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I ignore him and stab a potato.
"Not like Sherling parties, huh?" he notes, not following up the insinuation that just because Nina's not here, it's okay for something to happen between us.
I let out a short laugh. "Nothing like Sherling parties. I shouldn't even be here."
We eat in silence for a minute.
"No, you shouldn't." His voice is quiet with a hint of apology. "I mean, you should never have been arrested."
I place my plate on the glass table next to the chair. "What happened after I left that night?"
Parker sets down his plate and slides onto my chair, facing me with his hand resting on my hip. His eyes lock me in, the brilliant blue delving deep. "I didn't know how badly she was injured, I swear. They wouldn't tell us anything when we dropped her off, and we couldn't stick around in case they called the police. But I promise you, she was conscious when we left her."
"She was?" My heart skips in my chest. "Did she say anything?"
Parker's brows scrunch in thought, trying to remember. "Something about having to help her. Don't let him hurt her." He looks up, his face lighting with realization. "She meant you, didn't she? She was talking about you."
I swallow.
"Remember that one truth you promised me--"
"Don't," I beg. "Please don't use it now."
Parker gently rests his hand on my cheek. "You can trust me, Lana."
I open my mouth, unsure what's about to come out, a protest or a confession. But nothing does.
"Please," he urges. "Maybe if I knew, I could help. I won't let anyone hurt you."
"I didn't push her." The easiest truth to confess.
"I know," he says, surprising me.
"You do?"
"Of course." He looks at me in confusion. "You thought I'd actually think you'd be capable of that? I've seen you in some crazy fights, Lana, but you're not cruel."
Except, I can be. "But you told me to keep my mouth shut."
"Yeah, because I wanted to take care of everything. To protect you."
"And yourself."
Parker tilts his head, not denying it. "I didn't know what exactly happened, but I knew you were involved. And you weren't dealing with it very well, so I needed to get you away from the scene. So tell me what happened?"
I hesitate, searching his eyes. Can I trust him? And even if I did, what could he do?
I open my mouth. The truth's about to slip from my tongue when I hear footsteps clicking along the wooden planks. Parker closes his eyes in frustration.
"There you are," Lily sings, coming up beside us. "Sorry. Did I interrupt something?"
"No, it's fine" Parker replies, standing. "What's going on?"
"Nothing. I just haven't had a minute to speak with Lana yet." She drags a chair to the other side of me as Parker sits back in his seat, picking up his plate. "I wanted to ask how you liked your room?"
"What?" I look from Lily to Parker. He shrugs, not knowing what she's talking about.
"At Blackwood? I wasn't sure what colors you liked. The guys weren't any help. So I decided to keep it clean and simple. But I really hope you like it."
