Page 66 of Corrupt Obsession

“This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t caught me with Tucker. It started this domino effect that’s led us here. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt, and that’s what would happen ifwe continued on this path. I don’t want to disappoint Mom and Dad any more than I already have.” She blinked rapidly as her eyes filled with tears. “And you mean too much to me to risk our friendship.”

He said nothing.

“We won’t talk about it. It’ll be like it never happened,” she said.

He didn’t move a muscle, but the force of his anger was an invisible force that hammered at her, making it hard to breathe. She braced for an explosion that didn’t come. Several minutes later, she slumped in her seat. His volatile temper unnerved her. He’d changed so much in so little time. She wanted her patient, considerate, affable brother back. This wasn’t him.

She wanted everything to go back to the way it had been when she had nothing to hide, and she felt safe and clean and there was no threat of being exposed. He had to know this was destined to end badly. It was taboo, scandalous and if discovered, would haunt them for the rest of their lives. No one would support them exploring such a path. Even their friends would be horrified. Once Jesse had time to consider the long-term effects, he would agree with her. But until then, things between them would be strained. She hated being at odds with him, but it was necessary. He wasn’t thinking clearly. It would take time to reprogram their minds, so they didn’t see each other sexually. It was best to end it now before they hit the point of no return.

Although she knew she should leave him alone, she couldn’t resist asking, “What did you tell Mom and Dad about the day you beat Tucker?”

“A complete fabrication.”

She twisted her hands together in her lap. “Thank you for not telling them the truth.” The silence that followed made her cringe. “I’m sorry. For everything.”

“I’m not.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but didn’t ask him to elaborate. It was a relief to reach school. Before he parked, she had her seat belt undone, and her backpack on her lap. When she hopped out, she expected him to say something in parting, but he didn’t.

A group of their friends were several cars over. She approached Marissa, Brody, Anton and a few others with a big smile, determined for everything to go back to normal.

“Hey,” she greeted.

“Where’s Jesse going?” Anton asked.

She turned. She thought he’d be right behind her, but he was striding in the opposite direction, across the empty field. “No idea.”

“See you tomorrow,”she told Marie before she headed toward the SUV. Jesse was already behind the wheel. She opened the passenger door and asked, “Did you talk to Coach Rick?”

“Yeah. Get in.”

Apparently, his mood hadn’t improved. The need to apologize rose again, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good. She got in and fastened her seatbelt. “That didn’t take long. I thought he’d try to talk you out of it.”

“I talked to him at lunch.”

Which explained why they were now creeping through traffic mere minutes after school ended. “Are you okay?”

“Does it matter?” he asked testily.

“Yes. If I hadn’t let Tucker?—”

“You saved his life. I wouldn’t have stopped if you hadn’t interfered.”

That made her feel marginally better. “Have you told anyone besides Coach Rick that you’re quitting?”

“No. Coach is going to break the news at practice.”

“What reason did you give?”

He shrugged. “The truth. I made a mistake that made my parents pull me from the team. I deserve it.”

She sat back and closed her eyes. Although Jesse didn’t blame her, it didn’t remove the crushing weight on her shoulders. She was grateful Jesse was speaking to her. She hadn’t seen him all day and suspected he was avoiding her. Although she was secretly grateful he was making himself scarce, it made her feel even worse.

Although she did her best to act like everything was okay, she wasn’t pulling it off well. Three of her friends asked if something was wrong. Georgia hadn’t accepted her weak excuse and started interrogating her about the status of her relationship with Tucker. When she admitted that she and Tucker had broken up, her friends gave her hugs when she started to tear up. If they only knew the real reason she was crying.

Without conscious thought, she reached out to Jesse, seeking comfort, before she caught herself. She told him this morning that he couldn’t touch her. That was a two-way street. Things were still too raw between them, even to hold his hand.

Her hand passed over her burning eyes. How had things gone off track so quickly? In a matter of days, it felt like she lost so much. Tucker, Jesse, her innocence, her parent’s respect and trust. It had been a rollercoaster of highs and lows, and now she was at rock bottom with no idea where to go from here.

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