Page 87 of Unspoken Truths

“You answered your own question,” he says, leaning on the wall facing away from me. “So what did you do for an hour?”

Not bothering to deny how long I was in the dark room, I shrug. “I had some photos I wanted to develop, and I wanted to make sure I got the exposure right. Theo asked a million questions, so I just started explaining each step as I did it so he’d shut up,” I explain.

“Did it work?” Ignacio asks.

“Kind of, except I had to continually make sure I didn’t fuck things up,” I mutter. “The important part is that I didn’t let him see that he was irritating me.”

“You’re a lot alike,” he says, snorting at my incredulous look. “No, really. Stubborn as hell, will do the opposite thing people want you to do just to prove you can.”

“Meh,” I say. “That doesn’t mean much. I was born rebellious. I just stifled it for a while.”

“Why?” Ignacio asks, making me shake my head.

“You must have made your father insane as a kid,” I tell him. “Always so many questions. I didn’t want to make things difficult for my mom after my dad died. So instead, I went to school, put up with shitty teachers, and did my work.”

Shuddering, I remember how I froze when Colton came into my room, pinned me down, and raped me. It’s a miracle that I’m even able to enjoy praise after the things he said to me while pressing a pillow on my face…

“Rachelle, hey,” Ignacio says, snapping his fingers in my face. Reflexively, I grab one and twist it, bearing my teeth at him. I fucking hate when he snaps at me. “Ow!Basta, por favor.Your eyes glazed over and you fucking left me!”

Dropping his finger, I drop my head back gently against the stone wall, my heart pounding. “I’m sorry,” I pant. “I thought of something and got pulled away for a bit.”

“Will you tell me what it was?” he asks, but I’m already shaking my head.

I feel too exposed, and a part of me doesn’t believe Ignacio won’t use my secrets against me.

“We read the notes on Colton’s confession and Julia’s statement about the rape,” Ignacio says softly, his eyes on my face. “I know most of what happened that night.”

“The police refused to record my report anywhere,” I say. “The trial was sealed as well, though I don’t think that means anything to Theo. Digging into things you know nothing about just makes you look like the numb nuts that you are when you use the information incorrectly.”

“Numb nut. Really?” he mutters. “Jesus, Rachelle. That’s a new one. I’m not going to use it. I promised I wouldn’t, remember?”

“Upon literal pain of death,” I grumble. “Yeah, I do. I was just thinking about how I became a people pleaser. The good girl.”

Ignacio watches the way I wrap my arms and shudder, glowering at me.

“All I’ve seen is the brat,” he says honestly. “You didn’t once back down when I had you pinned against me. No, listen to me. I was hard as fuck because I enjoy the fight, but that doesn’t have to be done in an environment like that. Ever since Jared pulled you by the hair on the field, you haven’t backed down, not once.”

“She’s not a brat for me,” Lili says, stepping into the tower.

My lips twitch as I glance over at her, my chest easing as I see her. My body relaxes as I take in how pretty she is, the way the wind plays with her hair.

“I don’t need to be,” I tell her.

“Dios Santo,” Ignacio sighs. Emil said that last night for some reason, and I looked it up. Apparently, Ignacio isn’t a fan of my words. “You two are going to give me a cavity. Do you ever fight?”

“I mean, kind of,” I admit. “We tend to talk about things before it gets that far.”

“Ya know, like adults,” Lili teases him. We are so far from being those it’s not funny.

“Uh-huh, that’s cute,” my stepbrother sighs. “Have you managed to go on a first date yet, or are you both too busy for that?”

“That’s intrusive,” I mutter. “There you go again with the twenty questions.”

“Just making sure your girlfriend is treating you well,” he snarks.

“Why, because you want to steal her away?” Lili asks, moving over to me until her hand finds mine. “I share just fine.”

I’ve never seen anyone choke on spit before. Not laughing is difficult as I watch, and Lili leans against my side, clearly amused.

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