“If he doesn’t want you, I don’t know what the fuck to tell you. But you have to quit driving me crazy,” he murmured, throwing his head back.
“Me? This is my fault?” I raised my eyebrows.
“Why do you only call me when it’s convenient for you?”
“Well, so do you,” I retorted.
“I’m the one who calls you? Really, Ari?”
He was right. He never called me, but he wasn’t innocent either. I wasn’t like him.
“At least I only do it with you. You do it with everyone.” I bit my tongue.
“It’s a big risk with you, unlike the others. You wanna know why?”
“Are you talking about Brian?”
“He’ll kill me if you tell him. You’ve seen that giant baseball-sized hole in his room? He’d bash my head into it.”
“Do you think I’d tell him? He’d never forgive me! I don’t want to lose him,” I mumbled, welling up.
James rubbed his temples like he wanted to gather the concentration to face up to this conversation.
“Ari, don’t cry. I didn’t tell anyone,” he said seriously, before coming closer to my face to push a lock of hair behind my ear.
“So how does Taylor know?” I asked between sobs. “Did you tell her?”
“I don’t know, I—” Then his face contorted, a sign that something clicked for him. “For fuck’s sake, that fucking bitch!” he cursed.
“James! Where are you going?”
“Don’t come after me. We’re done for good.”
27
June
Leaning against the outside wall at Tropical with my eyes glued to my phone, I reread my texts with William.
June:Where’d you run off to last night?
William:Sorry, June, I’m just not a big fan of pool parties
June:So, any party organized by your friends automatically makes you sick?
I grumbled as I read the text. I could’ve avoided it given Will’s next text.
William:Actually, the smell of chlorine makes me nauseated
I reread that sentence a few times.
William:June, how about we spend the afternoon at my house?
I scrolled down to the last text.
William:Change of plans. Let’s go to Tropical tonight. I’ll explain everything
“Did William really stand you up this afternoon?”
