Deception (Dirty Secrets #2)

by Mercy Amare

  Cassidy Armstrong: Where did you go?

  Cassidy Armstrong: Call me.

  Me: Sorry I didn’t text you back yesterday. I just kind of freaked out. I can’t believe this is happening.

  Frannie Davis: That was intense.

  Frannie Davis: I can’t believe that Daisy was threatened and KIDNAPPED. This is crazy.

  Frannie Davis: Do you still think she’s messing with us? Maybe she sent the texts to herself and made it look like a kidnapping.

  Frannie Davis: No, probably not. She’s crazy, but not THAT crazy.

  Frannie Davis: Where did you run off to?

  Frannie Davis: Oh my God. You’re dating Jace? FINALLY.

  Me: Sorry I just ran off without a word. That was crazy, and I needed to just process.

  I click onto my Facebook page and see that I have over fifty comments on my relationship change notification. Most of them all say ‘About freaking time.’ Trey’s comment makes me smile.

  Trevon Grey: FINALLY. I’m so sick of hearing you both whine about how much you love each other, but NEVER doing anything about it. And Jace, if you hurt my sister, I will hurt you.

  Jace replied to Trey’s comment.

  Jace William: I don’t plan on ever hurting her, bro. I’m pretty sure a girl like her only comes along once in a lifetime, so I’m NEVER letting her go.

  Aw!

  I ready Hailee’s comment.

  Hailee Grey: This doesn’t mean you’re going to start making out all the time in front of me, right? Because that would be gross… BTW, congrats. I was wondering how many more dinners you two were going to drool over each other before you finally hooked up. :)

  The last comment is from my grandma.

  Margret Grey: ;) Congrats, baby girl… Jace, you break her heart, I will break your pretty face.

  I love my grandma. She’s awesome.

  I throw my phone on my bed and get ready for school.

  The whole time I think that today is going to be an awesome day — until I remember what I have to do tonight. My stomach fills with dread. Daisy’s kidnapper is going to be in touch, and I have no idea what she or he is going to have up their sleeve next.

  I just hope we really get Daisy back tonight. I want this nightmare over.

  When I come downstairs to leave for school, Jace is standing in the living room, as always. Except today, he’s got a huge grin on his face. His eyes light up when he sees me. My heart jumps, and my stomach is filled with butterflies.

  Oh my God — I’m nervous.

  “Hi,” I say as I get to the bottom of the stairs.

  He steps in front of me. “Hey.”

  I hear a groan from behind me. “Ugh, seriously? Are you two really going to be this disgusting all the time?”

  “Pretty much,” Jace answers, and then grabs my hand.

  It’s the first time we’ve ever really held hands… at least in a boyfriend-girlfriend kind of way. And I like it. A lot.

  “Do you want to ride to school with me? My car is way cooler than Trey’s truck.” I lean closer to him. “Plus, we can make out in my car.”

  Jace laughs. “Oh, I’m definitely riding with you.”

  “Oh sure. Let’s just pretend I didn’t give you rides for the past year and a half,” Trey jokes, throwing his arms up. “You ditch me for the first pretty girl that pays attention to you. I see how you are.”

  “Aw,” I say. “Trey, you think I’m pretty?”

  “Mads, we’re twins. If I call you ugly, it means I’m calling myself ugly. So, yeah, you’re pretty, because I’m gorgeous,” he says.

  “Whatever,” I say to him, then turn to Jace. “You want to get out of here before he starts making out with the mirror or something?”

  Jace laughs. “Yeah.”

  He holds my hand all the way out to the car, and then he opens the driver’s side door for me. I get inside and he shuts it. Once he gets in the car, we take off. And for the first time, I wish my car was an automatic so I could hold his hand.

  When we get to school, Jace grabs my hand to stop me from getting out of the car.

  “Hey, Mads.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Just so you know, I’m really glad that we’re together,” he says.

  “Me too.”

  “Also, I really want to kiss you, but I don’t want our first kiss to be in the parking lot of our school.”

  “Technically, our first kiss was in our school’s gym,” I say. “Also, I don’t care where our first kiss is… just as long as it’s with you, it’ll be special.”

  “Well, I also don’t want your brother to be looking at us while we kiss.” Jace nods his head toward the front of the car. Trey is standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. He looks amused.

  I roll my eyes but turn back to Jace. I put my hands around the back of his neck and pull him closer. Our lips are about to touch when my brother hits my hood.

  “Hey! Break it up!” he yells.

  “I’m going to kill him,” I say, reaching for my doorknob.

  “I’ll help you hide the body.”

  “Deal.”

  English

  A lot of love.

  Today in English, we are writing. I’m definitely more cautious of what I put down, just in case Jace reads it.

  While we write, Jace and I pass notes back and forth.

  I have a feeling your brother is never going to let us be alone. Ever. — Jace

  He was just kidding this morning. — Madi

  I don’t think he was. — Jace

  We will get to be alone tonight at the party. — Madi

  He will be there. — Jace

  You think my brother is going to babysit us the whole time? If I know him, he will have a couple shots and be making out with some blonde bimbo within an hour. — Madi

  Probably. — Jace

  So why have you never hooked up with other girls at parties? — Madi

  I was waiting for you. — Jace

  So you won’t be disappointed that I’m really inexperienced? Like, I’ve never made out with a guy. Or kissed a guy. Or anything. — Madi

  I haven’t either. With a girl. (Or a guy for that matter). I kind of like that we get to be each other’s first everything. — Jace.

  Me too. — Madi

  I plan on you being my first and last. — Jace

  :) — Madi

  We are going to fail English. — Jace

  No we won’t. And if you start failing, I will tutor you. — Madi

  I definitely need tutoring. Preferably alone in your room. — Jace

  I look over at Jace and shake my head.

  You perv ;) — Madi

  That’s why you love me. — Jace

  I never said “love” ;). But seriously, is it weird to say “love” when we’ve been dating less than 24 hours? — Madi

  That reminds me. Happy 12 hour anniversary. And no, I don’t think it’s weird. It’s how I feel. I’ve felt this way for a long time. I LOVE YOU, MADELINE HOPE GREY!!! — Jace

  I love you too, Jace Axel William. — Madi

  “Madelin Grey and Jace William, unless you want me to read what the two of you are writing back and forth to each other, I suggest you stop,” Mrs. Duff says.

  “I was just telling Madi how much I love her,” Jace tells her. “Which is a lot, if you wanted to know.”

  The class all turns to look at us. Some of the guys are laughing, but most of the girls are going awwww.

  Yeah, I pretty much have the best boyfriend ever.

  Lunch

  It’s about time.

  At lunch, I tell Jace to eat with Trey, and I eat with my friends. Mostly because, I need to talk with them before tonight. I need to know if anybody besides Cassidy and me have gotten text messages. The selfish part of me hopes they have so we can all face this together, but more of me doesn’t want them to have gotten texts.

  As I’m walking into the cafeteria, I spot Cassidy. I grab her arm and pull her into the corner. />
  “Has anybody else gotten texts?” I whisper to her.

  “I don’t know,” she answers, keeping her voice low. “I mean, I haven’t told anybody besides you. What if they’ve gotten messages too but they haven’t told anybody?”

  “So should we tell them?”

  She nods. “But not at lunch. The guys will be there. We can talk to them tonight at the party.”

  “Okay.”

  The two of us walk toward the table. Everybody is already sitting there, and we take our usual seats.

  “Madi, Madi, Madi.” Landry shakes his head at me. “Here I thought you and I had something good going on, and now you’re with Jace.”

  “Oh my God. Jace,” Emma says. “All I can say is it’s about time. You two have had a crush on each other forever.”

  “I’m happy for you, Mads,” Frannie says. “But if Jace takes away from best friend time, I will hurt him.”

  “He won’t,” I tell them. “He’s still sitting with Trey and I’m still sitting here. Nothing is going to change.”

  “Except your virgin status,” Hayden says, laughing.

  “You’re a virgin?” Mason asks, looking at me with his mouth hanging open.

  I nod. “I thought everybody knew that. I’ve never had a boyfriend before Jace, and I didn’t want my first time to be some random hook up at a party. Plus, I was kind of waiting for Jace.”

  “I think that is really sweet,” Luke says, surprising everybody.

  Luke is the party guy. His parents are gone all the time, so every weekend he throws a party at his house. He’s never had a girlfriend, and we don’t really expect him to ever have one. Not that he’s not attractive, he is, but he’s definitely not the commitment type of guy. He lives for random hook-ups.

  “Right. Like you waited for true love…” Hayden rolls her eyes at him.

  “No, I didn’t,” he says. “I hooked up with some college girl in the bed of somebody’s pickup truck. I didn’t even know her name, and I still don’t. I was a freshman at the time, and all I remember is she was pissed because it was over in less than a minute.”

  Mason laughs so hard that he spews his drink. Then we all start laughing.

  “My stamina has improved since then,” Luke says.

  “I’d sure hope so,” Robbie says, still laughing.

  “It has,” Emma confirms. “Luke is amazing in bed.”

  “I so knew you two were hooking up!” Hayden says too loudly. Everybody in the cafeteria turns to look at us, which only makes the rest of us laugh harder.

  “Way to be discreet, Hayden,” Mason says, shaking his head.

  “So, what are the plans for tonight?” Cassidy asks the girls. She gives me a look.

  “I think we should all get ready together,” Hayden says.

  “I can’t,” I tell them. “I promised Lexie that she could get ready with me.”

  “Aw, come on Mads,” Frannie says, pouting. “Ditch her.”

  I sigh. “Fine. I’ll tell her something came up, but she should still come to the party. And you should all be nice to her. She’s really not that bad.”

  “Wait, whose house are we doing this at? We usually get ready at Daisy’s house,” Hayden says, then lowers her head.

  “My house,” I say, knowing I’m the only one who really could. Cassidy and Frannie’s house is too small. Emma’s mom is an alcoholic, so there’s no way we’d go there. And Hayden lives with her grandma and five cats, but Frannie is allergic to cats. So, the only other option is my house.

  “I still can’t believe Daisy is really missing,” Hayden says.

  “I’m still not sold,” Frannie says. “I think she might have been desperate enough to set this whole thing up herself. You know how she is. She got mad because I told Madi she looked pretty on Monday. I’m not going to put this past her.”

  Cassidy looks at me, and I’m pretty sure we are both thinking the same thing.

  Frannie isn’t getting the texts. If she was, I doubt she would be saying that.

  Unless she is getting the texts and she still thinks they’re from Daisy.

  Oh my God, what if they are from her? What if she’s playing us? I seriously wouldn’t put it past her. And if she is, I’m never talking to her again.

  Either way, Frannie, Hayden, and Emma need to know. What if they are going through the same thing but they’re too scared to tell anybody? I am their friend, and I want to be here for them. So I will tell them this afternoon.

  Drama Club

  Stop saying please.

  I get to drama a little early so I can talk to Lexie. I am racking my brain for excuses for why I’m ditching her, but all of them sound lame. So, I just decide to go with the truth… or semi-truth.

  “Lex, I need to cancel this afternoon,” I tell her, sitting beside her.

  She frowns. “Oh.”

  “It’s just… the whole thing with Daisy. My friends are all coming over to get ready. It’s a support thing. We are all taking it pretty hard,” I say.

  “I understand,” she says, but she doesn’t look me in the eyes as she says it.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “I still want you to come to Luke’s party tonight. Just show up around eight,” I tell her.

  “I don’t know… I am not good at the whole party thing, and you excel at it,” she says. “I can’t expect you to just talk to me all night. I’d rather save myself the humiliation and stay at home.”

  “No. Don’t. Please, will you come? I told my friends you’d be there, and they promised to talk to you.” I pout at her, giving her my best pretend sad face. “Please. Please. Please. Please.”

  “Fine. I’ll come,” she says. “Just stop saying please.”

  I clap. “Yes! Thank you, Lexie!”

  And now I can hang with my friends today guilt-free.

  “I wish I were more like you. I’m so socially awkward,” she says.

  “No you’re not,” I tell her.

  “Whatever.” She rolls her eyes. “So, I saw that you and Jace are Facebook-official.”

  I can’t help but smile at her words. “He asked me to be his girlfriend last night.”

  “That’s so sweet. I always knew you two had a crush on each other,” she says.

  “I think my crush on him was obvious to everybody except him,” I tell her. “I’m so happy, Lexie. I’ve wanted this for so long and I never thought it would happen. I always tried to prepare myself for the day he would get a girlfriend. I’m so relieved he feels the same.”

  “So what brought all this on?” she asks. “Who told who first?”

  My stomach tightens when I think about the text, but I push the thought away. “Me. I wrote him a song. When he read it, he had no idea it was actually about him. He kept trying to guess who, so finally I just told him. Then I kissed him and ran away.”

  She laughs. “Aw, that’s so sweet, Madi. I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  The bell rings as Mr. Matthews walks into the classroom. Today he’s wearing a purple pair of skinny jeans and Vans. Everybody is so used to seeing him dress like this that nobody reacts.

  He claps his hands. “Play practice starts on Tuesday after school. Every Tuesday and Thursday from three to four. Learn your lines, people. The better you are, the less we have to practice. I don’t want it to be like last year when we had to practice every night for a whole month before the play started.”

  Neither. Do. I. That sucked pretty bad. I was the only person who knew my lines, and it was ridiculous.

  Mr. Matthews starts handing out the play script. He also tells everybody who will be playing what role. I already knew I got Cinderella, but I smile when he tells me again. Everybody claps.

  After the scripts are handed out, Mr. Matthews tells us more about the play… As if we don’t all know the story of Cinderella.

  I look at Lexie. She and I are going to have a lot of fun doing this play.

 
I only wish Jace were playing the prince — then this would really be perfect. But he’s not an actor. Instead, my prince is a guy who is 5’7” and probably weighs less than I do. Seriously, he’s so skinny. And I won’t be able to wear heels on stage or else I will be taller than him.

  I guess Cinderella’s glass slippers will have to be flats this year.

  Carter, Cinderella’s prince, sees me watching him. He smiles at me and I smile back to be polite.

  He’s played in a few school plays, but he’s never had a leading role before. This year he’s a senior so it makes sense. He’s not a great actor, but he’s definitely the best in our drama department. I just hope he’s dedicated and will learn his lines.

  5pm

  “Homework”.

  Jace is hanging out in my room and we are doing our “homework”.

  Okay, we’re not doing homework. We are talking. Whatever, Trey doesn’t need to know I finished my homework for the weekend already. We are both lying on my bed facing each other.

  “My mom is ecstatic that we’re together,” Jace tells me. “She’s been telling me to ask you out forever now.”