Page 64 of You're To Blame 2

“Maybe Marisa wants to make me pay. And Mason wants to make Tate pay. She wants to embarrass me. And Mason wants to take what matters to Tate. So once Tate and I broke up she decided to take the only person who mattered away from us. You.” I stopped and pointed at Matt.

“Oh, how could I forget. Rocco found out Kyle also knew Mason was alive.”

Matt’s eyes darkened. “What the fuck?”

“It makes sense once you think about it. He hated me as much as Marisa and Mason.”

He poked out his bottom lip. “That’s true.”

“Tate doesn’t want to let him know we know. We might be able to use it to our advantage. If you don’t want anything to do with us Matt, we’ll have to understand.” I sat beside him cupping his hands. “We’ve been best friends. All three of us for too long to let those assholes come between us. We love you. If you need to distance yourself from us for a while fine. But we’re friends for life.”

“Matt, you’re like my brother. We’re past best friends. If you let my brother and your sister come between us. Then they won.”

“They haven’t won shit. I am upset and I’ll need time.” He ran his hands tightly over his head.

“What did you do to Megan? She’s behaving weird.”

“I didn’t do anything to her. She’s not strong enough to be my woman.” He stood and paced.

“We’ve been forbidden to be together. Nothing new. But I expected the way we felt for each other would be enough to tell our fathers to go fuck themselves. But Megan complied. She said she couldn’t disobey her daddy. She was supposed to be mine. And they stole the only woman I ever loved right from my clutches,” he roared. “Excuse me if I’m tired of secretly seeing her only for her to remind me that we can’t ever be a couple. She was here last week, and that’s what happened. I told her what Marisa told me. I told her I needed her. She reminded me we have to move on.” He gripped the back of his neck.

“So see Chelse, you assumed I was the asshole first. Nope, it was your precious Megan. I am free to sleep with as many girls as I want,” he laughed hysterically.

My best friend was losing his grip on reality.

I stood and pulled him into my arms. “We love you. We’re staying right here tonight.” He held me tight.

I closed my eyes. No one knew what it was like better than Tate and me how someone could blatantly standby and destroy your happiness.

“Where’s the theater room, Matt?”

He stepped back. “Come on.”

“Oh, wait. Tate, can you grab my joggers out of my backpack?”

“Yeah.”

I glanced at Matt. “Do you have a T-shirt...”

“What?” Tate’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re not wearing his shirt. I have a change of clothes in my bag. You’ll wear my shirt.” Tate stalked out of the house.

Matt shook his head. “You’ll break him again if you ask him to go along with this false break up too long.”

He nodded toward the hall. I fell beside him.

“I just want to make it to the end of senior year. You can’t think I enjoy sneaking around with my boyfriend. Especially after we worked so hard to rescue him. My arm tingles every day. I want to give in to the urge to cut myself.” I locked my hand on my arm and squeezed my eyes shut. Today I wanted to run out of the lunch room after talking to Marisa, but I knew if I did Tate would have followed me.”

Tears burned the backs of my eyes. I needed to remain strong. I flopped on the theater recliner. “Why are they making our lives a living hell? I want to out Marisa and Mason. Tell Haven Saints it wasn’t Tate posing in those videos with girls it was Mason. Tate’s parents asked them not to reveal the truth.”

He gruffly rubbed his chin. “That’s messed up. They’re doing nothing but feeding into Mason’s narcissistic ways.”

“Exactly.” Tate sighed as he walked into the room.

“To them they just got a second chance with the son they thought they lost. I think they’re afraid of losing him again. So they coddle him.” Tate placed the clothes on my lap.

“I need to have a talk with my parents.” He slipped off his navy blazer and reclined in the tan sofa seat next to me.

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