Nathan swallows hard. “I think so,” he says. “But the whole situation...” He shakes his head. “It’s kind of fucked. She told me I was hurting her by never including her with my friends. She said I was an asshole—and not in an endearing way. It’s why I brought her to your house with me yesterday, to show her that I care. I promised to include her more.”
“And lunch today?” I ask.
“I hadn’t done enough, apparently. She texted this morning claiming I didn’t love her, because if I did, I’d tell her everything. Like... what the fuck iseverything? I don’t even know what she’s talking about. And, to be honest, I’m getting a little tired of being called an asshole.” He pauses. “With the exception of you,” he allows, and I nod.
Nathan sighs. “I’m not going to fight a losing battle,” he says, his hazel eyes reflecting the light. “And it’s starting to seem pretty obvious that she’s... well, she’s the one not being honest with me. I just don’t know what she’s lying about.”
“Nathan,” I say, truly concerned. “I think you should stop dating her. You’re right, this is weird. Her mom, Derek, calling you an asshole? That’s not... normal.”
Jana is Nathan’s first serious girlfriend, and that worries me. Because he might really love her, and that would give her the opportunity to take advantage of him. Nathan’s my best friend, and I want to look out for him. He’s done the same for me.
“You know you have other options, right?” I say gently. “You’re a cool guy. You can meet another girl.”
“Sure,” he says like he doesn’t believe it.
“For real, Nathan.” He looks over at me, and I see the sadness in his eyes. Nathan doesn’t want to fail at this relationship, and what Jana said to him, accusing him of basically being a bad boyfriend, was manipulative. I already didn’t like her very much; he was right about that. I won’t let her break his spirit.
“Listen,” I say to Nathan in mock seriousness. “You have options. You are moderately attractive, your sense of humor is slightly above average, and, dude,” I say, trying not to smile, “your laundry detergent always smells really nice. Fresh. So don’t sell yourself short, kid.”
Nathan stares at me a moment, his lips flinching. “I’m also so-so at video games,” he adds. “You forgot that part.”
“I did,” I say regretfully.
Nathan smiles, and then unexpectedly, he reaches over and takes my hand, squeezing it. He rests his head on my shoulder, and I lean my cheek against him. The sadness rolls off of him, and I wish I could make it better.
“I hate liars,” he whispers. “I can’t date one.”
I consider his words, and reluctantly, I have a moment of sympathy for Jana Simms. After all, she lost her best friend recently. Many of us understand to some extent (thanks to the epidemic and The Program) what that means. Erratic behavior is one of the signs that something’s wrong. Add Derek and family problems to that... and maybe I’ve jumped to conclusions about her. I don’t want her to get hurt, but I also can’t let her hurt Nathan. I might just talk to her myself.
“What time is it?” Nathan asks, sitting up and taking out his phone. My heart starts beating faster, and I swallow hard before looking at him.
“Time for some answers?” I suggest.
He nods solemnly, and then we both stand up and walk quietly to the Jeep. Determined to follow through on our plan. Determined to find Dr. McKee.
CHAPTER SEVEN
WE SIT IN THE PARKINGlot of the Adjustment office, neither of us speaking. I turn off the engine, and Nathan unbuckles his seat belt. He puts his hands on the dashboard and stares ahead at the office before turning to me.
“They’re going to lie,” he says steadily.
“I know.”
“We can’t let them get away with any of it,” he adds. “Remember, they manipulate people for a living. We won’t give them a chance to do that to us.” He pauses. “Again.”
“Thanks,” I say, and slap his thigh. “And I’m prepared this time. I got proof from Michael Realm, remember?”
“I do.”
“Realm confirmed my worst suspicions. I’ll make Dr. McKee and Marie freely admit they’ve lied, and after that... I’ll dive into all the other shit, I guess.”
“There is definitely a lot of it to wade through,” Nathan says.
I want to understand what happened in The Program. How did I block the memory of me and Wes? How did Wes? There has to be an answer. And it has to mean something.
“Well,” Nathan says with a cleansing breath. “I’m already sick of this Michael Realm guy, but okay—we’ll start with the Program questions. Just be prepared for the answers.”
I watch Nathan a long moment. “Is that even possible?” I ask.
