It didn’t take away the sting of his avoidance, but it was still a comfort.

  Maybe when I woke up with fresh eyes the next morning, I could put things into better perspective.

  6

  Caitlyn

  I slept badly. In fact, I felt like I hadn’t slept at all. My night was a fitful doze with my brain too busy to switch off. I couldn’t get past the fact that Eric thought I might have been seeing things. He was my biggest supporter when it came to my eyesight and to not have him buy into what I was saying killed me.

  Piper was already dressed when I finally pulled my groggy butt out of bed. She was standing in front of her mirror applying makeup like a pro. She always looked gorgeous, knew exactly how to dress her petite frame and wear the right tones on her skin. Her dark, brown hair shone and looked silky smooth, unlike my wayward curls. I supposed I should be grateful they weren’t ringlets. I kept my blonde locks long so I wouldn’t have the spiral effect going on.

  Sitting up, I cleared my throat. “Morning.”

  “Good morning,” Piper replied crisply, screwing the mascara brush back into the tube.

  She caught my eye via the mirror and her usually snotty expression softened just a little. “Are you okay?”

  A little taken aback by her question, I nodded mutely. Her eyes narrowed at the corners as if she didn’t believe me.

  Pursing her lips to the side, she spun to collect her bag. “Well, I hope you have a good day.”

  She lifted her leather bag onto her shoulder and clipped out of the room, leaving me dumbfounded. I must have looked worse than I thought.

  Pushing myself up, I glanced in the mirror and groaned at my pasty white skin and bloodshot eyes. I looked hungover. Snatching a hair tie off my desk, I bundled my hair into a messy knot and checked my watch.

  “Shit.” Throwing off my pajamas, I quickly jumped into clean underwear and scrambled into my jeans and red tank top, which both just happened to be conveniently waiting for me on the floor.

  I slipped on my black flats and grabbed my bag, racing down the corridor, hoping I didn’t miss the start of my Psych lecture. No wonder Piper was asking if I were okay. Psych 101 was the one class we took together. She was probably wondering why I hadn’t hauled my lazy ass out of bed earlier.

  Stumbling down the stairs, I grabbed the railing and stopped myself from falling the entire way to the bottom floor. The burst of sunlight that hit me when I threw the main glass door open nearly blinded me. I squinted against the glare, wishing I’d remembered to grab my shades. My headache had dulled, but not disappeared.

  Checking my watch again, I trotted toward the Psychology buildings, knowing I’d never make it on time. At least I’d only be a few minutes late, though. Hopefully Prof. H wouldn’t notice if I snuck in at the very start of his lecture.

  The thought that I might not have my notes from the last class slammed into me and I flicked the bag off my shoulder as I walked, unzipping it and trying to rifle through the pages while I kept moving forward. I nearly had a heart attack when I plowed straight into the tall figure in front of me. I bounced off him like a basketball and landed with a thud on my butt.

  “Sorry.” He crouched down next to me. “I’m so sorry. I was looking the other way.”

  “No, that’s okay.” I shook my head. “I wasn’t looking at all, so you win.” I gave him a smile and took a proper look at his face. “Connor?” I didn’t mean to sound so surprised.

  His face bunched with confusion. “I’m sorry, have we met?” He held out his hand to me and I gingerly took it.

  “Yeah.” I let him haul me up. “We met last night after the game.”

  “Oh.” He looked worried for a second and I whipped off his mask to see a flash of guilt. “We didn’t hook up or anything, did we?”

  “What? No.” I shook my head. “You—We—I’m Eric’s girlfriend. You know, your stepbrother, Eric?”

  “Oh, cool.” The guilt vanished from his face and I was left completely baffled. His smile was so friendly and gorgeous, those kind, brown eyes so genuine.

  “Do you not...” I pinched my tongue between my lips. “Eric introduced us after the game last night. You don’t remember that?”

  He cleared his throat, shoving his hands into his jean pockets and looking to the ground. “You know what, to be honest, my memories of last night are pretty hazy.”

  He glanced up at me, anguish rushing across his features briefly. With a wince, he rubbed his forehead.

  “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Yeah, no, I just have a really bad headache.”

  I eyed him quietly, trying to read him, but finding it hard with his hand masking most of his face.

  “Have a pretty big night, huh?”

  “I don’t...I don’t remember.”

  “Whoa.” I forced a chuckle. “Were you high or something?” I tried to make it sound like a joke, pushing out a plastic laugh, which sounded more like a hiccup. I swallowed it back and hoped my cheeks weren’t flaring with embarrassment.

  “I’ve never done drugs.” Connor dropped his hand and looked me straight in the eye. “I’ve never even been drunk before, which is what I don’t understand. Why can’t I remember my night?”

  I watched him carefully as he said each word and had to force my mouth not to drop open when I saw he was telling the truth. He honestly thought he’d never been high before.

  “Maybe you’re coming down with something.”

  “Maybe.” He looked confused and then distressed by what I was say
ing. “Man, I hope not. I can’t afford to get sick. The season’s just kicking off and I want my game to be strong. I want to be noticed by the right scouts. You know what I mean?”

  “Yeah.” I nodded, because I really did. I could see the desperate determination all over his face. He loved the game with the same passion and zest that Micah did. He freaking lived for it, which meant he would have to be a total fool to jeopardize it by getting high before a game. Eric was right...sort of.

  Wait? What if he was totally right?

  Had I just been seeing things last night?

  I swallowed, wondering if something was actually wrong with me.

  “Hey, I’m really sorry I didn’t recognize you. I hope you don’t think I’m rude or anything.” Connor winced.

  “Not at all.” I smiled. “I hope you feel better soon. Maybe you should go see the doctor.”

  He grimaced. “I hate doctors.”

  I shrugged. “Just a suggestion.”

  “A good one.” He squeezed my shoulder and shot me a tender smile. “It was nice to meet you...”

  “Caity.”

  “Caity.” He shook his head with a wry chuckle. “I will not forget you next time. That’s a promise.” He pointed at me and shot me a wink before turning around.

  I watched him lope away, knowing I should hurry off to my Psych class, but...after the bombshell, it didn’t seem to matter if I was late anymore. I couldn’t make my body move even if I wanted to.

  Either I was going insane and totally losing my touch or...Connor was in trouble. He didn’t think he got high the night before. He didn’t remember anything about it and even more perplexing...he seemed like the kind of guy who was smart enough not to mess with drugs. I saw his unmasked face. He had told me the truth, which could only mean one thing.

  If I was right and Connor was high last night...he had no idea he was, which also meant he had no idea how he got that way.

  7

  Eric

  I sauntered down the pathway. I wasn’t in a hurry—I had forty-five minutes to get to my next class. I didn’t know why I was even up, but Scott had been out the door pretty early and he’d woken me. I figured rather than lying around feeling restless, I may as well get up and walk. I’d had a shower, wolfed down some breakfast and then set out to enjoy the sunshine. At least that had been the plan. My body was itching for a surf. I needed something to help me switch off after the previous night. I still couldn’t believe Caity thought Connor was high. As if he would ever do that!

  But she was usually right and that made me feel like total crap.

  My stepbrother was a good guy and happy to be that way. He’d never been tempted by peer pressure. Basketball was his sole motivation in life and he’d never do anything to jeopardize that. I didn’t want him to change. It’d been a few years since I’d hung out with him properly and I needed him to stay the good guy I looked up to. Fear washed through me, making me feel light-headed.

  Rounding the corner, my steps slowed to a halt as I looked up.

  Caity?

  Why wasn’t she in class? And was that Connor stalking away from her?

  Shit. Had she said something to Connor?

  I hurried toward her. “Caity.”

  She spun to face me, her gorgeous, blue eyes round and breathtaking.

  “Why aren’t you in class?”

  “I’m running late.” She touched her forehead then sighed, looking in absolutely no hurry to take off.

  I lifted my chin toward Connor’s retreating form.

  “Were you just talking to Connor?”

  She took a second to answer, obviously weighing up how I felt. Her eyes jerked to the ground, like they always did when she was trying not to read me. She kept her gaze on the concrete beneath our feet.

  “I just bumped into him and he didn’t remember who I was.”

  “What?” My stomach hitched.

  I so didn’t want to hear that.

  Come on, Connor, man. Please don’t turn into another guy who’ll let me down. Please don’t turn into a Harvey — a senior from my old school that I’d never been able to forget, no matter how hard I tried. I pressed my lips together, trying to suppress the memory, which always gave me nightmares.

  I swallowed and tucked my thumb beneath my bag strap. “It must have been a big night for him.”

  “Yeah, he seemed really confused that he didn’t remember anything.” Caity looked up at me, cautious, trying to decide how much to tell me.

  I tried to soften my expression, but it probably didn’t work. It wasn’t hard for her to see that I was resisting this conversation with every fiber of my being.

  “I’m worried about him, Eric. You’re—”

  “You know you don’t have to read everybody.” I didn’t mean to cut her off, but the words just came out. “It’s not your job.”

  What the hell did I just say?

  Her mouth opened and shut for a minute before she brushed her teeth over her bottom lip. “It kind of is, Eric. I was given this gift for a reason, remember? I can’t just ignore what I see.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know.” I shook my head, feeling like an idiot...a desperate one. “Or you could.”

  “You were the one who told me not to.”

  “Maybe I’ve changed my mind?” I shrugged, yet another douche bag move. What the hell was wrong with me?

  Caity’s brows bunched together. “It’s Connor, isn’t it? You don’t mind me reading people as long as it doesn’t touch your friends.”

  I sighed and kicked the ground with my shoe. “I don’t...maybe?”

  “Don’t you want to know if he’s in trouble? Don’t you—“

  “I don’t want to know.” My right shoulder jerked in a half-shrug. “I just want him to be Connor. The guy I always looked up to. The big brother I wanted to be like.”

  “He’s only a year older than you.”

  “Caity, he was someone I could rely on.”

  Her head tipped to the side in sympathy, her perfect eyes filling with emotion.

  “Eric...Ignorance might be bliss, but what if Connor needs help?”

  “He’s not addicted to drugs, okay?” I cleared my throat.

  “I’m not saying—“

  “And I don’t want you digging around to try and prove that he is.”

  “Eric, you’re being a little irrational—“

  “I gotta go. I’m sorry.” I hoped the regret I was flashing her looked genuine. I felt like an asshole as I stalked away. I should have told her about Harvey, and my dark high school days, months ago. I’d hinted, but never gone into any kind of detail. But it was a past I thought I wouldn’t need to share...one I thought I’d never have to relive. I shuddered just thinking about it. I couldn’t go through that again and especially not with Connor. I wasn’t usually the type to bury my head in the sand, but for that, I’d make an exception.

  I could feel Caity’s eyes on me as I headed back to my dorm. If I turned, there was a chance they’d be shimmering with tears and I couldn’t take that. Clenching my jaw, I kept my eyes trained on the building in front of me and decided to skip my next lecture. The only place I wanted to be right then was the beach.

  Dumping my bag into the back of my jeep, I paused before opening the door. I needed to head home first and quickly grab my board. I hoped Mom wasn’t there. It was hard not to resent her a little for all the crap she’d put me through. Her lack of self-control had her going through relationships like the weekly trash. She’d take one guy in, have some fun, then dump him on the curb. It didn’t used to be that way. She used to take them in, desperate for them to love her, but none of them stuck around. So she’d become the user and she seemed to like it that way.

  I grimaced in disgust, slamming my door shut.

  I’d lost count of the number of boyfriends she’s dragged home. She was one messed-up lady and after years of trying to carry her problems, I’d finally let go. I’d been sixteen at the time, an angry kid with a quick rage that got me
into trouble. Gramps had driven up from San Diego, grabbed my swearing ass by the scruff of the neck and shoved me into his car. He’d driven me into the middle of nowhere and we’d spent a month camping out. I’d been so pissed with him for taking over like that, but it’d probably saved my life. When we got back from our summer vacation, he’d moved in with us and turned our chaotic little home into a military base. It certainly sorted me and my little half-sisters out. My Mom was pretty well-behaved when he was there, too, in spite of the fact he was her father-in-law.

  I grinned, starting up the car and reversing out of my parking space. Man, she’d hated it.

  Unfortunately four months after he’d arrived, Gramps left again. Once he was confident my temper was under control, he’d shifted back home and Mom had a new boyfriend sleeping over the next night.

  I wished Gramps could have stayed forever. I wished I could have moved down to San Diego, but I had Lacey and Poppy to think of. They were little buttons who needed protecting, so I’d hung around, making sure they were safe. The older they got, the less I feared. I’d taught them both how to do some pretty decent damage if any guy should try to touch them. Plus, their Dad was back and I trusted him. They were spending more and more time at his place, which could only be a good thing. He’d scored himself a new wife and she was pretty sweet. He deserved it.

  He’d been one of the good ones. He and Mom had actually gotten married for a while and it’d been pretty decent, but like all men tended to, he’d gotten over Mom and had to leave.

  I was so sick of the good guys bailing on me, or people I looked up to and trusted turning out to be flakes. My father had disappeared early on in the piece, leaving behind a splintered kid who never really got over it. He’d stuck around for a while, dishing out one broken promise after another. I’d clung to every one of them, until the day he never came back. He just disappeared. Wouldn’t take my calls, wouldn’t reply to my emails. He vanished and that was when the rage really set in.

  That’s when I’d started hanging out with Harvey.