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Lizzie reared back like I had struck her. “You did not just say that.”
“Jesus Christ, Claire, don’t talk to her like that.”
“Stay out of this, Hugh! You don’t know the full story.”
“And you do?”
“Your sister killed herself,” Claire doubled down and repeated. “Caoimhe did that to herself, and you can’t spend the rest of your life laying blame on an innocent boy. Not when you don’t know the facts. The real truth about what went down.”
“I know exactly what happened,” she strangled out. “Caoimhe was raped! That monster raped my sister and drove her to suicide!”
“You have it so wrong!”
“No, I don’t. You’re the one who’s wrong. You’re wrong, Claire. You’re so fucking wrong!”
“Caoimhe wasn’t the one who was raped!” Claire screamed at the top of her lungs, and I swear to god my heart stopped dead in my chest. “It wasn’t her, Lizzie! Mark didn’t rape your sister!” And then, she blew my world when she pointed a finger at me and screamed, “He raped my boyfriend!”
76
Murder on the Dance Floor
CLAIRE
As soon as the words were out of mouth, I knew I had made a fatal error in judgment. Good as my intentions were, my reckless urge to defend Gerard’s honor had only resulted in exposing his throat to the enemy. Blind love led me into his arms, and blind loyalty led me to betray him.
Eyes widening in horror, my gaze flicked to his. “Gerard.”
He just stared, frozen as a statue, unmoving, unblinking, unbreathing.
“Shit,” Joey said quietly, sharp as a razor as he clicked onto the truth before the rest of the group. Blowing out a shaky breath, he held his head with both hands. “Fuck.”
“I’m sorry,” I strangled out, kicking into action, as I closed the space between us, attempting to touch and cradle his face in my hands. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so, so, so sorry, baby.” And I was sorry. For humiliating him. But I wasn’t sorry for speaking out. I couldn’t be. Not when my conscience was assuring me that for the first time in my life, I had done the right thing. Even when it was the scariest thing. “It shouldn’t have come out like that,” I hurried to soothe. “I know, okay? I know it shouldn’t have, and I’m so sorry, baby, but I can’t sit back on this.”
Reaching up, he gently removed my hands from his face and placed them at my sides. And then he took a step away from me. And then another.
“No, no, no, no,” I cried out hoarsely, running to barricade the door to stop him from leaving. In the background, I could hear everyone shouting, but I couldn’t concentrate on a word anyone was saying.
I was too engulfed in the blazing fire of betrayal that burned in Gerard’s eyes. “How.”
One word.
It was only one.
But it held the weight of a lifetime of friendship with it.
“I found your letter,” I admitted, feeling the tears from earlier return with a vengeance. “It was when I went up to your room to get the tickets.” I shrugged helplessly as I tried to explain myself to the only person who mattered to me in this moment. “I took it by mistake. It was muddled up with your phone and wallet.”
Betrayal.
It was written all over his face.
Everyone’s attention had shifted to him, but he never took his eyes off mine, as he stared at me with a combination of surprise, horror, and betrayal storming in his gray irises.
A million different emotions waged a war inside of him, with betrayal coming out victorious. Some of our friends were shouting. Others were just staring. Someone was crying. I couldn’t tell. I couldn’t make sense of any of their voices. I was rooted to the floor in utter contempt for my recklessness.
“What are you talking about?” Johnny demanded, losing his cool as he looked around wildly, willing me to put the genie back in the bottle. “What did you say that for, Claire?”
“Johnny, don’t,” Shannon begged.
