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Me: It’s going to be okay! It’s your first offense. You don’t do or deal drugs. You were only the driver. They have to take that into consideration.
I hoped they would anyway. My knowledge of the law couldn’t fill a thimble. This was more of a situation of putting positive thoughts into the universe and hoping they came true.
Once the message sent, I realized Jonah never answered me.
The drive to the school from the diner was only about five minutes, and Jonah parked us in his normal spot. Rhys wasn’t here yet, but we still had twenty minutes before school started. I couldn’t decide if I enjoyed being here this early and having the opportunity to eat breakfast with my guys, or if I’d regret all my life decisions when I fell asleep in math class.
Breaking me out of my musings, Jonah turned in his seat. He left the engine on with the heat on full blast since we weren’t getting out just yet. I wasn’t even sure if the school doors would be open this early. They had to be, right?
“I just realized I made a big mistake.” He gulped and scratched his forehead. His face even lost most of his color the longer he gazed at me.
“You’re making me nervous.” I fidgeted with my seatbelt. The fidgeting was getting so strong under his stare that I stuck them under my thighs to hold them still. “You have two options. You can tell me now, and put me out of my misery, or you can wait until lunch or after school, but just know my imagination is going to run wild.”
“God, Astrid.” He dropped his head whispering under his breath. Then he fell silent again.
“Are you dying?”
His head jerked up. “No.”
“Do you know anyone who is dying?”
“No.”
Steeling myself for the next question, I pressed my fingertips into the underside of my fleece tights. “Are you breaking up with me or leaving the group?”
The gasp that flew from his mouth would have been comical if I wasn’t so nervous. There had been too much weird drama following us around this year for me to believe this was something inconsequential. Jonah also didn’t make a habit of turning mountains out of mole hills.
“Hell no. I’m afraid you all are stuck with me.” He slumped against the steering wheel. “I’m more afraid of how you’ll react. It’s up to you, Astrid. I can tell you now or wait until later. Whatever is best for you.” His tone softened, as if trying to tame a wild animal.
Shaking my head, I scoffed. “You know what my choice will be. Once you dangle any type of carrot in anyone’s face, they’re going to want to know what it means when you do it. Suspense and I aren’t friends. What’s your mistake?”
“Alongtime ago,” he said with emphasis. “Over a year, I…shit!” he banged his palm on the steering wheel.
“I was nervous before, but you’re making me think something is crazy wrong, Jonah.” I reached over to touch his bicep, but he flinched.
“Sorry, I’m sorry. I’m just keyed up and livid with myself for not saying something sooner. I wanted to tell you, but it was never the right time, and we were so new. Then with everything going on, shit. The longer I put it off the more I was able to let myself forget about it. Please, understand I wouldneverwant to hurt you.” He turned back to me, and the brown of his hazel eyes nearly obliterated any green. “I’ve had sex with Trinity.”
The bomb he just dropped settled between us. It took a few minutes for my brain to catch up with his declaration, and then boom.
Shock was the first thing I felt, because who expects their boyfriend to have slept with their other boyfriend’s sister? Then, I wasn’t so surprised at all. Sighing, I faced forward and watched cars park and students file out and toward the building.
“Astrid?” He was hesitant, maybe even afraid from the quake in his voice.
“I just need a moment to gather my thoughts.”
When I first met Trinity, she’d always acted more familiar with Jonah. He’d avoided her as much as possible. I hadn’t realized why. Their reactions to each other had been noticeable, at least for me, but why hadn’t I asked myself, or them, why they acted that way?
There was history there. That wasn’t surprising. And now I needed to decide if I wanted to know that history or forever go on in ignorant bliss.
"You both have always been strange around each other. I just didn’t think anything of it, and since Christmas, everyone just settled into a new normal, so I don’t even think there was anything to notice.”
“You want details now, never, or later?” Jonah asked with urgency as he tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
I turned to face him, and my heart broke at the sadness etched into his face.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. What a revelation before school, but I was glad he told me. It would have been worse imagining what he’d done if he hadn’t shared. Now I got to imagine him with Trinity all day. The girl I was trying to befriend. Thatcher’s sister.
“Does Thatcher know?”
