Page 17 of Mistakes Were Made

They’d gone through too much vodka for her to better communicate how important this was. Acacia seemed to get it anyway; she set the bowl on the coffee table and turned to sit cross-legged on the couch, devoting her full attention to Cassie.

“What is it?”

Cassie ran her fingers through her hair. “No, you know what, it’s not a big deal, don’t even worry about it.”

“Klein,” Acacia said, and it was a command.

“Okay, but like—” Cassie took another swallow of her vodka tonic. “You can’t tell anyone. Or judge me. Or hate me.”

“Cassie, you know I’m never gonna hate you.”

Cassie did—for the most part. Her mom wasn’t around, and her dad had never been around, and most of her friends had left her for Seth even though he’d cheated, but Kaysh—she was the only one who had always been there. So Cassie knew Acacia wouldn’t hate her, but she also knew that Acacia and Parker were best friends—not Acacia and Cassie–level best friends, but best friends nonetheless. But Cassie needed to tell someone, and it wasn’t like she could tell Parker.

“Okay, but no one,” she repeated. “Not Emerson, not Donovan, not Parker.”

They were the only three she might’ve told—brother, boyfriend, best friend—but shecouldn’t. Acacia nodded solemnly.

“Before I knew who she was,” Cassie started, because that wasabsolutely criticalinformation for Acacia to have. She let the restcome out all in one rushed breath. “I kinda accidentally slept with Parker’s mom.”

Acacia was silent.

Then she laughed. She laughed and laughed and reached over to throw unpopped popcorn kernels at Cassie.

“You’re so dumb,” she said. “I thought you had something real going on.”

Cassie stared at her, helpless. She finished her drink.

“Babe…” Acacia’s smile slowly dropped off her face. “Wait, are you not kidding?”

Cassie could only muster a tight-lipped shake of her head.

“Holy shit, Cassie.”

If Cassie had been anyone else, that was when she would’ve started to cry. But she wasn’tcryingover some woman she’d slept with once. That wasn’t why she’d told Acacia. She just needed to not keep the secret anymore.

“You slept with Parker’s mom?”

Cassie swallowed. “I didn’t know she was her mom at the time.”

Acacia took a deep breath. She looked toward the ceiling, like she was trying to figure out the details without having to ask.

“When?” she finally said.

“Family Weekend,” Cassie answered. “Friday.”

Acacia’s eyes went wide. “Friday? Friday like the day before you went out to breakfast with her and Parker? The day before you sat next to her at the a cappella concert?”

Cassie nodded.

“Fuck, Cass,” Acacia said. “How did you even sit next to her? God—you didn’t do anything then, did you?”

“No,” she said immediately. “I mean—we just, like a little, in the bathroom—”

“What thefuck,Cassie?”

Cassie wasn’t going to cry over some woman she’d slept with once, but she might over how angry her best friend was with her.Well, shewouldn’t,obviously, but she was drunk and Acacia had her hands balled into fists, her mouth turned sharply down. Cassie had thought she’d be shocked, yeah, but notmad.

“Why would you tell me this? What am I supposed to do with this information?”

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