Page 26 of Forbidden Knots

"Why did you do that?" I asked, standing in front of him.

"And why do you never defend yourself?" he asked, walking ahead.

"Sometimes it's smarter to walk away," I said, following him.

He lowered his head and shrugged his shoulders, waiting until I caught up. Then he continued at the same pace as me.

"Sometimes it's smarter to tell the bully off," he said.

"Like she did to you?" I asked. "We all have bullies in our lives. They like to choose someone weaker so they can have control."

He smiled. "I was just trying to protect you."

"I don't need your protection, Tristan," I said. "Besides, did you even think about how Sophie would feel in front of her boyfriend's sister?"

"What?" he asked, surprised. "Sophie is dating Christian?"

"You didn’t know?" I asked. "Please don’t tell her I told you."

"Fuck," he said, hitting the closest wall.

I gasped as his hand left a red trail on the wall. "Hey," I shouted, grabbing his hand just before he punched again. "STOP!"

"Christian is a bad guy, Thalia. He will ruin her," he admitted. "I don’t want that for Sophie. He will break her... she has a fragile mind."

His words cut through me. It was like he was talking to me as much as he was talking about Sophie. He recognized it too and took a step back. "I will talk to her."

"We don't get to choose who we fall in love with," I said. "The heart wants what it wants."

He turned around, hiding his face from me as if he was afraid I'd see that he, too, was a broken piece needing love.

"Tristan, I know you're trying to protect her, but she needs this happiness to pull her out of her darkness," I said, placing a palm on his shoulder. He immediately turned around, looking at me.

His face loomed over mine like a shadow, but his eyes were different—perhaps I was just finding the shadow in every person I met.

"You have no idea," he said, pushing me away and walking fast in front of me.

"Tristan," I shouted after him. "Tristan, I'm sorry," I said, trying to catch up, but he was faster than me.

He waved me off just before entering his house, and I did the same, entering my own home. My mind was racing. I had just told Sophie's secret, and I couldn't stop thinking about how she would hate me when she found out.

I needed a cold shower to cool off all my swirling emotions, and I needed a break from the feelings dancing around me. Just as I stepped out of the shower, I heard Sophie shouting up to my window.

"Thalia, are you awake?" she called, her voice so loud I could see the veins in her neck as I moved to the window, wrapped in a towel.

"Yeah, it’s seven in the afternoon," I shouted back. "Onlychickens go to sleepbeforeeight."

She laughed. "Are you getting ready?"

"For what?" I asked, confused.

"The carnival, duh! Don’t tell me you forgot," she said. "Do you have a mask?"

"I did forget," I confessed. "And I have nothing to wear."

"Then come to my place. I’ll lend you something," she said.

"Okay," I shouted back. "I’ll be at your place in five."

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