Page 33 of Darkest Obsession

“Thomas, I’m not your girlfriend. You can have your little secrets.”

“It’s about what I told you this summer.”

We promised each other that we wouldn’t talk about that and I don’t want him to bring it up again. Thomas tried confessing his creepy past to me, but I couldn’t handle it. I didn’t want to hear about his horrible life or the horrible things that he did when he was a teenager. That stuff makes me look at him differently.

“Seriously? Thomas. Please. I don’t need to know.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Why? Because I have stuff to do, Thomas.”

I have to call my mom for one thing. She’s been so lonely without dad. Denise and Teresa try their best, and she has Amina now, but I know she misses me like hell.

“Someone’s blackmailing me.”

“Who would blackmail you?”

I don’t mean to sound so judgmental, but Thomas is just one of those guys who keeps to himself. He’s friends with the crew team, but he constantly rebuffs advances from girls, even regular ass conversations with girls. He doesn’t talk to anyone who doesn’t entirely interest him and he isn’t shy about letting people know that they don’t interest him at all. Despite his horrible personality, girls in our year are crazy about Thomas’ looks.

Even Clover and Kola act like they think he’s hot — and neither of them even like him.

“I dunno. I thought it might be… your friend. But it’s not.”

“Which friend?”

Damn. Why do I sound so defensive? Does he know about him?

“Clover. Obviou— I mean. Clover.”

At least he takes the opportunity to stop himself from being condescending, which is just about a first for Thomas Bainbridge.

“Clover wouldn’t blackmail you. What? Why the hell would Clover care about you?”

“Can you please listen, Syl.”

“Then say something worth listening to, Thomas.”

“Amelia Harrington. I told you about that night, but I didn’t tell you about her.”

“I’m listening…”

And then he tells me. I thought Thomas confessed all his dark secrets to me this summer, but what he tells me in the gym lobby, through his mumbles and whispers, scares me to my core. He hasn’t just done something dark or dangerous. He did something criminal.

I try to hold myself together even if my heart races. At least he’s telling me somewhere in public. I don’t want to be alone with Thomas anymore and I wish he didn’t tell me.

“I didn’t want you to find out from someone else.”

I so wish he didn’t tell me. How can Thomas expect me to keep this secret and look at him the same way?

I have to keep my cool. Amina wants me to be kind to him, so fine. But I was right. This makes me look at him differently. Maybe it’s for the best that he stays away from girls here.

“Who would blackmail you about this?”

It’s the only answer that I can think of, but only because maybe the two seemingly unrelated events actually have some connection. Vandalism and blackmail aren’t the same crime, but the Fox Academy is a pretty small school. Thomas shrugs and sticks his hands back in his pockets.

“I don’t know. Listen, Sylvia. I didn’t want to tell you. I know what I did is unforgivable.”

“It’s not just unforgivable Thomas. You effectively killed someone.”