Chapter 29
The lunch at Longhorn was the most uncomfortable meal I had ever had.
Will sat beside Alex, barely speaking. He just reacted to the conversation around him with short one-word answers.
Alex stared at him for the entirety of lunch, biting her bottom lip and tracing the heart necklace he had given her.
If she did look away, it was to glare at me.
Our parents were too busy with their own conversation to notice.
When the meal was finished, Will asked Alex if they could go to the beach to talk, and she agreed.
I went home with the Hopelys at Cassandra’s insistence, even though I no longer wanted to.
I had promised her I would stay overnight.
We spent the next two hours swimming in the pool with Victoria, while I tried to ignore the absence of Alex and Will.
The longer they were gone, the more worried I became.
If they were still talking after all this time, what did that mean?
Had Will forgiven her? Had Alex convinced him that I was the liar?
The Hopelys were deciding what to cook for dinner when the front door finally opened. I stiffened as Alex walked into the room, trying to read her expression.
“How was the beach?” Mr. Hopely asked, taking a sip from his wine glass.
He had already refilled it twice during the afternoon and his tone was clipped.
Alex didn’t give anything away. She just said, “Good.” She sat at one of the empty chairs in the kitchen, texting someone on her phone and chatting with her sisters about the graduation.
A pit formed in my stomach. Alex seemed totally fine.
Had Will really believed her that easily?
What kind of bullshit had she fed him over the last few hours?
It shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did.
She was his first love. She had the Alex Effect.
Of course she had convinced him that it was all one big misunderstanding. I felt like such an idiot.
After dinner, I followed Cassandra back to her bedroom and felt someone grab me in the hallway. Alex’s skinny hand was wrapped around my forearm, her bright eyes lit with rage.
“I hope you’re happy,” she seethed. “Will broke up with me.”
The rock that had formed in my stomach dissolved. Will had believed me? He had dumped her?
“Alex, I—”
She cut me off. “I really hope you enjoy your sleepover with Cass tonight,” she said, dropping my arm. She tucked a piece of her long golden hair behind her ear. “Because after I tell her what you did to me, it’s going to be your last here.”
I had been an idiot not to think about this.
Of course Alex was going to tell Cassandra.
Why wouldn’t she? Everyone was going to ask her what happened between her and Will, and she couldn’t lie to all of them.
And Cassandra was going to side with Alex.
There was no question about it. Why would she want the girl who’d ruined her sister’s relationship hanging out at her house?
Alex was vindictive. If she had publicly humiliated Victoria, her own sister, what was she going to do to me for ruining her relationship?
Losing my best friend might only be the start of it.
I tried to enjoy what felt like borrowed time with Cassandra that night.
We stayed up late eating Oreos and flipping through magazines.
By twelve, she had turned off the lights and fallen asleep.
I could hear Cassandra snoring from my spot beside her in her trundle bed.
But sleep evaded me. I just kept thinking about what I had done.
I had thought I was doing the right thing.
I had thought Will deserved to know the truth, but had I accidentally ruined everything for both of us?
Will was heartbroken and alone, and I was about to lose my best friend.
The tightening in my chest got worse as I tossed and turned, too anxious to doze off.
I periodically heard stirrings from Victoria’s room, but as another hour passed, everything quieted.
When I got up to pee, I noticed that Alex’s bedroom light was still on, so I avoided the bathroom next to it and headed for the guest bath off the kitchen.
We used it whenever we went swimming because it had a separate door to the pool and patio.
I crept quietly into it, turning on the light and reaching behind me to shut the door.
A hand stopped it from closing, wrapping around the edge.
My stomach tightened. Alex. Now that we had time alone, she had probably come to let me know exactly what she thought of me.
I felt a mix of relief and confusion as the door opened and I realized it wasn’t her.
It was Mr. Hopely.
He opened the door wide enough to slip inside with me. I could tell that he was drunk. How much more wine had he had after dinner? His eyes were glazed over, and he was stumbling.
“Mr. Hopely?” I whispered. He closed the door fully, leaning his frame against it. He was wearing fancy striped pajama bottoms and a white T-shirt.
He smiled lazily. “Mr. Hopely. So formal.” He burped a little. “You can call me Gary, you know. You’ve known me for a long time, Rosie.”
I would never call him Gary. Even if he had been one of my friends’ parents that I did like, it still would have felt disrespectful. Gary smiled, waiting for me to correct myself.
“Mr. Hopely is fine,” I said, a little firmer. He didn’t take the bait.
“You’re up late, aren’t you?”
“Oh … uh … I guess.”
“Big day.” He nodded. “Everyone’s growing up.”
I waited for him to say more, but he just stared at me.
“Mr. Hopely,” I said, my voice so small I could barely hear it. “I … um … I kind of have to pee.”
He made no indication of moving. His fingers turned on the lock instead, twisting the little gold knob to make sure it wouldn’t budge.
“You know,” he said, his words slurring, “I couldn’t stop noticing earlier, at the graduation. You have such perfect tits.”
I waited for him to laugh, to land whatever joke he was trying to make, or to correct himself. I had to have misheard him, right? But he doubled down.
“I couldn’t help noticing that dress you wore to the graduation. You’ve got a body on you, don’t you?”
I shivered. “Mr. Hopely,” I managed, my voice cracking. “I … I think you should leave.”
“And I think you shouldn’t tell a man what to do in his own house,” he snapped. “Especially when he’s complimenting you.”
Mr. Hopely was blocking the main door still, but as he moved a step closer, I let my eyes find the door that led to the pool. It was on the other side of the room, past the toilet and the shower. Could I make it?
As I considered the possibility, my head turned slightly in that direction. Gary took a quick step forward, shoving me over the bathroom vanity. His large hand clamped over my mouth, and he breathed into my ear as he pressed himself against me.
“Shh,” he ordered. “It’s okay.”
The scent of wine coming off his breath was so strong that I almost wished he’d covered my nose too.
It filled my nostrils and made me want to be sick.
Mr. Hopely kept me pinned between him and the counter, half bent over as one of his hands slipped under my shirt, grasping at my right breast. I could see him in the mirror in front of us.
I could see his look of dazed pleasure as he squeezed me again.
He pinched my nipple, and I let out a muffled cry of pain.
His hand instantly tightened over my mouth in response. My eyes filled with tears.
“Be quiet,” he whispered. “It’s okay. We’re all right.”
He pushed himself even harder into me from behind, and I felt paralyzed. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t push him off me. He was too heavy and his hand on my mouth was too tight. I was trapped between him and the vanity. I shivered as he continued to touch me.
“You’re a beautiful girl,” he whispered, low and guttural.
I felt like I had detached from my own body and Mr. Hopely was touching someone else. It couldn’t be me. This couldn’t be happening.
His hand moved down out of my shirt, grazing my stomach.
I took a deep breath, relieved that it seemed to finally be over.
I waited for him to remove his hand from my mouth, to let me go now that he’d clearly gotten what he wanted, but instead his hand slipped lower, into the waistband of my shorts.
“Shh,” he hissed as I struggled against him. “Stop … moving.”
My body betrayed me and I froze. I couldn’t focus on anything. I squeezed my eyes, not wanting to watch in the mirror as he kept going. Tears were streaming down my face. I could feel them sliding down my cheeks.
I tried to drown it all out. The pain. The sounds. It had to end soon. The quieter and more unresponsive I was, the sooner it had to end. And it would end. I would run straight for the door. I just had to be patient.
I didn’t know how long it had been, seconds or minutes. Time was bleeding together the longer I felt his hands on me. And then—
“Gary?” Mrs. Hopely’s voice from the hallway, coming closer. “Are you in there?”
Her voice sobered him. Mr. Hopely’s eyes widened in the mirror and he quickly pulled away from me. I was still clinging to the bathroom counter, shaking profusely.
“One second, Deb!” he called loudly. “I’m pissing!”
I came back to myself, my eyes looking toward the second door, the one to the patio. I didn’t hesitate this time. I bolted, wrenching it open. I could feel Mr. Hopely watching me, his stoicism a warning: Stay quiet.