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I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what I was about to say, not wanting to accuse her, but needing to know the truth. "I have to ask about the dating profiles and the blackmail. Is it you? Are you behind this?"
Her face fell, shock and hurt evident in her expression. "What? How could you even think that, Jake? I would never do something like that to you!”
I raised my hands, trying to calm her. "I'm sorry, Molly. I just needed to ask. I don't know what to think anymore. Mrs. Peters said something to me this morning about how it couldn’t be Valerie and she got into in my head."
She shook her head, anger flashing in her eyes. "I can't believe you would accuse me of something like this. After everything we've been through, how could you not trust me?"
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "It's not that I don't trust you, Molly. I'm just trying to make sense of all this."
She scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. "By accusing me of creating fake profiles to what? Sabotage your reputation? Force us into a relationship? Do you really think I'm capable of that? Besides, not that I should have to defend myself, but you kissed me first before the blackmail."
I could feel the situation slipping out of control. I’d never felt such instant regret before in my life. I raked my fingers through my hair. A fool, I was a god damned fool. "No, I don’t think that of you, of course not. I'm sorry, Molly. I shouldn't have said anything. I let Mrs. Peters get to me."
"You're right, you shouldn't have." Her voice was cold, distant. "I think it would be a good idea for you to leave."
I wanted to argue, to make her see that I was just trying to protect myself and Hailey. That the whole scandal was getting to me, but I knew it would only make things worse. I nodded, feeling defeated. "I'm sorry, Molly. I never meant to hurt you."
With a heavy heart, I walked out of her classroom to find Hailey and go home.
I was an idiot.
But this was just our first fight, right? Surely it would pass.
My mind was stuck on repeat, going over the conversation with Molly as I drove home, barely hearing a word of Hailey’s persistent argument for why she should go to her mother’s wedding.
When we got home, I went through the motions of making dinner, but my heart wasn't in it, resulting in over cooked chicken and burnt garlic in the sauce. Amy got home from the hospital a little later that evening and she said it was okay for Hailey to visit for a little while. Hailey was old enough now not to be a burden and be more of a help, so I thought it was okay and not taking advantage of something that would give me time I desperately needed to sort my thoughts out.
I took the opportunity to meet up with Dan at what once upon a time had been our usual spot, a little hole-in-the-wall bar downtown called The Chaser.
I needed to vent about the whole fake dating profile situation, and since my go-to advice person was busy being a new mother. I had to call in my second-string guy.
"I don't know what to do, man," I confessed, taking a swig of my beer. "These fake profiles are making me lose my mind, and now Molly and I are on the outs because I accused her of being behind them."
Dan leaned back, his exasperated expression showing his confusion over how he could have ended up being friends with such an idiot. "Dude, you can't just go around pointing fingers without proof. Especially not Molly. She's been nothing but good to you."
I ran a hand through my hair, feeling like a total ass. "Yeah, I know. I'm just so damn stressed with Natasha showing up, and now this? It's too much."
"I get it, but you gotta think this through. Molly's got no reason to make those profiles. That girl's head over heels for you. Anyone can see that."
He was right. The guilt hit me like a sucker punch. "I screwed up, man. I shouldn't have accused her, but who else could it be?"
Dan took a sip of his beer, mulling it over. "What about Natasha? She's been stirring up trouble since she rolled back into town."
"Yeah, I thought about that, but what's her angle?"
"Who knows? Maybe she's trying to mess with you and Molly. Or maybe she just wants attention. Point is, you can't count her out."
It made sense. I nodded, feeling like I finally had a plan. "You're right, but there is more to it than just what I’ve told you. There are things people don’t know."
“Like what?”
“Like the fact that someone blackmailed Molly and I into dating in the first place.” I recounted the whole story, including me walking in on her naked, but skipping the hook-up that preceded our fake relationship. Molly and I had carried that secret alone now for so long, it felt good to tell someone else, who wasn’t stuck in the middle of it.
Dan mulled it over while he drained the dregs of his beer. “That’s some wild shit.”
I nodded, finishing my own beer.
“But still, Molly? Really? I don’t think it was her. It sounds like something a kid would do, and even then, it’s hard to figure out their motive.”
