"What did I ever do to you?" I mutter.
"Curtis…" he begins, sounding as exhausted as I feel.
"Right," I interrupt. "I started dating Kennedy, and apparently that's a crime." Especially because you're in love with her yourself.
"She's my best friend." Liam's voice remains controlled, which pisses me off, because I'm almost shouting, like a crazy person.
"Oh really? I didn't notice," I say.
"I don't want her to get hurt," Liam says.
"Why the hell would you think I would hurt her?" I demand. "You don't even know me. We hardly spoke before Kennedy and I started dating, so whatever your preconceived notions about me —"
"Remember Jennifer Grant's birthday party last year?"
I blink at him. Did he hit his head while capsizing? "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Do you remember it?" he repeats.
"Well… yes." Jennifer Grant, a girl in our year level, has a huge party every year, during the Easter holidays. Her house has a swimming pool, which is too cold to swim in, but every year someone gets so drunk and inevitably falls into it.
"I remember it too," Liam says, face almost expressionless. "I was with a group of friends when you walked over, looking very pleased with yourself. Naturally, the guys asked you what happened."
My stomach turns. I had a few drinks that night, but I still remember what happened.
"You didn't say anything explicit — what a gentleman — but everyone could figure out what happened between you and Elizabeth in the toolshed."
My skin grows warm, but I stamp down the embarrassment with anger. "So what? I didn't know you were so interested in my sex life."
He raises a single bored brow, which only makes me feel more embarrassed.
"It was just a hookup," I explain. "Is that the evil sin you're talking about —"
"I don't think you witnessed it, but there was a fight that night. Between Elizabeth and some random girl from another school, I don't know what her name was."
I pause. Blink. Raise my head. "I think it's Melanie you're talking about."
"They fought like crazy. Melanie said she was your girlfriend and Elizabeth was a homewrecker. People found it quite entertaining."
I sigh and rub my forehead. I didn't see what happened, but people were talking about it when the term started again. Elizabeth gave me a couple of dirty glares. "I never said I was her boyfriend," I say. "Melanie and I… we weren't dating."
He stares at me. "I overheard her talking to her friends. After the fight had finished, and she had a few scratches. Don't know why she fought Elizabeth when it was your fault."
"It wasn't my fault," I say.
Liam ignores me. "I would have run as soon as I saw Elizabeth had coffin acrylics." He waves his hand, and those stupid blue fingernails glitter. They're so goddamn distracting. "From what Melanie said," he continues, "it sounded like you were one Prince Charming. Is that wrong? Did you not lead her on?"
I stare at Liam for a while. This conversation is stupid, but I know what he's building to, and I want to refute that.
I think about Melanie. Her school required her to do 40 hours of volunteering, so she spent one month at the shire with me. She was nice. She was pretty. I thought it was just a casual thing, but in my heart I know I should have been more clear. I shouldn't have complimented her so much or asked about her day. I never intended on dating her, but I didn't want to ghost her, so I just planned on texting her less and less after her volunteering finished.
I shouldn't have done that, but I didn't want to be an asshole. And then I was an asshole, anyway.
"I could have dealt with it better," I admit.
Liam's lips spread into a grim line. "Maybe she was naïve. But you know who else can be naïve? Kennedy. I'm not saying she's stupid or a pushover, because she isn't, we both know that. But she's never had a boyfriend before, Curtis. I don't want you to mess around with her emotions, or only use her for sex before abandoning her."
I shake my head. "I'd never do that to Kennedy."
