Page 61 of The Art of Us

Rowan floundered a moment, his nostrils flaring. “I don’t have to take this from people like you.” He stomped off, kicking up sand.

Ireland couldn’t mask her surprise. Both at Emily, of all people, keeping a cool, practical head and at the relief that Mara had a witness. Ireland hurried to Mara’s side, but she backed up from Ireland in the same way she did when Rowan had tried to talk to her. “You said you wouldn’t tell,” she whispered.

“I didn’t! I mean ... I didn’t mean to.” How could Ireland explain? How could she apologize? “It was an accident.”

“You made things worse, Ireland. I thought you were my friend.”

“I am. I am y—” but Mara and Emily were already moving away from Ireland and back up toward the parking lot.

Was Mara going to leave Ireland alone at the beach?

Mara pulled out her phone to call Kal to get her so she wasn’t stranded there, but then she remembered that Kal had been the one to go to Mr. Wasden, not just about Mara but abouther, too. He had been the one to tell about her living in a bathroom. He was the reason she’d had to go live with Mara. He was the reason Mara now hated her. Ireland dropped the hand that was holding her phone to her side. She couldn’t call him. Never again. Kal had proven himself to be a false friend. A con man just like her father.

Her fingers began kneading at the space just under her collarbone. She couldn’t breathe. Her chest felt so tight, she was sure she was suffocating.

Fight or flight? She wanted to run. Run far. To never return to school. To never return to Mara’s house. Would Mara even let her walk through the door if she went back?

Fight or flight? She wanted to scream. To punch someone. To howl out loud.

But Mara had been right. The moon didn’t care. What goodwould howling do? Ireland stood there alone in the sand. Unable to flee. Unable to fight. Unable to breathe.

Kal’s betrayal cut a chasm deep into her soul. She was falling into that chasm. She might never stop falling.

Ireland jumped when she heard a voice next to her. “I can take you home.” Cooper was at her side. He had a girl with him, someone Ireland didn’t recognize. She looked like she wanted to ask questions about everything, but once she saw Ireland’s face, she changed her mind about saying anything.

Ireland nodded numbly and followed them up the trail to their car.

She didn’t know how it had all happened, but like she’d left words in the flowers of the mural, she felt like she was leaving a trail of words in her every footstep in the sand.Step. Sad.Step. Empty.Step. Wrecked,Step. Shattered.Step. Betrayed.Step. Confused,Step. Alone. Again.

Alone.

All because of Kal.

Chapter Twenty

Kal

Kal’s phone rang, and he nearly dropped it in his rush to pick it up. “Hey, Ireland. You home okay?”

“Sorry, man. It’s not Ireland,” Cooper said. “I just dropped her off.”

“Oh. Okay. Well good, I guess. What about Mara though? I don’t want to get into the details, but it’s not a good idea for her to be on her own right now.”

“A little late to be worrying too much about the details, my dude, because pretty much everyone knows ’em now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Tinsley was apparently in Wasden’s gallery when you decided to chat him up. She heard everything.”

“Everything?”

“If you’re asking if we all know Ireland lived in an outhouse, or if we all know that Rowan assaulted Mara, then yes. Everything. And when Rowan brushed her off tonight, Tinsley went off the rails and spilled everything she knew. It was so much drama.”

“Oh no.”

“Yep. That’s why I’m calling you. Your girl is not impressed. She asked me to call because she said she gave her word that she would let you know she got home safely, and that, unlike some people she knows—she meant you when she said that, by the way—”

“Yeah. Got that.”

---