But Liam keeps going. “I made a mess of things, and I’m sorry. I was scared and I made some bad choices and I hurt you in the process. But I promise, me and Jackson only happened after.”
“Like the promise of a cheater means anything.”
Liam looks like she slapped him.
She knows she shouldn’t throw that around.
“Don’t say that!” I say. “Don’t you ever say that. He’s not a cheater and you know it.”
But Jasmine’s too busy being outraged. “All I know is my own brother betrayed me.” She spins around, stalks back to her car. Shouts something over her shoulder that I don’t catch.
“What?”
“She said you can walk home.”
I stare at her car as it pulls away.
Suddenly I can breathe again.
I turn to Liam. “Are you okay?”
“Are you?”
I nod. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told her a long time ago. I should’ve—”
“No. You were right. There was never going to be a good time.” He reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze.
“Yeah.”
“But at least it’s all out there now. Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He looks past me. “Hey. That’s my mom. We can give you a ride home. You don’t have to walk. Okay?”
“You sure?”
“Of course.” He leans in to rest his forehead against mine. “Love you.”
I stretch up to kiss him. “Love you.”
***
Amy’s in the kitchen when I get home, dressed in a nice blue sweater and black dress pants.
“Oh, Jackson, good. Sorry I couldn’t get you; your dad wants to take us to family dinner.”
Family dinner is this thing Dad does when he unexpectedly gets a night off. He picks a restaurant, makes us all get dressed nicely, and takes us out.
It’s the last thing I want to do tonight. Being stuck in a car,at a restaurant, with the glowing thermonuclear warhead that is my sister.
“Wasn’t Jasmine picking you up? She got home a few minutes ago.”
“I got a ride,” I say.
“Ah. She didn’t look so good.”
I keep my mouth shut.
