“Isn’t that the truth. God, I’ve missed her.” She swallows a sip of cider, then says, “I can’t believe I let Damon come between us. What he did to her…I could castrate him.”
Damon’s given Piper shit more than once this summer, which is enough to make me want to jump him in a dark alley. But what Gabi just said makes me think there’s more to the story than obnoxious jokes and pervy gestures.
I meet her gaze. “She doesn’t ever talk about him. I don’t like to push, but sometimes I worry about her.” It’s a knife to the heart, remembering the times her eyes clouded over, her muscles went rigid, her hands trembled. “She can be so evasive, you know? I don’t want to cross any lines, so tell me to go to hell if I’m overstepping, but could you fill me in on the Damon story?”
Gabi takes another pull of cider, considering. And then: “He and I started going out in January. Piper thought I could do better. So did my parents. But there was something between us. A spark to outshine the haters. At least, that’s what I thought. I had people over the night after school let out, and things got kind of wild. Piper went really hard. It was after midnight when I walked in on her and Damon. They were kissing—at least, that’s what I thought was going on. But I should’ve known Piper wasn’t into it,” she says, her voice unsteady now. “She was hardly coherent, barely able to stand on her own. Still, Damon made it sound like she’d been all over him. It wasn’t until a few days agowhen Piper told me that she’d said no. That she’d tried to push him away. That he wouldn’t let her go.”
Spots of crimson flash in my vision as I think of Damon, his brother, and his dad at the restaurant. He’s an asshole and a bully—I’ve seen that firsthand—and now, after this glimpse into the true darkness of his nature, I don’t give a flying fuck about the hardships that made him who he is. I’d like to smash something unyielding into his face.
“And you believed him? Piper would never do that to you—to anyone.”
“I know,” Gabi says miserably. “It was easier to take Damon at his word than to accept that I’d spent five months with someone who’d cheat on me. Worse, someone who’d take advantage of my best friend.”
I tighten my hands into fists, for the first time truly understanding the expressionseeing red. I’m seconds from projecting my pent-up frustration on Gabi, a girl I’ve only just met. I know that’s so, so shitty, but at the moment, I don’t care.
“Take advantage?” I repeat, my voice low and tight. “Heassaultedher. Let’s not sugarcoat it. Piper sure as shit doesn’t have that luxury.”
I leave her on the patio, her eyes brimming with tears.
I almost wish Damon were here tonight.
I’m a can of gasoline waiting for a spark.
Piper
Damon sees me.
I’m all he sees.
He must’ve found a way to skip the Montgomery trip. He must’ve come looking for Gabi. He’s probably hoping to coerce her into getting back together with him. Or maybe he’s here to find a new victim. Someone isolated and vulnerable.
Like I am right now.
He strides toward me, all swagger and heavy footfalls.
I want to turn away. I want to run.
My feet have grown roots.
“Piper.” His voice is deep and confident. He’s used to getting what he wants, either by asking or taking.
Henry’s probably back outside, looking for me. Gabi’s gossiping in the kitchen with Anna and Michaela. Hudson and Jayden and the rest of the guys are preoccupied with Flip Cup, clueless that their buddy has arrived, ignorant about who he truly is.
“Leave me alone,” I say, managing a half turn and a clumsy step before he catches my wrist and yanks me back.
He doesn’t let go.
“It’s over between Gabi and me,” he says. “Because of you.”
“No. Because ofyou.”
“She hates me, thanks to your lies.”
“Theyaren’tlies.” There’s grit behind my words. Telling Tati and Gabi about those horrific moments back in May banished the uncertainties that tormented me in the weeks that followed. I know I didn’t do anything wrong.
“You overpowered me. I said no. You refused to hear me.”
I try to pull away, but his grip tightens.
