Chapter 21 #2
“You’re right. I did. And I hate it,” she said simply.
“It’s really stressful and honestly, I just want to be around these guys.
Not all that extra stuff.” She gestured at the girls and then to the student section.
“Maybe in a couple of years, I’ll go back and get a degree in guidance counseling.
” She chewed her bottom lip. “If I could just coach I would. I’ve kind of fallen in love with it. But I have bills to pay.”
He really did look sideswiped. And I had to give it to my big brother, he was the most humble guy I knew. He’d come into the job dreading the fact that she’d gotten the position over him and he’d given it his all anyway. Anyone else would’ve been gloating over the promotion. But not Si.
She cocked her head with a sad smile. “Silas, this should’ve been your job. We both know that. This is your town and these are your people. And I never meant this to be permanent anyway.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. Like she wasn’t just thinking of changing careers but changing locations too. I forced myself to breathe. She hadn’t said she was quitting. She’d at least stay the school year. I had time.
His jaw bulged. “Yeah. Okay.” But I could tell it was going to take a while to wrap his head around it.
She put out her hand. “Congrats on your new job, Principal Dupree. I can’t wait to work with you.”
He rolled his eyes but gave her a hearty handshake. “Yeah. Fine. Looking forward to it,” he grumbled. Then he jogged off to sit with Lemon and our parents.
“Wow.” I chuckled. “I think he was almost not frowning there at the end.”
She giggled, eyebrows raised. “Looks like we’re all full of surprises today.”
Just then the buzzer sounded and we were back at what would hopefully be the last set. Christy’s phone was back on her lap, and the constant checking started back up.
So it wasn’t the school board meeting.
Then, after another phone check, she laid the phone on the seat next to her right thigh and straightened, her hands balled in her lap. “That’s it.” I heard her mutter angrily. And she trained her eyes on Amber straight across the floor. “I’ve had enough.”
Awww crap.
For the next ten minutes, she sat board straight on the edge of her seat, eyes volleying between the climbing scoreboard and the psychopath across the room. And Amber’s gaze stayed trained on her like two demon eyes hungry for a soul.
My nerves kicked into high gear and my palms started sweating. “Christy, what is going on?”
“Don’t you worry about it.”
“What is she texting you?” I reached for her phone.
She jammed it under her thigh so I couldn’t get to it. “None of your business.”
Her bouncing knee was amping me up even worse, so I put a hand out to stop it. “Are the earrings about to come off?”
“And the hair extensions too.”
“Chris.”
“And don’t you dare try to stop me.” She bounced my hand right off her knee and deepened her death glare across the court.
As soon as Ming sent a kill over, ending the game, Christy shot up out of her seat and stormed across the floor. But in her haste, she’d left her phone. I picked it up and typed in her password.
And my eyes were inundated with pictures of me and Amber in bed together. In every sultry position imaginable. And not a single one of them was real. Because I’ve never been in a bed, dressed or not, with Amber Taylor. And I never would be.
But they looked real. Not photoshopped at all. And if I hadn’t known better, I would’ve believed they were one hundred percent legit.
I hopped up, taking the phone with me, and jogged over to where it was about to go down. As I went, I quickly scrolled. There were at least fifteen different numbers that had sent threatening texts and misleading pictures as far back as…
I didn’t have time to find out but weeks, at least. Maybe months.
Amber must’ve been using burners. Christy would probably block her and then she’d start up with a different number. But why hadn’t Christy ever said anything? The sad part was, Amber’s stunt didn’t even shock me.
This was her token calling card.
I sprinted up the stairs as the argument broke out.
Christy, who was five foot nothing and light as a feather, was standing on top of a bleacher right in Amber’s face.
“If you’re gonna be a psycho, at least be a smart one.
If you’d actually seen him naked you might’ve been able to fool me.
” Whew. Straight outta the gate. She could’ve stated that better.
My mother was watching. Along with everyone else on this side of the bleachers.
Jilly was leaning back, looking at Christy like she was the psycho. I caught her eye and shook my head. She cocked her head, eyes wide in disbelief, and I nodded.
I had horrific visions of Amber shoving Christy backward down the bleachers, so I put my hands against her back just in case.
I don’t know if she knew it was me, but she didn’t even flinch, which told me she most likely did.
All I could see was her backside, which I would’ve enjoyed any other time.
It was a wall between me and Amber and I wished I could hold Christy up and see her face all at once.
But the crowd was already pressing in. I’d have to be content with listening.
Amber had her hand on her hip. “Sure. You’ve been with him. In your dreams.”
Christy snorted. “See, that’s the difference between me and you.
I don’t have to dream because I’ve had my hands all over the real thing.
” That won her some catcalls. I winced. My mom was going to lecture me after this.
“And,” she threw her arms out, gesturing at the entire room, “Everyone here knows about it, thanks to you.”
At least five people gasped.
“Yes, everybody,” Christy addressed the already rapt crowd. “You may as well know it was Amber here who hacked into the security cameras. And then broadcast that picture to your children during a pep rally.”
“No way! Alyssa’s aunt?” a girl said, beginning the outcry. Murmurs ripped through the bleachers like we were doing the wave.
“Fight, fight, fight!” some students yelled from the back. “You get her, P. Thorn!”
My heartbeat was shooting off alerts to every cell of my body. The last thing we needed was a brawl. And the last thing Christy needed was to lose the job she just got back.
I looked over my shoulder, searching for Silas, praying he’d stop this.
But he was next to Lemon and my parents, arms crossed, letting it all unfold.
A school security officer was heading this way.
He’d stop it. But no, Silas grabbed him and pulled him to a halt. They began whispering back and forth.
“No!” Christy’s hands patted down their shouts.
“Guys. Violence is not the right way to handle a bully.” A hush went over the students that would’ve been comical if it hadn’t felt like the room was about to explode.
Then she turned back to Amber. “But calling them out is. And that’s what I’m doing. Right here in front of everyone.”
Amber’s nonchalant facade was crumbling.
Her hands shook a little at her sides. “I’m not a bully.
And I don’t have to listen to this. I’m leaving.
” She tried to turn to make her escape, but Jilly was there, stopping her.
She turned the other way, and Peyton and the Spartan team blocked that direction.
Christy folded her arms. “I’m afraid you’re not.
At least not until I’m done telling everyone all the nasty things you’ve texted me.
And Amber, you are a bully. A grown-up ‘mean girl,’ if there ever was one.
” She looked over at the students. “Bear with me, guys. It’s quite the list. Try not to interrupt or you might miss something.
” They shushed each other until it was deathly quiet.
I felt her inhale and let it out quick. “I am not going ‘back to where I came from.’” Her fingers made quote marks.
“I’m not ‘ugly.’ I don’t ‘need a nose job,’ or Botox, or a facelift.
My butt is the perfect size. And my chest is perfectly fine the way it is.
” Facts. “I don’t talk funny. You guys do.
” There were a few chuckles. “I’m not any of the awful names you’ve called me that I can’t repeat in front of my students.
And I’m not, no matter how many times you try to put it in my head, going to kill myself.
” Wide eyes, gasps, hands over their mouths, all the reactions you would expect.
And I thought I might puke. That’s exactly what Amber had said to Savannah. Over and over until Savannah had finally done it. Only back then, Amber hadn’t texted those words. She’d spoken them when no one else was around.
Amber had said those things to Christy—my Christy—all this time, and I hadn’t known?
I’d thought staying away would put a barrier between them, like a shield.
But instead, Christy’d been the target of an open-air attack.
And when I should’ve been right by her side, she’d been deflecting all by herself.
What a fool I had been. And that was the nicest thing I could think about myself just then.
Christy threw her hands out, not done. “And, for the love,” she paused for one intense heartbeat, “if you’re going to Photoshop someone to appear naked and use it to put doubts in their girlfriend’s head—which is a felony, by the way—” Her fists clenched as she let out a controlled exhale.
“I mean, if you’re going to commit a freaking crime that could get you locked up, the least you can do is Get.
It. Right.” Her left arm flew straight out and she jabbed her right pointer finger into her bicep.
“He’s got a tattoo right here. A suicide prevention semicolon.
And if you’d ever so much as seen him with his shirt off in the last ten years, you’d know that.
” I hadn’t realized she’d ever noticed the tattoo.
Then she hooted. “Slept together, my eye.”
Holy. Wow.
“Well, look at that Bo,” Mom said. “That stupid tattoo actually saved his butt. Can you believe that?”
Again, wow.
A few students high-fived each other and I glared them back to silence.
Then Christy gasped like she’d just figured something out.
And the hair on my neck stood on end from the way her body tensed against me.
She leaned forward and I glanced around trying to see her face, but I couldn’t.
“It was you,” she whispered. Then louder, “You bullied Savannah Clark to death.”
The room erupted and my stomach plunged to my knees. Jilly’s eyes welled up and she looked so ashamed. Of what, I’m not sure. But I guessed it was that she’d chosen to believe Amber’s lies ten years ago instead of the truth I’d tried to tell her.
“Savannah Clark?” The rumble started back up.
“Who’s that?”
“Oh, I remember her.”
“She was a darling girl. So Tragic.”
“She and Holden dated in high school, remember?”
“You’re a lunatic!” Amber screamed over the noise. “Savannah was my friend. I didn’t do any of the things you just accused me of. I’m going to sue you for de-fame-ation!”
I curled an arm around Christy’s waist, popped my head over her shoulder, looked Amber straight in her evil eyes, and said, “It’s defamation.
And good luck with that since she’ll be suing you for harassment, copyright infringement, libel, and slander, just for starters.
” Then I dragged Christy backward off the bleachers.
My expression was as hard as I could make it to get everyone out of my way.
Because I was not slowing down. Not until she and I were far away from here.
“Holden, put me down,” she said, her legs flailing. “Holden!” she yelled as we came through the exit door and out into the parking lot. “Look, I’m sorry if you’re mad. But please put me down.”
“Mad?” I guffawed. I set her on her feet but latched my hand around her wrist, pulling her along behind me.
Once we were finally around the corner, I pinned her against the brick wall, my arms on either side so she couldn’t escape.
She looked up at me, her big brown eyes so beautiful, but a touch afraid. She didn’t need to be.
“Woman, what in the world?” My hands slid up to either side of her neck. Her heartbeat was still firing off like the rat-a-tat-tat of bullets.
Her eyes turned down, ashamed. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. But I couldn’t take it anymore.”
“Embarrassed?” I stepped back, now that I was semi-confident she wouldn’t run. “I’m not embarrassed. I’m…” My hands shoved into my hair.
I didn’t know what I was. An idiot, for starters.
Christy didn’t need my protection. She was a heat-seeking missile and I hoped to always be on the right side of that fury.
This was no self-deprecating seventeen-year-old girl.
That was the moment I realized, all this time, I’d been putting Savannah’s struggles on Christy like they were the same person.
Whether I’d meant to or not, I’d made her carry Savannah’s cross.
I was sick in my soul.
In two steps I was back, my arms around her waist. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why, so you’d confront her? That’s exactly what she wanted. And I didn’t want to give you any reason to be near her.”
What?
She’d been protecting me?
This woman was unreal.
I let my forehead fall against hers, breathing her in like I always did.
I didn’t know what was happening in that gym, but out here, it was nothing but overwhelming peace.
She was where I belonged. And who I belonged with.
She always had been. And if I had stopped listening to my dueling shoulder devil and shoulder angel, maybe I would’ve realized that months ago.
“I…” Love you almost rolled off my tongue, and I had to pull it back. She wasn’t ready to hear it. Instead, I went with, “I’m crazy about you. You’re nuts.” I laughed. “Totally nuts. And I’m ridiculously crazy about you. Just incredible.”
But she wasn’t sharing in my elation.
Pain was evident on her face. Then she pushed my sleeve up and traced the tattoo I’d gotten a few months into my freshman year of college. These days, I forgot it was there most of the time. She pressed a soft kiss to it, which made my gut purr.
She looked up, her doe eyes so sad. “I’m crazy about you too. But it doesn’t change anything.”
Then she slipped her phone out of my pocket, dipped under my arm, and walked away.
But she was wrong.
Tonight, she’d changed everything.