Chapter Thirty-eight
Evan
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”
All’s Well That Ends Well
The woman across from me, sporting a camo jacket and cowboy boots, was a total stranger.
She tilted her head and appraised me too. “Thanks for coming out to meet me.”
“It’s so good to see you.” I stared at her, trying to figure out how I’d mistaken Elizabeth for this very different person. But much like that night, I had to accept this Lizzy was who she said she was.
“You’ve changed,” she said as if reading my mind. “You look good. Really good.”
Her voice sounded so familiar, a slight Virginian accent that reminded me of home, and as she spoke the ghost of the person I used to know crossed her features, and just like that, I could envision the girl she used to be. I’d never gotten that click of recognition with Elizabeth, just a strong desire to believe.
“What did you want to talk about, Lizzy.”
She raised one heavily penciled eyebrow. “I go by Liz now, but I guess you can call me Lizzy. Everyone from home still does.”
Heat crept up my neck as I replayed the messages I’d written to Liz, just a few weeks ago, when I’d thought she was Elizabeth. “First, let me say I’m sorry that I weirded you out on chat.”
Her mouth twisted into a frown. “Yeah. I hadn’t thought about you in years. All of a sudden you were lighting up my phone.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got a boyfriend, and he’d lose his shit if I was having a conversation with a male model.”
I ran a hand through my hair embarrassed by the compliment, trying to recall what exactly I’d said to her. How much of a fool had I made of myself? “I realize how creepy that must have been, but you have to know I wasn’t writingyou. I mean, IthoughtI was writing you, but it wasn’tyou.”
She shuffled in her seat, and I worried she might get up and leave if I couldn’t start to sound like a sane person. “Yeah. Kyan filled me in.”
I exhaled in relief. “Look, I’d also like to apologize for what happened years ago. It may sound weird or too little too late, but I blew you off—all of my old friends. I came to regret it faster than you’ll ever know.”
She flashed wide eyes. “Oh, I knew it.”
“You did?”
“Everyone knew, Evan.” She leaned in closer. “That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you.”
“Right.” I was glad she was giving me this avenue.
Before I could continue, she said, “And I’m really sorry for my part in that.”
“What? Why are you sorry?”
She looked down at her hands, clasped on the table. “Yeah, I was mad at you when you suddenly became super popular just for playing a sport. It was easier to think you’d become a jackass than to recognize you probably had your own problems, but high school sucked for a lot of us in different ways.”
I refrained from reminding her that she was apologizing tome.
She scrunched her face, then looked up at me. “I said some things about you.”
That stopped me cold. I was almost afraid to ask. “What kinds of things?”
“I was just bitter and venting.” Her expression tightened, and I braced for something painful. “Please remember this was a decade ago, and I’m no longer that person anymore.”
How many times had I thought the same thing to excuse my own terrible behavior. “Of course. I’m not going to get mad at you.”
“Okay. And also I didn’t really mean any of it, or at least not in a bad way. Mostly, I was sharing stories of you from middle school, the dorky things you were into…” She smiled ruefully. “I mean, those were things I actually really liked about you, but your new friends found it hilarious—in a bad way.”
“My new friends?”
