“Why?”
They had their secrets, and so did I. “I’ll be right back.” I cut her off.
I got to the bathroom, locked myself inside, and leaned back against the door.
“It’s easy to hide away reading books, isn’t it? No drama, no stomachaches, no fighting . . .”
The curtain pulled back, revealing a bathtub.
“Blaze! You almost gave me a heart attack!” I shouted, putting my hand on my chest. “You hide in the bathroom?”
“Sometimes.”
He got up and jumped out of the tub.
“You all right?”
He nodded. “Did you have to pee? Do you want me to leave?”
“No, stay here.” I cut him off, moving closer to the sink.
He looked at me embarrassed. “June . . .”
“I don’t have to use the bathroom, Blaze.”
We smiled for a moment.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
Blaze leaned back against the tiles.
“The bathroom gives me a sense of security. Ninety-nine percent of the time you’re in here, you’re alone, which is a big advantage. Nobody can follow you in here, and you have an excuse to do whatever you can’t do in front of other people.”
“Like?”
“Panic attacks.” His answer was so blunt that I was taken aback.
“Does that happen often?” I asked.
“More than it should.”
“I’m sorry.”
He lowered his head then rubbed his chest with the palm of his hand. “What happened to you?”
“Nothing, I . . .”
I felt the wound on my inner thigh sting.
“I’m not really comfortable around the girls. Not like I thought I’d be.”
“Do they scare you?”
“They’re great, I think. But when we’re at these kind of parties . . . I don’t know. I don’t feel like I’m a part of their group.”
“Welcome to my world.”
“Why’d you talk about William like that?” I asked after a moment. “What did you mean by he wasn’t what he seemed like?”
