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“Yeah, I know that.” I shake my head repeatedly. “Selena, I am so sorry. I should’ve believed you when you tried to warn me about him way back when.”
Now it’s Selena’s turn to forget how to speak. “Oh,” she manages.
“Nothing I can tell you will ever make up for it. I just hope you know that I am on your side. Derek’s ex-girlfriend, her name is Leah. I’ve been talking to her a lot, and she’s told me a bit about what he’s done.” I grimace at the mention of Leah’s name because it reminds me of Christmas morning. Since then, we haven’t spoken.
“I know who Leah is.”
“Oh?” This is news to me.
She nods. “We talk almost every day. On Instagram. She’s really good at helping me feel better.”
“She never mentioned that to me. But it makes sense; she’s good with people. She runs some support groups.”
“Yeah, I know.”
We stare at each other for a beat. “Did you… did you make the anonymous post?” I finally ask.
“This isn’t the best place to talk about that.” Then she motions in front of her chest upwards and mouths the word “cameras” to me.
I nod my head. “You really shouldn’t be here. Isn’t there anywhere else you could stay?”
“I want to be here.” Her eyes say the exact opposite. She is trapped here. Imprisoned.
“What can I do?” I ask, bringing my voice down to a whisper so maybe the cameras won’t pick it up. “Please, just tell me.”
“So, have you talked to Leah lately?” she asks, abruptly changing the subject.
“No. She’s mad at me.”
“Do you know why?”
I shake my head. “Why? Did she say something to you?”
“Leah was terrified when she found you in her house on Christmas. She said she was scared because she blacked out and doesn’t remember anything that happened the night before. She doesn’t know if you took advantage of her.”
My eyes widen in horror. “I didn’t! I swear. I—she asked me to take care of her. I would never…” I feel horrible. Not to mention angry. It’s Derek’s fault that she thinks like this. I’m not like him, but I don’t know if she will ever fully believe that.
If anyone will ever fully believe that.
“You are a good guy, Brennan,” Selena says. “You do a lot for the people you care about, even if you’re caring about the wrong ones. I understand why you ignored me when I tried to talk to you before. You barely even knew me.”
I’m grateful for her saying it, but I’m confused about why she changed the subject again.
She continues. “So, I know that you didn’t do anything with Leah. I know that you wouldn’t, and I told her that. I told her to trust her gut, which was telling her that you wouldn’t ever hurt her. She has never had a guy at her house before—did you know that?”
Now it makes even more sense as to why she freaked out.
“I definitely didn’t. I would’ve never gone inside if I did. I was honestly just trying to help her.” Christmas Eve had been the most fun I’ve had in a while, and it really sucks that Leah isn’t speaking to me at all now.
I can hear a TV on in the background inside the house. Selena turns her head to look at it for a moment. Then she leaves the door open. “You can come in.”
I follow her inside, feeling weird about how Derek now has cameras everywhere. We walk over to the TV in her living room. Derek’s game is on.
“They… theylost.” Selena stands there in a daze.
“Wow.” It’s the only thing I can manage to say because fear and worry have taken over my ability to do anything else.
This was their last chance. Now Derek’s football season is officially over. And he’s not going to be happy about it.And with him not being happy…
Who knows what he will do next?
The End
