“Madison knows.” I spit it out with zero hesitation or thought behind it.
His laces drop and he gets to his feet. “What the hell do you mean Madison knows?”
Pacing the floor behind the couch where he stands, I attempt to explain. “She followed me and Zed that night. She saw us put Josh in the trunk of the car. She thinks we killed him. No matter how many times I tell her we didn’t.”
“What the fuck, man?” He snaps. His fingers grip the sides of his head and he fists his hair. “Why the hell are you just now telling us this? Fuck!” he shouts even louder.
“I didn’t wanna stir up unnecessary shit. Thought I had it all under control. She’s fucking crazy, Talon. Really fucking crazy.” I stop pacing and face him. His face is pale as he drops down onto the couch.
Circling around it, I drop down next to him. “I fucked her. Multiple times.”
His head twists around and his eyebrows shoot to his forehead. “You fucked your sister?”
“She’s not my sister. Everyone needs to quit saying that shit. I knew the chick two months before our parents got married. The point is, she’s become obsessed with me. She follows me. Threatens to turn us in if I don’t do what she wants.”
His hands slap to his legs. “Well, what the hell does she want?”
“Me.” My head drops into my hands and I rub my temples aggressively. “We need to stop her. I’ll use my one shot on her. This just has to end. I’ve got too much shit going on to deal with her.”
“Alright.”
“Alright?” I question.
“Yeah. If that’s what you want, then that’s what you get. We made a deal. We’ve got you, man.” He slaps a hand to my back. “No questions asked. Consider it done.” He begins tying his laces again.
I breathe out a sigh of relief. There’s one truth I gave them. A little weight off my shoulder. Eventually, I’ll have to tell them about Willa, but not yet. The more I think about it, maybe her leaving wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Then I think about the baby. I don’t wanna be a dad, but if I don’t have a choice, I want to try to at least be a good one. I want more for this baby than what I had growing up. I’d probably fuck this kid up, anyway. Maybe it would be better off without me. Willa will be an amazing mom, no doubt. I might just need to let them get as far away as possible so that they can be free of this town and of me.
Grabbing his phone and keys from the couch, he heads toward the door. “Now we just have to deal with Zed. I say we agree to help him. We have no choice. We’ll stop Madison and help him with his revenge against the pastor at the same time.”
“What makes you so sure that it’s the pastor he’s after? What if it’s Willa?”
“Just a hunch. But if it is Willa, then she better say a prayer because ready or not, here we come.” He pulls the door open. “I have to meet Marni, but don’t worry, man. This all sucks ass, but we’re in this together.”
Once he’s out the door, I sink farther into the couch. What if it is Willa that Zed wants?
I’ll have to break the pact.
It’s my duty to protect her now. No matter what the cost. As much as I hate it, Willa and her baby are my responsibility now.
But first, I need to make sure that baby is mine.
9
I could stand in the middle of the crowded hall of this school and scream at the top of my lungs, and I still don’t think anyone would notice me. I suppose it’s better that way. If they did notice me, they’d quickly realize why they never did before.
I’m nothing special. Nothing much to contribute to society, aside from rehearsed Bible scriptures that I’ve repeated in my head countless times.
I can count on one hand how many times I’ve put makeup on. Haven’t done more than brush my hair since I was a kid, and that was only because Mom did it for me. She’d drag that brush through my hair so aggressively that I thought for sure I’d grow up with bald spots. To my surprise, I have a full head of luxurious caramel colored virgin hair. Never dyed, and never scorched with a straightener or hair dryer.
Hugging my books tightly to my chest, I travel down the halls like an invisible ghost. A squadron of freshman girls with Crayola-colored faces and bright clothes walk toward me. Five of them. Lined up in a planned parallel line, taking up the entire space of the hall. I’m smack dab in the center. I try to swerve to miss them, but the taller and thinner of the girls nudges her shoulder into mine. Without even cracking a devious smile, they continue on their way. Yep, I’m veiled by the misfortune of being a loser.
My heart jumps into my stomach and I instantly begin to sweat when I see Lars. With one hand pressed against a locker, the corner of his mouth tugs up in that sexy way it always does. Squeezing my books tighter, I pray, please don’t look at me.
There was a time that I prayed to be noticed by him. I still get those weird giddy feelings and butterflies in my stomach when I see him—probably always will. He was the first boy I ever loved. But, he was also the first boy to ever break my heart. Scratch that. He was the first boy to ever rip my heart from my chest and play monkey in the middle with it while I stood there in tears because I just wanted to be invisible again.
The first couple of weeks back to school after summer break were tortuous. I thought that after a few
