"Why?" I cried.
"Because he asked me to."
"That's it? You set me up because he asked you to?"
"Grace! I did not set you up. Would you stop being so dramatic! Did he explain to you why he did it?"
I gave a harsh laugh at her lack of remorse. Some friend.
"You really think I wanted to stand around Main Street and listen to him?"
"He told you on Main Street?"
"No, fucking Jessica did. She overheard Harrison and James talking this morning. Like I was some fucking punchline in a joke!"
"Jessica told you? Jeez, no wonder you're pissed. I take it she was as subtle as a bull in a china shop."
"Amelia! This isn't a fucking joke. Why did you guys set me up?"
She shifted uncomfortably, her gaze dropping from mine. "Grace, you need to talk to Harrison. Let him explain."
"I don't want to talk to fucking Harrison! The whole time I've been here, people have been pressuring me to talk to him.'He's changed, Grace.' 'Get to know the new him, Grace,'"I mimicked.
I jabbed a finger at my chest, my voice rising with each painful jibe. "What about what I want, huh? You're supposed to be my best friend, yet you were conspiring against me the whole time."
Amelia's face paled, and she went to speak.
But I wasn't done.
"You knew I would do anything for you and Liam, and you took advantage of that by setting me up and ambushing me with Harrison. How could you do this to me? Do you know how humiliating this whole thing is? Dragging feelings up that I had forgotten about?"
Having realized the gravity of her actions, Amelia started brushing rapidly falling tears aside. "I'm so sorry, Grace. I didn't mean for it to come out this way."
She walked slowly towards me, eyeing me warily until she grasped my cold, limp hand in hers. "I love you, Grace. I would never betray you. But I can see now how much it's hurt you. I just wanted you to be happy, so when he told me–" She stopped abruptly and rolled her lips before glancing away.
She took a shaky breath before continuing. "He apologized for the bullying. You told me you forgave him."
I tried to drop my hand from hers, but she refused to let me go. "This isn't about the bullying, Amelia."
"Then what is it about?" She sniffled. There was frustration in her tone.
I took a deep breath. "I need a drink before I talk about this."
CHAPTER 13
The Past
Iwassocloseto graduation I could taste it. I had grown guts and brains and had a one-way ticket out of Ashburton.
All it took to derail my confidence and shatter the self-esteem I had built was a simple partner assignment that our history teacher paired us up on. It wasn't worth jack shit to our final grade and was billed as extra "fun credit" by our earnest history teacher. She had clearly run out of course material.
Nevertheless, I was an unashamed philomath and admitted brown-noser. I didn't care if the assignment was worth peanuts—if I was given a task, I did it as if it were my final exam. And I didn't need Harrison fucking O'Connor to help me with it.
"I'll take this one," I haughtily informed him when he sauntered up to me after class. I shoved my books and pencils into my backpack, eager to escape his presence.
"Naw," he drawled lazily. "I can't have you spreading rumors that I ain't pullin' my weight around here."
"Well, it wouldn't be the worst rumor people have heard about you."
