“Perhaps you’re right, but I feel responsible all the same.”
I didn’t bother easing his conscience further and said, instead, “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“How long have you known about her illness?”
He looked startled for a moment, but then he sighed. “A couple of months after you left, she was different. I thought she was just sad like any mother would be with having you so far away. In a way, I still think that was true. Eventually, the situation I was in got weird enough that I started doing some digging that wasn’t entirely legal.”
“That’s why you brought me back.” And all that time, Ever had been holding this over my head when his father had known all along.
“I got her the help she needed, but your mom and I haven’t been romantically involved since then.”
“Why let us stay here then?”
“I guess I felt guilty for first uprooting you and then sending you away. I wasn’t going to do it again.”
I nodded, and it was followed by an awkward silence. Neither of us knew what to say, so I decided it was better to just leave.
“Four?” he called, and I turned to face him again. “Is there something else you wanted to ask me?”
For a moment I was confused, and then it dawned on me.
Ever.
Thomas was waiting for me to ask about his son.
“No. There’s nothing else.”
“Right.” He cleared his throat. “Well, I just wanted to let you know that I sent Ever to stay with his mom for a while. Someone should keep her company after her ordeal.”
How magnanimous of you.
He looked like he’d just swallowed something stale.
“Oh… okay. Good idea.” I turned again to go, and this time, thankfully, he let me.
I didn’t believe his reason for sending Ever away for a second, which meant there was only one person left who could offer the truth.
“There you are!”
I stopped short in the open door of the stall I’d tried to vacate. Amanda Clarke, Brynwood Academy’s gossip and head of the prom committee, with bright eyes and a triumphant smile blocked the exit.
Inwardly, I groaned.
One conversation with her my first day here had led to me spreading a rumor claiming Ever’s dick was shrimp-ish, which then led to my exile after Ever retaliated by setting his dumb jock friends on me.
Suffice it to say that I’ve learned my lesson about talking to Amanda Clarke.
“Did you seriously follow me in here?”
Since it was the middle of a period, the girls’ bathroom, as well as the halls, had been empty when I rushed in to relieve my bladder, so I knew our meeting was no coincidence. I’d bet anything that one of her spies told her where I’d be since we no longer shared classes. Thank fuck. It made dodging her this past week easier.
She glanced at her pink clipboard before regarding me disapprovingly. “You still haven’t RSVP’d, and as the obvious choice for prom queen, it’s imperative that you do.”
“Why is that obvious again?” I shoved by her and stepped to the sink.
“Because of your thing for Ever, silly.”
The warm water washing over my hands wasn’t enough to drown out her giggling or ease the sudden cold chilling my skin. To make matters worse, when I met her stare in the mirror, she winked.
“I know Barbie is Ever’s girlfriend,” Amanda continued, “and therefore, she should win, but Brynwood loves a good scandal, and it’s been a while.”
“And you’re telling me this to sell me on going?”
Amanda offered a conspiratorial smile. “Well, that plastic bitch thinks she’s better than everyone. It would be nice to take her down a peg or two. She’s the most popular girl in school, and she doesn’t even have any friends. It’s unnatural.”
“Who says she doesn’t have friends?” I shut the water off just as she scoffed.
“You mean the holy trinity?”
“The holy trinity?”
She rolled her eyes. “Ever, Jameson, and Vaughn. She used to run around causing trouble with them when we were kids. Some say she was their leader.” A wicked gleam suddenly entered her eyes. “Maybe she’s a lesbian, and she’s just dating Ever to cover it up!”
My stomach turned knowing that, by the end of the day, Barbie will have been forced inside the closet. At least until Ever worked his magic and put out the fire. I’d witnessed on more than one occasion—one of them being caused by me when I first arrived—how swiftly and brutally he snuffed rumors regarding him or someone he cared about.
Snatching some paper towel from the dispenser, I dried my hands. “Just because her friends happen to all be male doesn’t make her a lesbian, and even if she were, join us in the twenty-first century, won’t you?”
Rolling her eyes, she studied her nails. “I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it, but it would make for some juicy gossip.” She stepped closer, and I forced myself to stand my ground even though my skin crawled being this close to ignorance. “And then Ever would be single,” she singsonged.
“I’m not interested.”
Besides, he’s already mine.
Her eyes seemed to dance as her smile widened. “What if I told you that he was interested?”
“I wouldn’t believe you.”
“What if I had proof?” she countered.
Already on my way to the door, I stopped short and whirled around. “Proof?” I echoed shakily.
That wasn’t good. At least not for Barbie and our parents, who still didn’t know about us.
And with reason. To the world, my mom was a basket case. To me, she was just broken.
“I know who sent you a Valentine.”
“Those are supposed to be anonymous.”
“Not when you’re Ever McNamara. I was there when he bought one and may have peeked.”
This was bad.
Really bad.
If Amanda had proof…
As casually as I could, I dug my phone from my pocket. While Amanda chattered on, I typed out a quick SOS. The school year was pretty much over—at least for seniors—so hardly anyone went to class. Jamie liked to hang around when the mood struck him and had turned the campus into his personal playground.
And if anyone knew how to distract or repel a girl, it was him.
He must have been close by because not even two minutes later, he burst into the bathroom as if he belonged.
Amanda gasped, and her cheeks turned pink even as her eyes twinkled with delight. “This is the girls’ bathroom!” She tried to scold him but ended up giggling instead.
“Oh, is it?” he questioned casually. “My mistake.” Instead of leaving, however, he moved closer until he was circling Amanda, looking over her as if she were a piece of meat. “It must have been fate, though.”
“Why is that?”
“Because you’re here,” he replied smoothly.
I heard Amanda sigh and watched her lashes flutter, and I knew my work here was done. I headed for the door, but before I could make a quick escape, I heard a throat clear behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I lifted an eyebrow when I found Jamie watching me. He was now standing behind Amanda with his chest pressed against her back, smelling her hair and running his fingers up and down her arm.