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“I don’t want whatever I tell you to go straight back to my father, no.” I turn a cold smile to Iakov. “I think enough of my private business has been making its way back to Russia, no?”
“Wouldn’t know.” He shrugs. “Not been back there since October.”
“He’s not going to tell your father anything,” Zahara says. “He would never do that.”
“He spied on you for Zach, didn’t he? What makes you think he wouldn’t spy on me?”
“That’s different,” Zahara says. The frown on her face is both surprised and saddened. “I don’t get it. What are you saying?”
“Ask him,” I say.
Iakov blinks at me slowly. His narrow black eyes give nothing away. His expression remains perfectly neutral. He sucks on his cigarettes and exhales in a thick curl of smoke.
When he finally speaks, his deep voice is calm. “You think I snitched to your papa?”
“What do you mean?” Zahara’s head turns from Iakov to me, lost. “Snitched about what?”
“You know what,” I tell Iakov.
His stare remains blank.
“Zachary and I,” I spit out. “What we did. Your stupid, disgusting, misogynist bet.”
“Ah,” Iakov says. “You two fucked, huh?”
“What?” Zahara’s voice is a scandalised squeak. “You two hadsex?When? I mean, thank god, because it was getting exhausting to watch, and—oh, I’m so happy to hear it, not in a creepy way, but because you two are so perfect, but—” She turns back to Iakov. “What bet is she talking about?”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t know,” I tell Iakov.
“I didn’t.” He gives an indifferent shrug as if he doesn’t care whether I believe him or not. “Zach told me you two hadn’t done anything.” He lets out a growling laugh. “Lying fucker.”
“I would love to believe you, Iakov.” My voice breaks with the truth, with how desperately I do want to believe him. “But if you didn’t know, then how did my name end up on your list?”
His neutral countenance finally breaks. “What list?”
“Your stupid list for your stupid bet!”
“What bet?” Zahara exclaims.
“Him—his friends—the so-calledYoung Kings. They made this horrible bet at the end of Year 11 to sleep with every girl in our year group. And they put my name on that list after I had—after I slept with Zach.”
Iakov pushes himself off the tree against which he’s been leaning and pulls his cigarette from his lips to speak.
“Nobody gives a fuck about that bet.Nobody. Evan spends every minute obsessing over that prefect of his. Sev is lovesick over his pretty fiancée, can’t talk of anything else. Luca has to leave campus to get laid because every girl here is scared of him. I certainly don’t give a flying fuck about a fuckingbet. And Zachary—hah!” He gives a bark of laughter. “He’s only ever lovedyou—he’s only ever wantedyou. He didn’t fuck you for a bet. He fucked you because he worships the ground you walk on. And when he did, he lied about it to me and didn’t say a word to the others. If your name is on that list, it was because Luca is a sadistic piece of shit with a morbid sense of humour, and he was probably just hoping it would fuck with you two.” He crushes the tip of his cigarette, extinguishing it, and sticks it behind his ear. “Sad to see it worked.” He shoves his hands into his pockets and straightens himself. “Zachary fucked you and kept it a secret because he would rather die than ever hurt you. If your cunt of a father found out, it wasn’t because of him. He didn’t tell a soul. Can you say the same?”
And with a rough, harsh laugh, he shakes his head and strides away, disappearing beyond the drooping branches of the willow trees. I stare after him, my heart pounding, my mind a blank.
A gentle touch brings me back into the moment, and I look down to see Zahara’s graceful hand on mine.
“Are you alright?” She’s stubbed out her cigarette too and is biting down into her bottom lip anxiously. “Iakov wouldn’t lie, Theo, and he’s right. Zach would never do anything to hurt you. He’s loved you for so ridiculously long.”
I stare at her, at her lips forming words, her sincere brown eyes, the same rich shade as her brother’s, almost gold. I’m hearing what she’s saying but not registering it.
My mind is too hard at work, my thoughts organising themselves. For the first time in a long while, I have clarity. I work through what I know methodically, without emotion.
“Sit down, Theo, please.” Zahara’s tone is pleading and worried. “You had something you wanted to ask me about—you wanted my advice on something. Why don’t you tell me?”
“It’s alright.” I squeeze her hand and lean down to kiss her cheek. “I know what I have to do.” I pull away from her. “I’m sorry for leaving like this, but this is something I have to deal with now. I’ll talk to you later, alright?”
