Again, on one level, I feel bad for her. Of course I do. I’d never wish a miscarriage on anyone, but on the other hand, “being hormonal” doesn’t excuse her behavior. Assuming she was actually pregnant and that’s not just another lie.
Ben’s eyes soften. “Sorry to hear that. I’m sure that was tough.”
“I just...” She cries some more. “I just want you to know I came straight home after the lake. I knew I needed help, so I went to my parents, and they took me to see a doctor.”
I think about how she phrased those words.
Yeah, that’s bullshit. I know exactly where she went after the lake.
Only... I never told Ben what Melvin emailed me. Damn.
Things got so crazy with training camp. And then he had to move into the dorms. It never seemed like the right time to bring it up. And, if I’m being honest, I was afraid of where that conversation would lead or the questions he’d raise about Melvin.
I mull over whether to call out Janelle.
She starts to lay it on thick, crying about not seeing Lily, even though she hasn’t reached for her once since we got here. Lamenting how all she wanted was to be close to Ben again, even as friends. She goes on and on about how they grew up together, and he was the love of her life. That she didn’t mean to ruin things. That she was young and dumb, but she’s older now and wants to prove that she can be a good friend to him.
Her mom rubs her shoulders, and I sigh. Janelle has a good crying game, I’ll give her that. She somehow manages to wail while still looking beautiful.
I glance over at Ben, and my heart sinks. He looks awfully conflicted.
Screw it. If we’re going to get everything on the table...
“So you went straight home after the lake?” I ask Janelle.
Everyone seems shocked I’m speaking, but I’m not going to be cowed anymore. Ben needs someone on his side. Plus, I have a bone to pick.
“Well, yeah. Pretty much.” She blinks innocently, her lashes wet with tears.
“So you didn’t return to my house and ransack my room?”
She lifts her chin. “No, of course not. I mean, yes, I went to your house, but I’m not the one who trashed it. Some guy did it. All I did was grab my stuff and leave.”
“What guy?”
“Some guy. I assumed he was one of your exes.”
“Cal?”
She shrugs like she can’t be bothered to remember.
“How many boys were you dating this summer?” Teresa asks haughtily.
“Tía,” Ben growls.
“What? You’re not giving Janelle a chance when your girlfriend just goes from man to man to man.”
Wow. Okay.
Janelle sniffs dramatically. “It’s worse than that, Teresa. My friend Amelia told me she overheard Ben talking to her boyfriend. Apparently, Ben was only pretending to date Sienna when they went to the lake. They weren’t even together when they had sex.”
Ben scowls. “What the fuck, Janelle? Who are you to say shit about my relationships?”
I sit there stunned while Ben lays into her. I suppose it seems like I springboarded from Cal to Ben, but everyone is missing a few crucial details.
“Cal cheated on me.” I resist the urge to bite my nail.
Ben reaches over and laces our fingers together. “You don’t have to explain anything, sunshine.”
“It’s okay. I suppose if I were in your family’s shoes, I’d want the full story.” I brave a glance around the table, and the hostile expressions make me swallow. “Anyway, I caught my ex in the act, so to speak. That night I was injured, and Ben helped me. Yes, maybe we bonded more quickly than we would’ve otherwise because he took care of me when I was in the hospital, but I wouldn’t say my feelings for him came out of nowhere. I don’t know if you know this, but I also lived with his sister Gabby last year. And while it’s true that Ben and I started out pretending, we did start to officially date while at the lake.”
His aunt doesn’t look terribly convinced, but I forge on and turn to Janelle. “Why should I believe that you didn’t destroy my bedroom? You lie about everything else.”
Her eyes narrow. “You’re one to talk.”
Ignoring her comment because she’s obviously irrational, I turn to her parents. “Did you know Lily was Ben’s? Did your daughter ever tell you? Or did she lie to you too?”
They stare at me stonily until Mr. Lopez clears his throat. “Janelle told us Lily was Ernest’s. We had no reason to doubt her. Our daughter is a good girl—she didn’t lie. Janelle only recently learned the truth herself.”
I guess he’s entitled to think the best of his kid, but I can’t let Janelle get away with letting everyone believe her tall tale about running right back home after the lake.
After I reach into my purse to grab my phone, I turn to Ben. “I didn’t say anything about this to you because you’d already heard from Mr. Lopez that Janelle was home safe, but after she disappeared, I called a friend of mine who’s in security. And he traced Janelle’s locations through her phone.”
“Oh, my God. You just won’t stop, will you?” Janelle yells.
I pull up the email. “She claims she went straight home, but according to her phone, she stopped at my house and then stayed at this address.” I rattle off the info as I watch Janelle’s face pale. “I looked it up, and guess who lives there? Her ex, Ernest.”
“I just stopped to get my stuff.”
I scan the email. “Well, according to your phone, you stayed there overnight. And, oh look, I didn’t realize that there’s a link to a video at the bottom.” For a brief moment, I stare at Janelle. “I’m not sure I mentioned this, but my friend is one of the top security specialists in the country.” Probably the world, but I don’t like to brag.
I hold the phone between me and Ben as I click on the link. The timestamp and date are on the bottom, conveniently. It’s the door cam of someone’s house, I’m guessing Ernest’s. Janelle steps out onto the porch, walks halfway to her car, turns around, and runs back to the guy who’s now standing in front of the door in his underwear. They make out. Full tongue and everything.
“Look at the car in the driveway,” I whisper to Ben. “It’s a black Audi. Isn’t that the vehicle Johnny saw her jump into when we were at the lake?”
“That shit’s not even legal!” Janelle shrieks after Ben describes what’s in the video. “You can’t hack people’s security systems like that!”
“What are you going to do, sue me?” I laugh. It’s an evil inclination to taunt this woman, but she has no clue who she’s dealing with, and I’m tired of her crap. “I’m not using this in a court of law. Merely to prove that you’re lying about wanting to get back with Ben. Unless you plan to juggle Ben and Ernest at the same time?”
When she doesn’t say anything, I forge ahead.
“Do your parents even know why you went to Ben in the first place?” I explain how she told Ben that she was afraid of Ernest, that he’d become violent.
“What?” her mother cries. “Janelle, you never told me that.”
“But is it true?” I ask. “That’s the question. Based on the way she locked lips with the man in the video, I’m guessing it’s not. Janelle, you’ve been lying all summer. How are we supposed to know what’s true?”