Page 88 of Amnesty

But now, knowing both of them, the differences were astounding.

There was no mistaking one for the other.

I only loved one.

And it wasn’t the girl whose hand I was holding.

“I do love you, Sadie,” I said gently. “As a friend. A best friend. Just like all those years ago.”

“We were more,” she insisted.

“We could have been,” I echoed. It still hurt to think about that, even knowing where my future lay.

I eased off the bed, worried where this conversation was going. She was already mixed up enough. I wanted to be here for her, but I wanted to be clear about our friendship.

There was a knock on the door, and the interruption was welcome.

I glanced around at Sadie with a huge grin. “Another visitor? You’re one popular lady.”

Her eyes grew wide and fearful. “Do you think it’s him?”

Schooling my reaction so I didn’t look angry, I said, “No way. Maybe it’s Maggie. I’ll see.”

“Maggie is supposed to bring me clothes,” she said.

“You girls and your clothes,” I teased, even though I felt tense inside.

Before opening the door, I looked out the small, square window and sighed in relief. “It’s a friend,” I told her, then pulled open the door.

Robbie stood on the other side, looking anxious and a little uneasy. “Hey, man. What are you doing here?” I asked, stepping into the opening.

“It’s her?” he whispered.

“Yeah. No question this time.”

“Can I see her?”

In reply, I stepped back and pushed open the door. He walked inside, dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a black pullover. His creamy-coffee-colored skin was paler than usual, and beneath the rich color was a sheet of white. His dark eyes instantly went to Sadie and rounded.

“Hey, Sadie,” he said, clearly nervous. “I heard you were back and wanted to come see you.”

Sadie said nothing, just sat there and stared at him.

Robbie and I glanced at each other, then back at her. I cleared my throat. “Sadie, do you remember Robbie? We went to school with him.”

“I remember,” she said suddenly. “You’re the one who got me kidnapped.”

Robbie jolted as if she’d slapped him. Hell, even I was shocked as hell.

“Sadie, it wasn’t Robbie’s fault.” I tried to reason.

“You’re the one who dared Eddie, weren’t you?” she asked, her stare on him.

He swallowed. “Yeah and I came to apologize. I wanted you to know it was stupid and something I’ll always regret.”

She stared at him. Just stared. The tension in the room grew and grew until it was nearly suffocating.

Her eyes suddenly shifted to me. “You forgave him?”

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