Page 49 of Sugar Coated Secrets

“It’s what everyone wanted after you left.”

Chris and Trent were the only ones who knew I felt this way, so why?

“Tell me!” I snap my fist, landing on the desk, causing him to jump.

Dulce continues to shake, but she’s listening. She deserves to know.

“When you left your phone with us after we dropped you off at the airport,” Trent finally says to me, his voice tight, his reluctance obvious. “Everyone had these crazy ideas for prom. The end-of-the-year prank was the biggest one. Summer, Vicki, Heather, Gwen, and all the guys. Practically, the entire class. Dulce’s name came up, and all bets were off. Summer was pissed off that you left. I mean, we all were.” He pauses, giving me a pleading look, willing me to understand, but I don’t. Not when it comes to Dulce. He knows better.

“Using you made it sound more convincing. It was the only way we could make it look real. No one else at school that wasn’t us knew you left the night before prom. That day you dropped her off was a perfect way to convince her. We were going to make it look like you stood her up. You were the most popular guy at school, so we were positive she wouldn’t back out.”

“How?”

“Chris and I picked her up in a blacked-out SUV, and we drove out to the backroad, ten minutes from my garage. And we…”

“You what?” I ask angrily.

“We left her stranded in the middle of the dark road.” He hesitates to wipe the sweat forming on his brow, staring at the back wall like he’s trying to erase a bad memory but can’t. “I smashed her phone so she couldn’t call anyone.”

I stare at him menacingly.

“I’m sorry, Ford,” he pleads, but it’s falling on deaf ears. “So…fucking sorry. Dulce…I didn’t know you were going to be attacked…” I see tears run down his cheeks,

“Then what happened?” I ask, wanting to see how much more he knows.

“He found me helpless, running naked in the middle of the road,” she continues, looking accusingly at Trent. “I begged you. I begged you both not to leave me there.” Her voice breaks into a sob on the last part.

I quickly walk around the desk, pull her in my arms, and she cries in my chest. I want to take it all away, and I wish she could trust me enough to believe me, but all I can do right now is stare at Trent with a wintry smile. “Now what?”

15

FORD

Pulling up to Dulce’s house, I notice the same mailbox leaning to the side like a pole after a hurricane. The vinyl stickers remain faded, but the numbers on her street have nearly peeled off.

When I think back on her car situation, I press the brake to stop the car and turn to face her before she gets out. “I can rent you a car,” I offer.

“That’s not necessary,” she rushes out.

“Why not?”

She needs a car. She has a business to run and needs to get to and from work, plus I’m sure she has deliveries. It’s the least I can offer right now.

She turns to face me in her seat, her voice shaking slightly. “Why are you doing this?”

“What?” I frown. I'm not sure if she’s asking why I’m offering to rent her a car or why I keep showing up.

She stretches her hands out wide. “This?” she says sharply. Her face is splotchy from crying, but it doesn’t diminish her gorgeous appearance. I instinctively want to protect her, which brings out my possessive edge to ensure she has no reason to cry.

I play dumb. “Are you upset at me for taking you home?”

“I could have called a cab.”

“It’s late and expensive,” I reason.

“I’m not your responsibility, Ford. I appreciate you helping me the other night, but...”

“I am responsible, though.”

---