Page 68 of Tell No Lies

I could tell his anger was simmering just below the surface and tried to keep him calm. “Yes, you did, and I told you he was my friend. That’s all he is, Mike. Do I ever complain about the girls you hang out with? You’re out with half the cheer team after practice every day, and I’ve never accused you of cheating.”

“That’s because I would never cheat on you!”

“So that’s it. You don’t trust me.”

The bell rang, breaking the tension. I stared at him, no longer feeling bad about whatever I did to upset him. I was angry, fuming at his audacity.

“We’ll finish this later.”

I turned away from him and called over my shoulder. “Fine.”

My next class was with Mckayla, and I wondered if she would give me a chance to explain. Her seat was empty when I walked in, so I sat in my normal spot and waited.

Just as the bell rang, she opened the door and took the first open desk, which was on the opposite side of the room.

Mrs. Gonzalez took roll, then sat back in front of her computer, ignoring the class.

My eyes wandered to where Mckayla was sitting, and I caught her staring at me. I was debating whether or not I should go over to her when she stood up and made her way through the desks to me.

“I know what you did to Mike, Aubrey, and it’s not okay.”

I opened my mouth to explain, but she continued.

“I promised Brandon I would watch out for you, and I will, but that doesn’t mean we have to be friends.”

Her words were a dagger in my heart. I couldn’t believe she was reacting like this.

“I introduced you into my world and took you in, and you turned around and hurt us. You lied to us, and you chose someone you knew we all hate. I can’t be friends with someone like that. I’m done.”

She spun and, in a blink, was back on her side of the room. I gaped as seconds passed. She just abandoned me, basically dumped me, over a picture? Without even asking me to explain? There had to be more to what was going on, but I could no longer ask anyone what it was.

Twenty-Two

Normally, seeing Mike waiting for me after dance would have surprised and excited me, but looking at him waiting by his car filled me with dread. What more could he have to say? It was clear he wouldn’t listen to me, and his mind was made up.

I lifted the strap of my duffel bag higher on my shoulder and took in a deep breath before walking out to meet him.

“Hi.” My voice sounded so small, and I hated it. I had nothing to be afraid or ashamed of. I didn’t cheat on him. I just had a friend he didn’t like.

“Hey.”

He gestured to his car before turning to open the driver’s door and getting in. A passing thought of what Gage would say about this slipped into my mind, but I pushed it out. I opened the passenger door and dropped my bag to the floor before sliding in.

We sat in awkward silence for too many moments before he cleared his throat. “I just want to understand why.”

“Why what?” I wasn’t interested in playing his mind games right now.

“Why you would cheat on me with him. Why of all people you would be interested in him.”

The genuine pain in his eyes chiseled at the ice around my heart. I hadn’t deserved his treatment over these past few days, but I never wanted to cause him pain.

“Gage was and is only my friend, Mike. You knew that, and I never tried to hide anything from you. The pictures you saw were made to make things seem so much worse than they were.”

“Then why didn’t you just tell me about it?”

“There was nothing to tell! I went on a run with Gage, and we sat down when we got to the beach.”

“It looks like more than that.”