Page 43 of No One But Us

“No, that women like that constantly seek affirmation by moving from one guy to the next, usually one who belongs to someoneelse.”

“Give me a break, Ginny. You’ve known Elle your entire life. That is nother.”

“No? Then explain why she’s here hitting on you when you have a girlfriend and is also sleeping withMax?

Something cold steals over me. “Sleeping withMax?”

Ginny raises a shoulder. “Allison told me. She caught Elle coming out of Max’s room lastnight.”

“That doesn’t mean she was sleeping withhim.”

“Oh really? So what happens whenyoutake a girl back to your room during a party and shut the door? She came outwearing hisclothes.”

Rage feels like it’s swallowing me whole. Not just rage at Max, which I could maybe justify, but at Elle too—which tells me all the reasons I’m pissed are the wrongones.

“Well, there’s nothing going on between me andElle.”

“There’d sure as fuck better not be. Can you imagine what this would do to Mom if you’re right? My God. How could you have let Elle come down here at all? Why didn’t you stopme?”

“Because Elle had nothing to do with it, that’s why. And you can’t say anything to her about this. She has noidea.”

“Why the fuck not? Maybe it would do her some good to see how much damage bullshit like her mother’sdoes!”

“I know you’re mad, but it’s not fair to take it out on her. Don’t you think she’s suffered enough thanks to her parents? And Elle hates that people compare her to her mom. If she thought you were doing it too, she’d bedevastated.”

Ginny clenches her jaw, and then her shoulders sag. She knows I’m right. “Fine, but if I get the slightest hint that you’re hooking up with Elle, I’m going to tell her everything. And it won’t be a pleasant conversation.Capiche?”

She goes back inside, and I stand there, stunned by how colossally I’ve fucked up. I think of Elle as the little kid at that awards ceremony again, by herself. No one to celebrate her wins, to tell her she was doing something right. No one to fall back on. A decade later, and she’s still alone. And now her best friend is turning on her, because ofme.

I’m going to stay away from her, even if it kills me. Because I can’t stand to be responsible for anything else that goeswrong.

Chapter 25

ELLE

I godownstairs the next morning with my stomach turning—how much of that is my hangover and how much is flat-out dread, I’m not sure. Max and James are already up, sitting at the kitchen table. James pulls the paper toward him and stares at it fixedly as I walk by.What, am I Medusa now? He can’t even freaking look atme?

“What happened to you last night?” Max asks. “You totally disappeared onus.”

My best friend stabbed me in the back. That’s what happened.“I wasn’t feelingwell.”

“You got another flower delivery,” James says. His voice is flat, but there’s an edge just beneath it. “I assume they’re from Edward. I thought you were going to tell him to cut that shitout?”

After everything that happened last night, he thinks he can kick today off withaccusations?

“Fuck you, James. Idid.”

I go to the laundry room to get the bouquet. It’s even bigger than the previous one. “Wow,” says Max, walking toward me. “I know you give an amazing blow job, Elle, butthat’s—”

There’s a sickening thud as his body hits the wall. James has him pinned by his throat, and I stand speechless, my brain racing to make sense of what hashappened.

“And how,” says James, “would you knowthat?”

Max throws his hands up. “Jesus. Settle down. I know because Ryan toldme.”

James still stands there, unappeased, holding Max to the wall as if he’s been frozen in thatposition.

“Let him go, James,” I whisper. “He didn’t do anything wrong.” James doesn’t budge. “Let himgo.”

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