Page 127 of Deviant

“Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that,” Harper mumbles after she realizes she’s put her foot in her mouth.

“That’s totally okay. I already had a feeling Ruby wasn’t my biggest fan, though why, I have no idea. And Mackenzie probably has an issue with me because I was dating Aidan at the same time she was hooking up with him.”

“Yeah, I already knew about Mackenzie and Aidan. They didn’t make much of an effort to keep their sexcapades on the down low. Every party she threw at the mayor’s house, she made it a point to have him there, just so she could show off to her friends that she was hooking up with an older guy. I only know that because my sister was in Mackenzie and Abbie’s grade, and let me tell you, my little sis loves to gossip.” Harper laughs, trying to take away the sting of me being cheated on.

Maybe I should be pissed that Aidan thought he could parade his relationship with Mackenzie so out in the open without fearing any repercussions from me. But to be fair, Ihavebeen a little distracted this year to pay him or anything he did much mind.

“Girl, don’t even waste your time thinking about that loser. You upgraded hard by nabbing his sexy older brother. I can tell you that much.” Harper nudges her shoulder with mine.

I’m starting to realize that Harper doesn’t have a filter and that there is no real malice to anything she says. That her finding Elias hot, like she blurted out yesterday at the lake, and to some degree, again today with me, doesn’t mean she’s interested in him. Not when she made it painfully obvious that she’s all in with Andy.

“Now, speaking of being on the down low,” she lowers her voice in such a way that I’m forced to lean in closer just to hearwhat she has to say. “I know why Ruby hates you. Everyone who went to Blackwater Falls High does.”

They did?

“You do?” I ask, unable to hide my surprise.

“You bet I do.” She smiles conspiringly at me.

I wait impatiently as she scours the campsite to find Ruby in a heated debate with Mackenzie, completely oblivious that we’re talking about her.

“Since you were bound to find out anyway, Ruby was madly in love with your bestie, Nora, back in the day. I mean, she was obsessed with her. Nora threw her a bone and went out with her a couple of times. But down-low hookups weren’t what Ruby had in mind, so she decided to give Nora an ultimatum instead. Ruby told her that if she wanted to continue seeing her, she wanted more of a commitment from Nora. Ruby went as far as to pour her heart out and confess to Nora how in love with her she was, only to have her heart broken when Nora shut that shit down quick.”

“How do you know all this?”

“Because I was there in the school hallway when Nora broke things off. Ruby made such a scene that it will forever live rent free in my mind as one of the best—or worst—meltdowns our school had ever seen. Not that Nora didn’t poke the bear when she told Ruby that the reason why she could never commit to her, much less fall in love with her, was because she was already in love with someone else. I guess Ruby did the math and decided that the only other girl in Nora’s life was you. Hence, why she hates you with the power of a thousand suns.”

“How did I not know this?” I mutter to myself in disbelief.

“Hey, don’t be too hard on yourself. You were never the kind of girl who hung out much since your dad was so strict. It’s only normal that these teen dramas passed right over your head.”

“But Nora was my best friend. Why didn’t she tell me she had been in a relationship with Ruby?”

“Probably for the same reason she never came out and told you how she really felt about you. She didn’t want to screw up your friendship.”

I flinch as the memory of that gruesome night comes to the forefront of my mind.

That god-awful night, Nora told me exactly how she felt about me. Not only that, but she also said she had made her peace with the fact that I couldn’t love her back. But if that was true, then why didn’t she allow herself to be happy with someone else? Even if that someone else was Ruby? The only explanation I can find that makes sense is that Ruby came on too strong and scared Nora off. Or maybe Ruby just wasn’t Nora’s type.

Whatever Nora’s reasoning, it beats the one currently tormenting me, that my best friend was somehow still holding out hope, and that maybe, one day, I might come to love her back in the same way she loved me.

My eyes land on Elias, who is laughing at something Andy said, my heart swelling in size.

Even if that was Nora’s true intention, me falling in love with her could never have happened—not while Elias walked this earth.

“Hey, are you okay? Did I say too much?” Harper asks, sounding genuinely concerned for me.

“No, I’m fine. It’s just a lot to take in all at once.”

“Yeah, I get that. But look on the bright side, you’ve got yourself a man that both Mackenzie and Ruby are intimidated by. No way will they mess with you while you have him on your arm.”

I’m about to open my mouth to explain to her that Elias and I aren’t together like that, when we hear David call out for all our attention.

“Chop-chop, everybody!” he shouts like he’s in command. “We’re losing precious daylight time.”

“God, what a tyrannous prick. I swear, if I have to hear him order us around another second, I’m going to lose my shit.” Harper rolls her eyes. “Come on. Go get your man, while I get mine.” She winks mischievously.

“Actually, I’d rather continue hiking with Abbie,” I say, pointing in Abbie’s direction.

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