Page 87 of Twisted Lies

“Suspended,” she replies.

We scramble into the back seat of a Toyota Camry and settle in for a ride to the mall. The music playing is trending and not hard enough for my taste, but Charlotte nods her head as she softly sings along. The conversation we need to have is postponed a little longer as we pretend our lives haven’t changed.

Charlotte frowns when the Uber stops in front of a chain restaurant brightly lit, with no hint of ambience. I went to Four Girls Burgers when I turned sixteen and thought it was the hippest place I’d ever eaten in. A few months at Stonehaven have taught me I was ultimately duped.

I motion toward the double glass doors. “They have good fries and shakes. We can split.”

Charlotte shrugs and follows me inside. At the counter, we concentrate on ordering, and I send her to get a table while I wait for the food. Eventually, there will be nothing left to do except talk. I set the overflowing tray down on our table and slide into the booth opposite her. Charlotte gazes at a football game on the monitor behind me while I set our food on the repurposed wood table. She doesn’t seem to put off by two older guys checking out her legs. We probably should have changed into jeans. Even without the blazer, the navy skirts tag us as Stonehaven students. The bench creaks as I shift my weight, and as I open my mouth, Charlotte starts to speak.

“It’s official now.” She holds her thirty-two-ounce cola up in a toast. “Welcome to the family, Astrid. I hope your first official day as a Howland has been memorable. We never compared birth dates, but I think I’m older than you by a month.”

I tap my cup against hers and take a sip. “Thanks, but it’s not important right now. I know you saw me with Bryce, and I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” she laughs thinly, “For kissing him? For sleeping with him? For luring him away? What are you sorry for?” She looks past me at the game again.

I look at the table instead of her. “I know you’re upset.”

Charlotte’s eyes flash. “Don’t you dare tell me how I’m feeling. You don’t know that. You’re not in my head.”

Her voice is low, but the room is suddenly quiet. I sip my drink and ignore the food. Charlotte has a right to aim her hostility at me after what happened with Bryce. She never thought her hold on him would ever weaken, and I proved her wrong. It didn’t happen to hurt her. It happened because he wants me. And I want him just as much.

“Funny how history repeats itself.” Charlotte pops a greasy fry into her mouth and then grimaces. For a second, she stares at her napkin but swallows the oily lump down her throat. “Is this organic?” she gasps. “What oil do they use?”

I place my fingers on my temples and center my shit. We are going to get through this conversation before the restaurant closes. “Bryce had to apologize to me because he gave me money after our date. I really should hate him, but it’s hard to when I make excuses for him.”

Charlotte’s eyes widen on me. “I didn’t think he would do it.”

I stare back. “You told him to give me cash?”

She grins sheepishly. “I told him you needed money. Bryce won’t talk about your date, and you’re always tight-lipped about everything.” She sips her soda. “Are you going to continue seeing him?” Charlotte sighs softly. “Of course you are. He knows you’re a Howland now.”

I toss the fry in my hand on the tray. My head can’t keep up with the shit they’re pulling on me. Charlotte told him to give me the money, and he thought that was a good idea? WTF. Well, she’s right about one thing. Bryce apologized the day he found out I was a Howland, and he didn’t conceal why. I focus on Charlotte when she taps her nail on the table to get my attention.

“So, are you seeing him again?” Her expression is calm except for her eyes. Charlotte’s pretty face is perfectly composed, the way it appears in her portrait, but her gaze is sharp enough to draw blood. Her expression holds back all the resentment she feels because it’s uncivilized to vent the way I would.

“He’s an ass,” I tell her bluntly, “But I’ll probably go out with him again. I don’t want to like Bryce,” I reply to her steady stare, “But I doubt he’ll like me for much longer.”

Charlotte scoffs. “And what about Justin?” She flicks the bun off her burger and picks out a pickle. “Is he your safe choice?”

“He’s not talking to me anymore.”

“So, he’s back on the mating market?” she asks sarcastically, “You never liked Pierce, so I guess I could settle for him,” she says. “Oh, and there is poor Wyatt.”

“I like Wyatt, but he’s not speaking to me either,” I look down at my burger still in the wrapper. “He’s the one I really want.”

“Why isn’t he speaking to you?” she asks. It’s hard to believe we’re discussing boys so casually when we’ve both been hurt by the same one. This isn’t what I expected. I thought Charlotte would be angry over Bryce. Especially after the look she gave me from the window. But I’m glad we’re at least talking.

“Because of Justin,” I reply honestly.

“Because you had sex with Justin.” She eats another pickle but frowns at the meat. “They talk, as you must know. And that’s not a topic of conversation Bryce would have wanted to hear.”

She’s not enjoying her food, and I’m not eating mine. I had hoped we would really talk, but neither one of us is really opening up. Maybe it’s the difference between us. She can’t let loose, and I’m afraid to.

Charlotte watches the monitor as she speaks. “I was in love with Bryce, but it’s not our future.”

“I’m sorry, Charlotte, but—”

“But I told you to sleep with him.” She pushes her burger away. “I did do that, but with disastrous results. I thought he would come running back to me. That’s how it’s done, but I made a miscalculation. I should’ve married him first and then sent him your way.”

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