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“It’s like tenth grade all over again. You really showed them back then, didn’t you?
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re shooting yourself in the foot, cutting off your nose to spite your face, whatever…Defend yourself, Liam! Don’t let them get away with this!”
“It makes no difference.”
“What?” She’s speechless for a moment. “Did you just say that it makes no difference? That being accused of a crime you didn’t commit is no biggie, like, just your average Saturday night?” Before I can come up with a comeback, she unleashes. “So I guess it also makes no difference that you chose to drop out of school? That you could have graduated with honors and gotten a scholarship, but instead you’ve got nothing to show for yourself now? Holy crap, Liam…It matters!”
“I may not be on my way to an ivy league school, Princess, but that doesn’t mean I’ve got nothing.”
“Donotturn this back on me. Don’t imply I’m calling you nothing, or that I somehow see you as inferior. I don’t and you know that. I just want you to stand up for yourself and take what you’ve earned. I don’t want the club to get away with this, the same way I still want that sack of shit teacher to pay for what he did to you!”
Sarah isn’t wrong, but that righteous indignation sits lodged in my chest, burning hot. I guess I haven’t changed much because I’d still rather the whole world believe a lie about me than beg them to see the truth.
But instead of sitting home stewing—my default response—I’m driving to her. I need to apologize, to tell her how much it means to me that she believes me, proof or no proof. Sarah is in my corner, and I want her to stay there.
Chapter Nineteen
SARAH
Her ring rapping against my window startles us both. “Get out of the car, Sarah!” When I turn to her, stunned, she barks, “Now!”
I lower the window halfway. “What is thematterwith you?”
She just interrupted Liam and I making up after an argument, and her timing sucks, because things were just getting good.
Her eyes cut to Liam with disgust. “Isn’t that the boy they caught stealing from the club?”
“Who told you that, Audrey?”
She pauses, doesn’t like it when I address her that way—the way my friends do. She knows I’m mocking her and she’s smart enough to recognize that maybe she is the slightest bit ridiculous with that nauseating little ritual she encourages.
“Did your fellow Stepford wives fill you in on the hot gossip?”
At least she has the decency to pull me aside after I get out and stand toe to toe with her, but I’m sure Liam can still hear her stage whisper, and that makes me madder than hell. “Sarah, your father told me what’s going on.Hesaid Liam was caught on camera. And who knows how much he stole from the kitchen before he was caught? There are full cases of vodka and champagne missing from the bar storage area, too. Did you knowthat?” She tips her head in his direction. “Your friend seems to be quite the entrepreneur.”
“Oh my God!” I scream. “You aresoclueless!”
“Hey, hey…What the hell is going on?” My father looks to me. “You owe your mother an apology.”
“She owesmean apology, she owesLiaman apology, she owes the wholeworldan apology for kissing up to those snooty morons at the club!”
My father places his body between us, one hand on each of us like he’s separating Frazier and Ali. “Enough! Both of you, inside.”
And when I see that Liam is out now of his car, watching this all go down with a crushed look on his face, I want to die. If I were him I’d want to spit in my parents’ faces, but his voice is calm when he nods and says, “Go inside, Sarah.”
Tears choke my throat when I whisper, “No.”
“Go.” His voice is gentle when he adds, “I’ll call you later.”
Once the door clicks behind me I turn on her. “Liquor has been going missing from the club for years. Where do you think everyone gets the booze for our parties? But the board members just noticed bottles missingnow? Right, totally plausible. I get it, Mom. It’s all about you… Liam reflects poorly onyou. That’s what this is really about. You’re mortified, admit it.”
“He’s trash! Is it so wrong that I want better for you?” My father gently takes her arm to stop her from saying more.
“You call him trash but you don’t know the first thing about him. Meanwhile, you think Parker and his friends are good, upstanding citizens when nothing could be further from the truth. It’s sad, not to mention laughable, that you’re so caught up in this bullshit world.”
“Oh, that’s rich. You seem to enjoy the many perks this bullshit world has afforded you.”
