“What do you think it means?” I replied.
The energy in the room became painfully awkward as the silence hung in the air. I could feel myself at the edge. The silence was forcing my hand. I was going to have to say something. Everyone watched as I downed the rest of the wine.
Tommy seemed to understand first. “You don’t mean …” he trailed off. “Did he do something to you?”
I had always expected to feel embarrassed if anyone found out. Humiliated, even, the way I had been that night. But now, those feelings were gone. So much worse had happened to all of us.
“You could say that.” I turned in my seat to look at my mother. Her expression shifted from rage to confusion. “I made Gary the murderer in my book because he deserved it.”
29
Then: June 2010
The lunch at Longhorn was the most uncomfortable meal I had ever had. Will sat beside Alex, barely speaking. He just reacted to the conversation around him with short one-word answers. Alex stared at him for the entirety of lunch, biting her bottom lip and tracing the heart necklace he had given her. If she did look away, it was to glare at me. Our parents were too busy with their own conversation to notice. When the meal was finished, Will asked Alex if they could go to the beach to talk, and she agreed.
I went home with the Hopelys at Cassandra’s insistence, even though I no longer wanted to. I had promised her I would stay overnight. We spent the next two hours swimming in the pool with Victoria, while I tried to ignore the absence of Alex and Will. The longer they were gone, the more worried I became. If they were still talking after all this time, what did that mean? Had Will forgiven her? Had Alex convinced him that I was the liar?
The Hopelys were deciding what to cook for dinner when the front door finally opened. I stiffened as Alex walked into the room, trying to read her expression.
“How was the beach?” Mr. Hopely asked, taking a sip from his wine glass. He had already refilled it twice during the afternoon and his tone was clipped. Alex didn’t give anything away. She just said, “Good.” She sat at one of the empty chairs in the kitchen, texting someone on her phone and chatting with her sisters about the graduation. A pit formed in my stomach. Alex seemed totally fine. Had Will really believed her that easily? What kind of bullshit hadshe fed him over the last few hours? It shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did. She was his first love. She had the Alex Effect. Of course she had convinced him that it was all one big misunderstanding. I felt like such an idiot.
After dinner, I followed Cassandra back to her bedroom and felt someone grab me in the hallway. Alex’s skinny hand was wrapped around my forearm, her bright eyes lit with rage.
“I hope you’re happy,” she seethed. “Will broke up with me.”
The rock that had formed in my stomach dissolved. Will had believed me? He had dumped her?
“Alex, I—”
She cut me off. “I really hope you enjoy your sleepover with Cass tonight,” she said, dropping my arm. She tucked a piece of her long golden hair behind her ear. “Because after I tell her what you did to me, it’s going to be your last here.”
I had been an idiot not to think about this. Of course Alex was going to tell Cassandra. Why wouldn’t she? Everyone was going to ask her what happened between her and Will, and she couldn’t lie to all of them. And Cassandra was going to side with Alex. There was no question about it. Why would she want the girl who’d ruined her sister’s relationship hanging out at her house? Alex was vindictive. If she had publicly humiliated Victoria, her own sister, what was she going to do to me for ruining her relationship? Losing my best friend might only be the start of it.
I tried to enjoy what felt like borrowed time with Cassandra that night. We stayed up late eating Oreos and flipping through magazines. By twelve, she had turned off the lights and fallen asleep. I could hear Cassandra snoring from my spot beside her in her trundle bed. But sleep evaded me. I just kept thinking about what I had done. I had thought I was doing the right thing. Ihad thought Will deserved to know the truth, but had I accidentally ruined everything for both of us? Will was heartbroken and alone, and I was about to lose my best friend. The tightening in my chest got worse as I tossed and turned, too anxious to doze off.
I periodically heard stirrings from Victoria’s room, but as another hour passed, everything quieted. When I got up to pee, I noticed that Alex’s bedroom light was still on, so I avoided the bathroom next to it and headed for the guest bath off the kitchen. We used it whenever we went swimming because it had a separate door to the pool and patio.
I crept quietly into it, turning on the light and reaching behind me to shut the door. A hand stopped it from closing, wrapping around the edge. My stomach tightened.Alex.Now that we had time alone, she had probably come to let me know exactly what she thought of me. I felt a mix of relief and confusion as the door opened and I realized it wasn’t her.
It was Mr. Hopely.
He opened the door wide enough to slip inside with me. I could tell that he was drunk. How much more wine had he had after dinner? His eyes were glazed over, and he was stumbling.
“Mr. Hopely?” I whispered. He closed the door fully, leaning his frame against it. He was wearing fancy striped pajama bottoms and a white T-shirt.
He smiled lazily. “Mr. Hopely.So formal.” He burped a little. “You can call me Gary, you know. You’ve known me for a long time, Rosie.”
I would never call him Gary. Even if he had been one of my friends’ parents that Ididlike, it still would have felt disrespectful. Gary smiled, waiting for me to correct myself.
“Mr. Hopely is fine,” I said, a little firmer.He didn’t take the bait.
“You’re up late, aren’t you?”
“Oh … uh … I guess.”
“Big day.” He nodded. “Everyone’s growing up.”
I waited for him to say more, but he just stared at me.
