The dirt road we took up here is bumpy and dead ends where I parked so no one can come up here without us knowing.
“Dude, what’s your problem?” I ask as I turn off the engine, watching him continue to look around the forest like he’s expecting a monster to jump out of the trees or something. “Are you on something?”
“No. Although, I wish I was.” He bounces his knee up and down as he pulls out his phone. “Good. We have no signal up here.” He pockets his phone and lets out a relieved exhale, his head falling back against the headrest as he closes his eyes. “I am so fucked, man.”
“Good for you,” I say in a cold tone. “But that’s not why I brought you up here.” I rotate in the seat to face him. “Why in the hell are you blackmailing Lex?”
Shaking his head from side to side, he opens his eyes and looks at me. “I’m not.”
“Then why is the unknown number that’s been sending her texts registered in your name?”
He swallows hard, his haze straying to the window. “Because that’s what they wanted me to do.”
“Who the hell are they?” I press.
He shakes his head and shrugs. “I have no idea.”
I open and flex my hands, struggling to stay calm. “Look, I’m trying not to get pissed until I have some answers, but this vague answer shit is really starting to piss me off.”
“I’m not trying to be vague on purpose.” When he looks at me again, I see something that makes me pause. Fear. He’s fucking afraid of something. “I really don’t know who’s doing it. All I know is that whoever is blackmailing Lex is also blackmailing me, and one of the things they did was have me open up that unknown phone line. I didn’t send any of the texts, and I hate myself for being part of this, but what these people have on me …” He balls his hands into fists and lets out a shaky exhale. “If anyone finds out what they know about me, I’ll go to jail.”
It takes me a moment to process everything he just said. And even then, I’m still not sure I’m following him.
“So, what you’re saying is there’s some sort of group that blackmailed you into opening a phone line that they could use to blackmail Alexis?” Saying it aloud sounds weird as fuck. “But you have no idea who this group is?”
He gives a nod, glancing at me again. “A few months ago, I received this text from an unknown number. Attached to it was a video of me … Anyway, there was some stuff on that video that no one can find out I did. So I did what they asked me to do.”
“And all they wanted you to do was open a phone line for them?”
“No. They’ve had me do a lot of stuff; one being hook up with Masie.”
My gut twists at that. He’s not really dating Masie? If this is true, then I have to tell Lex. And then what? Will she go back to liking him? I’m not sure.
“Is Masie part of this?”
“No. She has no idea.”
“So you’re playing her?”
“You say that like you care,” he bites out. “You don’t even like her.”
“I know. I’m just wondering why this person blackmailing you had you hook up with her.”
He lifts a shoulder with his jaw set tight. “I honestly have no idea what they’re trying to do. All I know is that I’m going to do what they ask because there’s no way I’m letting that video get out.”
“Why?” I ask curiously. “What’s on it?”
He glares at me. “Like I’d tell you. I know where we stand. The only reason I met up with you is because you found out about the number. Speaking of which, how did you figure out I opened the account?”
“You have your secrets, and I have mine,” I reply vaguely. “Maybe if you share yours, I’ll share mine.”
He quickly shakes his head. “I’m not telling you what’s on the video.”
My mind fills up with all sorts of ideas of what he could’ve possibly done, ranging from cheating in school to robbing a store. I used to feel like I knew him, but now I feel like he’s a stranger. Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t work together to figure out who this fucker blackmailing everyone is.
“I’m going to figure out who’s behind this,” I inform him. “You want to help?”
He wavers. “I don’t know … If they find out I’m helping you, they could release that video.”
“Then don’t let them find out. All you need to do is text me if you find out any information that could help figure out who they are.”
He promptly shakes his head. “I can’t text about this. They sometimes hack into my phone, which is part of the reason why I had you drive us up here. No signal means they can’t track my phone or open my Facetime app without me knowing.”
“So they’re good with tech stuff,” I state. “That’s a good starting point.”
He folds his arms across his chest, looking vulnerable and weak. “Look, I want to figure out who they are, too, but I’m not going to, like, try to find them. But if I discover anything that could be helpful, I’ll let you know in a non-electronic way.” He pauses, glancing at me. “Why are you doing this, anyway? Are they blackmailing you, too?”
I shake my head, brushing a couple strands of hair out of my eyes. “No.”
He studies me for a second. “Then why are you doing it?”
I shrug. “To help Lex.”
A small smile touches his lips. “I knew it.”
I glare at him. “Knew what?”
“Knew that you fucking liked her. I’ve wondered for a while, but when you sucker-punched me, I figured I was right.”
“Yeah, man, I do,” I admit.
What I don’t say, though, is that it probably doesn’t matter anymore. That once I tell Lex what I found out, she may forgive Blaine. That she may go back to loving him, and then I’ll be left with a broken heart. Not that it’ll be Lex’s fault. She thinks our relationship and my feelings for her aren’t real, because that’s what I told her. Because I was too afraid to tell the truth.
Always covering up my feelings.
Story of my life.
I’m really starting to get tired of it.
“We should probably get going,” Blaine tells me after a minute ticks by and no one says anything.
I check the time on the clock on the dashboard and nod. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
We grow quiet as I start up the car and begin the drive back to his house.
Blaine receives a text the moment we get a signal again, and whatever the message contains seems to cause anxiety to burst through him.
“What’s up?” I ask after about the fifteenth time of him fidgeting with the hood of his jacket.
“It’s nothing,” he mumbles, scratching his wrist.
“You’re lying. We might not really be friends anymore, but we used to be, so I can tell when you’re nervous.”
“I said I’m fine,” he bites out, crossing his arms.
“Whatever,” I give in, deciding I’m tired of his shit.
Silence stretches between us for another minute or two, and then he heaves out a loud exhale.