Page 48 of Mad Girl

“You think I’d sleep with another girl’s boyfriend?” This bothered me more than the lying accusation. I might’ve done some messed-up shit in my short life, but I’d never knowingly hook up with another girl’s boyfriend. There were certain lines that even I wouldn’t cross.

“Of course I don’t. I just—I want to be sure you’ve been honest. If you decided to go by Michael’s, I’d want you to tell me. Not hide it.”

The guilt, Casey. It rose inside me, cold and suffocating, pressing on my ribs. Deciding to face the consequences, I opened my mouth to tell you the truth. “I⁠—”

“Casey,” a voice said from the hallway. Michael stepped into my room with his hands raised. “Listen, man. Elliot was never at my apartment. Sienna found an earring and flipped out. She stormed over here before I could stop her.”

Your eyes cut back to me, then returned to Michael. “Whose earring did she find?”

“It belongs to a girl from my political theory class,” Michael said. “She asked for my help with a paper that’s due next week, and I—it was stupid, but I took her back to my apartment. Sienna thinks I cheated on her, and I feel terrible. I’m an asshole.”

You turned to me, your shoulders sagging with relief.

“I’d tell you if I wanted to go by Michael’s, Casey,” I said, but it came out less convincing than I’d hoped, barely more than a whisper and shaky around the edges. “I wouldn’t hide it.”

I hated myself for telling you that lie. Even worse, you believed it, giving me a small nod before you left to make our tea.

Michael and I stared at each other, waiting for the sound of your footsteps to fade.

“You didn’t have to lie for me,” I said, digging my toes into the pillowy softness of my duvet.

He shrugged. “Someone’s finally giving you freedom, and I don’t want you to lose that.”

“But what about Sienna?”

“She still thinks I cheated on her.”

“And?”

“And she wants to break up.”

“Well, now I feel terrible,” I said, tossing my phone across the mattress. “I mean, I obviously love the idea of you breaking it off with her, but I don’t want her to think you cheated.” My eyes drifted closed. “I’ll tell Casey the truth.”

“Don’t do that,” Michael said. “You should have the freedom to hang out with a friend after school, Elliot. I’m not upset about this, okay? It’s not like Sienna’s the one or anything. Forget it.”

But I couldn’t.

Letting anyone—even an annoying bitch like Sienna—think badly of Michael felt wrong.

So that following Friday after school, I asked her to meet me in the Garden.

Sporting a pair of oversized sunglasses and a bright red coat, she joined me on a bench. She crossed her legs, jabbing her chin in Hal’s direction. “Why’s your driver standing against that tree over there, looking creepy as fuck?”

“He’s there in case one of us decides to attack the other.”

One corner of her mouth ticked up. “What do you want? To rub your fling with Michael in my face?”

“We never had a fling, Sienna. I snuck inside his apartment to scrub the toilet with your toothbrush, but he caught me, and we talked. The earring must’ve fallen out when I pulled off my scarf.”

“So the earring was yours.”

I nodded.

“The story he gave me about some rando from his class was obviously bullshit—but yours is, too. You hooked up with him. Admit it.”

“I’ve never hooked up with Michael.” Or any guy, for that matter. But I’d rather have chopped off my own foot than confess my lack of experience to her.

“I know you did,” she said. “Just say it.”