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He’d said the same thing to me, but there was a missing piece. I knew it. It was nagging me from the back of my mind. The puzzle wasn’t complete and I was determined to figure it out. With my lips pressed together, I gave her a pointed look. “Thanks for telling me.”
She flushed. “I’m sorry. Again. I was jealous.” She rolled her eyes. “He told Ethan he wanted to break up with Sarah and be with you, but your brother wasn’t having it. He threatened Jesse that if he broke up with Sarah, then he’d say something horrible to you. He was going to turn you against him.” Her laugh was hollow. “Your brother was hardcore, huh?”
Not the Ethan I knew.
Pain tingled at the tips of my fingers and toes. It was slowly working its way through me, all the way to send my heart into a tailspin.
The brother I knew would’ve never kept me from someone I loved.
Oh shit.
I drew in another shuddering breath.
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I had loved Jesse then.
Had I stopped when he hadn’t returned my calls? Because I didn’t still love him. I couldn’t.
“You okay?”
I jerked my head in a nod. “Yeah.”
She wasn’t convinced.
“Look,” edging closer to me, Marissa glanced over her shoulder. “I know Jesse’s going to ditch her soon and she’s going to come back. I won’t say anything. I know you two were secretive before and I’m figuring you are now since you didn’t tell us where his house was.” She bit her lip and kicked at some dirt before her head came back up. “It’s no secret. She wanted to come down because she’s still obsessed with getting Jesse back. She’s dropped the perfect act. She’s hardcore, like your brother.”
Anger flared in me. Ethan wasn’t hardcore. She must’ve heard wrong.
“I’ve gone through a lot of my issues and I have a lot to say to you. I’m sorry about your parents. I knew what they were doing to you.”
Panic threatened me.
“I should’ve said something or done something, but I didn’t. I was a shitty friend to you, no matter what you think. I wasn’t loyal and I didn’t stand up for you.” Her frown deepened when she saw Sarah in the distance. “I hate feeling rushed. I wished you had met me for brunch. Listen, don’t trust Sarah. Don’t trust Angie.”
Angie? Her name was a lightning bolt. “What are you talking about?”
“Angie’s going to contact you.”
I sensed her withdrawal. Sarah was almost upon us and this new Marissa would disappear again. My hand latched onto her arm. “Did she tell you that?”
Startled, she looked up from my hand to my face. I felt the blood drain from me and knew she was seeing a ghost. Good. I was starting to feel like one again. She shook her head. “No, but I know Angie. She’ll take a semester off, see me at some party at Christmas, and I’ll tell her that I’ve seen you. She’ll hate that. She’s going to contact you, just for her conscience probably. She’ll think she’s the bad friend and she’ll hate that.” A smug grin came over her. “On second thought, maybe I won’t say anything at all. I like thinking of her as the bad friend.”
I was getting restless. Marissa was talking too much about the past. It was a year of hell and I wanted it remain behind me. She was dredging up past hurts, past feelings, and memories. All of them were better left buried. I snapped, “Shut up, Marissa!”
She jumped back.
“Just shut up. Stop talking about shit you don’t know anything about.”
“What?” Her mouth hung there for a moment. “But I do. I know what I’m talking about. Don’t trus—”
“Stop it!” My voice rose and I knew the last was a shout.
Sarah had halted a few feet from us, but she edged closer now. She’d grown cautious since my outburst. When Marissa jerked away, an evil grin came over her. She sauntered now, gloating, “Not so perfect now, Alex? I’m glad we ran into you at this pathetic picnic. I can’t believe my cousin told us hot guys would be here. Other than Jesse, I didn’t see anyone. They’re all freaks.”
Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to settle my pulse down. I couldn’t believe this was the same girl Jesse had been with for so long. She’d been shy. She’d been dainty. Now she was ugly. I didn’t mean her looks.
“Let’s go.” She gave me a pointed look as she spoke to Marissa, “Jesse told me where the real party is at. He said Cord’s there and he’s coming right behind us.”
Marissa had been watching me. When I didn’t react, her lips thinned. She knew Jesse had been lying. “Sure. Why not?” Her eyes never left mine. “I’ll see you later?”
I didn’t answer.
I didn’t care.
When they left, she gave me a sad smile while Sarah hurried off. Her hand was clutching onto Marissa, as if claiming her, and she went along like a dutiful friend.
Whatever had changed, I knew Marissa would never be my best friend again. She’d never be merely a friend either.
I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin.
That was just fine with me.
‘All you do is lie.’
I went in search for Jesse, and I shut that nagging voice down. It would only bring me heartache.
When I approached the group at the bottom, no one paid me attention. This was why Sarah hadn’t liked them, because they hadn’t cared about her. A few others were behind me and were greeted by a group to the side. It was obvious this was a tight group. Sidelong glances were cast at me. I felt the suspicion from some of the members, some were merely curious.
Jesse lifted his arm. He was sitting in a lawn chair around a campfire. As I drew near, I saw it wasn’t a real campfire, but one that stood in the air. It was an expensive looking piece of metal that would’ve looked at home on a millionaire’s patio. It stood out, nestled in the middle of its group with ripped and fading lawn chairs.
Jesse patted his lap. I sat in front of his feet. I sensed his confusion, but then his hands came to my shoulder and he began to rub between my shoulders. When they paused, he had found the knots of tension between my shoulder blades. Biting my tongue, I hoped he wouldn’t comment on them. I didn’t want to talk. As his thumbs started to press into them and he began a massage, my shoulders lifted up in a relieved breath.
Thank god.
A girl from across the campfire waved. She had a baseball cap pulled down to cover most of her face. Her jean shorts were ripped at the ends with a white tank underneath a baggy flannel shirt. I was surprised as I recognized this girl from The Shack. She’d been the one tending the bar. Brielle? Was that what Jesse had called her? No, he called her Bri. As I looked around the rest of the campfire, I was even more surprised.
The entire band of Braille sat around it. All of them had on baseball caps, all pulled low over their faces. They were unrecognizable.
No wonder Sarah thought this Feast was a joke. I knew without a doubt that she hadn’t known who else was in attendance.
The drummer was beside Bri and he was tapping her foot with his. She glared at him, then kicked his leg back. A goofy grin slid over his face as he continued to bob his head to the music’s beat. After she settled back down, he began tapping her foot again.
“Braden!” she growled.
“Shut up,” a low warning came from beside me.
A guy was on the ground with a guitar in his lap. His shoulders were being rubbed how mine were, but instead of Jesse, he got a blonde bombshell. Her hair was sun streaked and instead of the flannel shirt Bri wore, this girl only wore a black tank top. It resembled more of a tube top as it rested high on her stomach and barely covered her cleavage. Tight black shorts disappeared in her lawn chair as her golden legs wrapped around the guy in front of her.
Jesse chuckled and gray eyes shifted over to us. A menacing look was in them. I felt blasted with his coldness, but it didn’t have the same effect on Jesse. He cursed at him, “Stuff it, Luke.”
The drummer, identified as Braden now, pumped a hand in the air. He held two drumsticks in it. “Yeah, Hunt! You tell him.”
Bri’s lip curled up. “Just what we need, two superstars getting in a fight.”
A guy in the back commented, “It’d be good publicity.”
