I inhale the salty air, letting it saturate my lungs as I briefly stare up at the sky briefly, needing the pain in my chest to ease. How much bad luck does one good man deserve? It’s not fair, and I’ve added to it. I thought it would be a harmless decision but he has given me everything, and in return I gave himalie.
A hand cups my elbow, and I shudder at the surprising touch. “I—I couldn’t help but overhear some of that. Is everything okay?” Part of me is waiting for Liam to kick me in the back of my knees because I’m already down, but there’s nothing funny or even remotely mean sounding about the way he’s speaking to me or what he’sasking.
I bite down on my lip to stop the tremble in my chin. “I’m fine,” Icroak.
“What happened?” Liampresses.
I shrug and swallow against the thick feeling in my throat. “My dad lost his job and has to get rid of our house. It’s just us two so—I don’t know whattodo.”
“What does he want youtodo?”
“Stay ... at an internship that doesn’t exist—that I lied about. I lied to the one man who has never hurt me, and he’s the one person I should never have lied to, for so many reasons.” The words continue to spill out, and I have a hard time understanding why they are coming so easily with a man who has made my blood boil more in the last week than any other person has in myentirelife.
“Why did you lie?” His question is so simple, and my answer should be just as easy to offer, but I’m not sure whyIlied.
“I think I told him what he wantedtohear.”
“So, you were protecting him,”Liamadds.
“I wasselfish.”
“How?”
“I just graduated with a journalism degree that cost my dad everything, and rather than get an internship at a newspaper or something, as I should have, I wanted a summer off before,youknow...”
“Hitting the real world?” He finishes my sentence as if he’s been through this before. I think Liam is a bit older than I am, but I don’t know enough about where he’s been or what he’s gone through to assume he understands anyofthis.
“Yes, exactly,” Iconfirm.
“First, this isn’t a summer off, as you’ve already seen. Second, you’re getting life experience, which is very important for any writer, in my opinion. Third, you have your whole life to follow whatever dream you started during college. I don’t think your dad would blame you for wanting a few months of lifeexperience.”
I take a few steps backward and plop down on one of the rocks. My chest is aching, and my lungs feel heavy. Maybe hedoesn’tunderstand. I’m the only one who could ever understand why this matters. Liam follows me over to the rocks and takes a seat beside me, letting me know he’s still listening. “It’s not about being right or wrong. I lied. My mom lied too, then left us inthedust.”
Liam huffs a sarcastic snicker. “There’s a bunch of shitty parents outthere,huh?”
“Guessso.”
“Look, I don’t know very much about your story, but we all lie if we think it’s for a good reason. I’ve only known you for a few days, but I can tell you’re not a bad person—maybe a little reckless and clumsy, but you’re good. I’m sure when you lied, it was for the rightreason.”
I glance over at him and the small smirk perking up in the corner of his mouth. “I was wondering when an insult would find its way out of your mouth. I’m not reckless, just for therecord.”
“It just happens,” he explains seriously as if he truly can’t control whathesays.
“Yeah, I can tell.” He nudges his shoulder into mine. “If I can help in any way, let meknow,okay?”
“Thank you. Iappreciateit.”
He doesn’t respond, probably because Dylan is running toward us. The training went by much quicker today than it didyesterday.
“What were my times?” he asks as hereachesus.
Oh, crap. I completely lost track of his times when Dadcalled.
“Oh no,” Ihesitate.
Dylan grabs chunks of his hair as his face reddens. “No, no, no, you have to have the times. You said! Why can’t you do anything right? You’re so stupid, just like the rest of them.” Geez. That’s a littlerough.
“Bud, you know what,” Liam interrupts. “I told Julia I’d keep the times for you, and then my phone died halfwaythrough.”
