Page 366 of Mad Girl

Was this your long-buried truth? Were you finally saying how you really felt? Had often felt over the last three years?

Disappointed in me?

Your anger didn’t kill me—that did. That single, devastating word.

You wouldn’t forgive me for Michael. I could see that now. Which made it easier to torch everything else—to give you the final truth, the one about Michael knowing your secret—and watch the last shred of my hope burn to the ground.

I looked away, blinking through fresh tears, my fingers curling around your jacket. “I need to tell you something else.”

“I don’t want to hear another word,” you said, still heartbreakingly close to my face.

“But it’s important.” I pressed my hand to your chest, pushing you back, needing space.

“I’m done,” you said, finally stepping back. “Get in the car.”

I turned, peering inside the passenger window. No sign of Bree. “Bree.”

“What about her?” you asked, halting at the front of the Range Rover.

“She must be in there looking for me,” I said, nodding at the house. “We came here together.”

“What?” You tossed a glance over your shoulder, mildly alarmed. “I’ll have to find her, then.” You swore under your breath. “Get in. Lock the doors. Don’t move. Think you can handle that?”

I nodded, tears streaking my face. But when I tried the passenger door, it wouldn’t open. Bree must’ve locked up and taken the key fob with her. Shivering, I leaned against the car and hugged your jacket to my body.

Several minutes later, as I wiped the tears off my face with the sleeve of your jacket, the car unlocked. Bree slung open the driver’s door and climbed behind the wheel. At the sight of her, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh,” she said as I climbed into the passenger seat, then shut the door behind me. “There you are. I was about to leave you here.” She pressed the start button, her fingers trembling as she grabbed the wheel. “I’m guessing by the mascara running down your face that it didn’t go so well.”

“Wait,” I said as she pulled off the curb and peeled out onto the street. “Casey’s in there. He’s looking for you.”

“Fuck him,” Bree said. “You were taking too long, so I convinced those stupid guys at the door to let me in by telling them my name, and a couple of drunk guys cornered me in there. One of them recognized me. ‘Bree Harris. You’re the mayor’s daughter. What are you doing here? Let me get you a drink.’ I told them I didn’t want a drink, but they wouldn’t listen. They had their hands all over me.”

“Oh my God,” I said, yanking my seatbelt on. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not okay!” she yelled. “This happened after I saw you in the back room with Casey. You broke Michael’s heart—and now you’ve broken my other brother. Which is so fucked up!”

I gasped. “You know Casey’s your brother?”

“Michael told me a couple of weeks ago. He said not to tell anyone.”

“What—” I clutched the center console as she sped down a narrow road, then took a sharp right turn too quickly. “Bree, slow down. What do you think about him being your brother?”

“Once the shock wore off, I thought it was great. I’ve always felt this weird connection with Casey, so I thought, Wow, this is actually really cool. Until I learned back there that he’s in love with you, too. You have all three of us trapped under your warped little spell. I mean, what the fuck, Elliot? Do you know how gross that is?”

I did know. I’d considered the warped nature of this situation a number of times myself.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t…reciprocate your feelings. I thought we were just kissing for practice that summer. I didn’t realize it meant something to you until you flipped out over me being in bed with Michael. I never intended to hurt you.”

“Believe me,” Bree said. “I’m over it. Knowing you’ve been hooking up with both of my brothers obliterated my feelings for good.”

“No. Never at the same time. It wasn’t ever like that.”

“Of course you broke them up, too. No wonder they don’t talk anymore. You have to destroy everything—except the one thing I hoped you’d destroy. Somehow, you missed the mark on that.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I told you about my mom wanting Nic to send you away—about our parents sleeping together—so you’d get angry and retaliate. I hoped you’d do something bad enough to make my mom lose the election. She deserved to lose after what she pulled at the beach.”