“I don’t… I need to find out what happened. I need to… I need to go.”
I let go of her hand and enter the field.
I start running toward the huddle, which is slowly getting controlled by security and teachers and coaches.
But I don’t make it too far because I see someone I recognize.
Conrad.
My oldest brother.
He’s somehow emerged from the huddle and is now marching toward me.
In fact, he’s almost here and he looks furious. I’m used to him looking all intimidating and large but when he wears a suit with a tie — which he only does for championship games — he appears even scarier.
But I can’t let that deter me.
I need to know what happened. What Reed said and why Ledger looked at me like he hated me.
When Con reaches me, I immediately break out with my questions. “What happened? I…” I glance to the crowd. “Is Ledger okay? Is… What happened, Con?”
My oldest brother grinds his jaw as he looks down at me, and even though his navy blue eyes don’t hold the same hatred, my heart shrivels even more.
“Con, what happened? Please tell me. I –”
My brother grabs my arm then and starts dragging me away from the commotion.
I look back but still can’t see Ledger or Reed or get any indication if they’re going to be okay.
“What are you doing?” I ask my brother as I turn back around. “What… Con.”
He comes to a halt in a relatively quiet and isolated spot along the bleachers, his face all tight and bunched. “You’ve been lying to us. You’ve been lying to Ledger.”
“What?”
He stares at me for a beat before shaking his head. “All this time, we trusted you. I trusted you. I gave you everything you asked for. Every freedom, every comfort. And you’ve been lying. All those late practice hours.” He shakes his head again. “I thought you were smarter than this, Callie. I thought my sister was…”
His jaw tics as he plows his hand through his hair and I watch him, watch my brother’s face, drenched in disappointment.
I watch his face tighten with anger and betrayal.
Betrayal that I caused. That he somehow found out about.
God, he found out about it.
He somehowknows.
And with trembling lips, I have to ask, “How did you…”
“The boy you were lying for all this time, he was bragging about you on the field.”
I’ll brag about how pretty their sister looked the next day…
That’s why Ledger looked so betrayed, didn’t he?
That’s why there was so much hatred in his eyes when he looked at me.
No, no, no.
