I realized then how little attention I’d been paying him, how little contact we’d had in the weeks since Dad had left. He must have been having a hell of a time with all the lies Julian had told and those nasty stories that had scared him and the other kids half to death.
“We’ll call him this afternoon when school’s over. Sound good?”
Cam seemed to hesitate, and then he grabbed my hand.
“Are you sure we can’t just go home?” He seemed desperate.
I squatted down to look him in the eye. “You’re safe, Cam. Nobody can hurt you now.”
My brother glanced down the hallway and then back at me. It seemed like he had something to say.
“Cam…” I was about to ask him what this was all about, but then he just gave me a hug and sprinted off.
“See you later,” I called out, somewhat confused by the way he was acting. Then I looked at my watch. It was late, so I booked it over to the high school wing.
When I reached my locker, I found Ellie leaning against it. I didn’t know what to say. But I didn’t have to—she spoke first. “I’m so sorry,” she said, and her face told me she meant it.
A part of me was angry at her for butting into my relationship—if it wasn’t for her, Taylor wouldn’t have broken up with me, and he wouldn’t be hurting so bad. But I knew the whole thing was actually my fault. I couldn’t blame her for something I’d brought upon myself. In the end, I was the one who had deceived Taylor, I had lied to him, and I was so determined not to hurt him that I’d kept things hidden, and that’s why we were in this situation.
“It’s OK, Ellie,” I told her. “With all the shit I’m dealing withright now, the last thing I need is to lose my best friend over a guy.”
I opened my locker, took out my books, and closed it again. Ellie smiled, and I noticed she had tears in her eyes.
“Hey, relax,” I said, surprised.
“I just screwed up so bad, Kami…” she said, wiping away a tear. “I don’t know what it was. I just… I know you’re not like that, and seeing my best friend do that to…”
“The guy you have a crush on?” I asked.
Her eyes opened wide, and she shook her head. “I…”
“Seriously, Ellie, it’s fine.” Just then I saw Taylor standing by his locker at the end of the hall. I was surprised to notice he wasn’t alone. Kate was talking to him. Ellie looked over at them, and she was just as surprised as I was.
“What’s she up to?”
“I don’t know,” I replied. Taylor shook his head and looked at my ex–best friend with a baffled expression. He then walked toward us on his way to his and Ellie’s AP Physics class. Despite everything that had happened, despite the night I’d spent with Thiago, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy when he called out to Ellie as he walked by. “You coming, Webber?” he said in that way that made every girl weak in the knees.
Ellie’s eyes lit up before she looked to see my reaction.
“See you guys later,” I said.
Had Taylor forgotten he’d asked me to talk at lunchtime?
“Good luck on your exam,” he said to me, and suddenly my heart started racing.
“What?” I asked, feeling my mouth dry out.
“Your exam,” he responded, looking worried. “Kate said you have a final today, right?”
“Shit!”
“Did you forget?” Ellie asked incredulously.
Fuck!
“And I thought you’d spent the night studying,” Taylor commented, looking me in the eyes.
Was he being sarcastic? Did he know I’d spent the night with Thiago? Had Thiago told him something?
