She looked between us, struggling to comprehend. It was when she spotted the blood trickling from the boot print in my cheek that realization kicked in.
“Are you two fighting?” There was such disbelief in the question, and why wouldn’t there be? Quinn and I had become close over the summer. Good friends. There was no reason for us to be fighting.
“Go back inside, Grace,” Quinn demanded, holding his hand to keep her away as if I were the most wicked of villains.
“You’re kidding, I hope,” she said, racing barefoot down the stairs and across the grass until she was at my side. She’d shown her allegiance, and it was to me. God, I was going to miss her. Grace touched the blood on my cheek, her eyes flaring with anger. Whipping around, she bared her teeth and shoved Quinn back with all her might.
“What did you do?” she screamed.
“Point that finger back at your boyfriend,” he said. “Ask him, Grace. Ask him what he did.”
No doubt hearing the commotion from inside the house, both Scott and Michelle appeared on the porch, saw the standoff, and both rushed into the fray.
“Ask him what?” Grace questioned.
Quinn advanced on me, stopping inches from my face. “Ask him why he was outside of the front gate kissing his foster sister. And if he tries to lie, I’m happy to provide the proof.”
Grace wormed her way between the two of us and stared up at me. “What’s he talking about?”
All eyes were on me. This was all wrong. Everyone hating me. It wasn’t how I wanted to say goodbye. I wanted Grace to at least know how much I loved her. But then again, maybe letting that perception of me as a cheater stand was for the best. If she thought I’d been sneaking around behind her back, Grace wouldn’t come looking. I could disappear into my new identity, and all of this would just be memory. My hands began to shake, followed by my legs and my feet. Pressure closed in on my chest.
“I’m sorry, Grace.”
“Wait.” She touched my face, willing to forgive me sight unseen. Her loyalty killed me. “What are you sorry for?”
Glancing at all the faces staring at me, I doubled down on the lie that would end Grace and me forever. I would never again take a music lesson from Michelle or make barbecue ribs with Scott or play drums in Quinn’s band. I would be erased from the McKallister family for good. The only family I’d ever known.
“I cheated on you,” I said, fighting back the flood of emotion. “With Nikki. The girl who called you. I’m with her. I’m sorry.”
The hurt, misery, and horror that played out over Grace’s face sickened me. I wanted to grab her and tell her it was all a lie, that I loved her and only her, but our time had come. This was the end. It was time to go.
“No,” she said. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
“Yes!” Her voice rose. “You’re lying. Why are you lying? Iknowyou. I know what’s in your heart. You love me. You do.”
I shook my head, bending down to pick up my bag as an errant tear slipped down my face. I wiped it away before its mutiny was discovered.
Grace caught me on my way up, placing her hands on either side of my face and forcing me to look her way. “Please, Beats. Please. Don’t do this. Whatever’s scaring you, I can fix it. I got you, remember?”
“Stop.” I pulled away from her. “I have to go.”
Michelle stepped in, grabbing her daughter’s arm and pulling her back. “Grace, honey…”
“Rory.” Scott raised his voice, the first time I’d ever heard him do such a thing. He was pissed. At me. “Just leave.”
That was when Grace snapped, ripping her arm out of Michelle’s grip and screaming. “Nooo! Nooo!”
We all froze in place, her anger like a lightning rod.
“Everyone, just go away! Go!”
Michelle, Scott, and Quinn backed up. I did too, but she fisted my shirt, forcing me to remain.
“Go!” she screamed at the others. The three of them moved to the edge of the grass. Only then did Grace lay her forehead against my chest, sobs erupting from somewhere deep inside her. I couldn’t stop the tears from slipping out of my eyes. She was ripping my heart out just as I was doing to her.
A minute passed, maybe two, before she lifted her head and again placed her hands on my face, forcing our eyes to connect. “Tell me you don’t love me. Tell me and I’ll let you go.”
