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“I saw the journal, I know some kind of thing went on with her. Girls and high school, I don’t know what to do or say in these situations. I guess it was made up, like Principal Smith said.”
“It wasn’t all made up,” I heard myself say.
Coach frowned and crossed his arms. Darkness gathered in the pit of my belly. Was I really going to blow Bug’s cover about applying for an out-of-state college? Yes, I really was.
“She did apply and get into that other school…the one in California.”
Eric sank into his chair. He seemed winded. His disappointment radiated thickly through the room. A twinge of guilt stabbed in my gut, but I pushed it aside. She deserved it. She couldn’t get away that easily. She couldn’t leave. I wouldn’t allow it.
“She wants to leave, but she’s too scared to tell you.”
Eric’s gaze landed on mine, and the look in his eyes was hard to meet.So, that’s what it was like when someone you cared about was hurt.I recognized the expression from Lily’s green eyes when she’d confronted me about the journal. It didn’t get any easier to stomach, it turned out.
“If that’s all, I’m going to go,” I said to Coach.
He nodded, distracted, and picked up his phone. Was he calling his daughter right now? Was Bug’s life about to fall down around her ears, like she’d brought mine down?
I shouldn’t care. I shouldered my way out of the office and gripped my heavy bag. Making my way down the hall, I shoved my roiling emotions down, far into the dark depths that lived inside me.
I shouldn’t care, and I wouldn’t. Any second now, I wouldn’t.
* * *
After the game, I went with the Ice Gods to Eve’s diner. Asher liked the food there, and he and his sister often lived off the leftovers. It was a retro little diner, low-rent as Hade Harbor went, but it was cute. It was miles above anything in Midnight Falls, that was for sure. Eve smiled at her brother, her grin quickly turning into an arctic glare when she saw me.
“Ew, you brought him?” she asked pointedly, throwing a cleaning rag over her shoulder and squaring up like she might actually try to fight me.
“Be nice, or no tips for you,” Asher grumbled and ambled down the aisle to a booth seat.
I’d just slid in when I recognized a distinctive red head coming out of the back and heading toward a seat. The sight was a kick to the stomach. Lily was here. This is where she’d been hiding instead of watching the game.
I was out of the booth before I could stop myself.
Eve was at Lily’s table, and they whispered furiously.
“Don’t let him scare you away,” Eve was saying in a venomous tone.
“Why not? I’d rather not be around him, and I don’t care what that looks like. It’s bad enough I have to see him at home.”
I’d missed the sound of Lily’s voice, I realized, as I leaned against the wall beside the booth, unnoticed.
“Yeah, well, you didn’t do anything wrong. Running away and avoiding him makes you seem guilty, and it’s not fair,” Eve continued.
“I don’t care what’s fair anymore, and I don’t care if he believes me. Even if he did, I’d never, ever forgive him for what he did—” She broke off as her eyes connected with mine, and her lips slammed shut.
“Don’t let me disturb you, though I must say, my ears were burning.” My voice was uncaring and blasé, and yet being this close to Lily after days of silence made me feel anythingbutuncaring. I’d missed tangling with my clever little Ladybug, even if I wanted to throttle her sometimes.
“What do you want? Get back to your friends, you’re not wanted over here,” Eve said fiercely, putting her hands on her hips.
“Bug, call off your guard dog, or I’ll embarrass her in front of the entire place.”
“With my brother right there? Good luck,” Eve goaded.
She had a point. Asher was very protective of his sister. A customer called to Eve, and I nodded toward them.
“Better do your job and keep your nose out of my business.”
“Fuck you, West,” Eve sneered and then strode away.
