Page 48 of The Obsession

The syrupy pancake turned to mealy cement in my mouth. I put my fork down and pushed the plate off to one side. I glanced around the room. The diner was filled with people—townies, tourists, but no one from Draycott, thank god. I guessed it was still too early for students, even with the lure of giant pancakes. Nobody was paying any attention to us. It was time. I had to tell her. I needed somebody on my side. I swallowed, clenched my hands together. “Um, something happened. Something…bad.”

Aisha’s eyes widened and she straightened up in her seat. “Shit,” she muttered. “I didn’t think Logan would—shit.” She reached out and grabbed my hand. “Dee, I’ll be by your side a hundred percent, I swear, no matter how bad it gets. These things… There will always be assholes who blame the victim.”

I stared at her. “What are you talking about?”

Aisha scanned the room before whispering, “Did he force you to do something you didn’t want to do? I should’ve known. I’m so sorry I didn’t realize it sooner—”

“What? No! No, it’s nothing like that,” I cried.

“Oh, thank god.” Aisha sighed. “Then what is it? You’re acting so weird.”

“It’s really hard to explain. But, um, Logan has something on me.”

“Something on you. A…crush? He has a crush on you?”

“No, something bad. I did something”—my voice cracked, and I had to take a deep breath before continuing—“something really, really bad.” The last bit came out in a strangled whisper, my eyes rushing with tears.

For the first time, Aisha didn’t make any smart-ass remarks. She only squeezed my hand and nodded, encouraging me to keep going.

“It’s really bad, Aisha,” I whispered.

“What is it?” she pressed.

“Promise me you’ll never tell anyone?”

Aisha nodded furiously, her eyes wide and trusting.

I took a deep breath. “It’s a video of me, uh…cheating on the chem test.”

Aisha’s mouth dropped open. “Whoa. Jesus.” She blinked a few times, as though she’d just gotten punched. “Seriously? You cheated on a test? But Dee, you’re—” She flapped her arms wildly, gesturing at me. “You’re you! You’d never do something like that.”

Good grief. If this was how badly she reacted over something likecheating, I couldn’t even fathom how she’d react if she ever found out the truth. “I was desperate,” I cried. “You know what Brandon was doing to me, and I couldn’t focus on anything, I was living in fear. And I couldn’t afford to flunk it. If I did, Brandon would get so angry.”

The expression on Aisha’s face melted from shock into sympathy. “Oh, Dee, of course. Yeah, I get it. That was an impossible situation for you.” She grabbed my hand. “Okay, what can I do to help?”

Relief rushed through me. I wanted to hug her so tight right now. Instead, I wiped at my eyes, taking a couple deep breaths.

“Anyway, Logan knows about it, and he’s kind of—well, not kind of, he is blackmailing me into going out with him.”

Aisha gave a bark of laughter, then she saw my expression and stopped abruptly. “Oh. Oh! You’re not kidding. Holy shit.” She sat back and gazed out the window for a while, tapping on her teeth with a meticulously manicured fingernail. “Wait, but you said he didn’t touch you.”

“He didn’t.”

“But he’s using this…whatever he has on you, to get you to sleep with him. That’s rape.”

“No, he’s not. He’s only using it to be my boyfriend.”

“Without sex?” Aisha said, her tone incredulous.

“Yeah. He said all the physical stuff can go at my own pace.” Even as I said it, I realized how ridiculous it sounded. My cheeks reddened.

“Huh. That’s weird. So he just wants to be your boyfriend, but without benefits. Why? He’s hot and rich. He could get any girl he wanted. I mean, no offense, you know I love you and I think you look great, but…”

“I know! He says he’s in love with me, but we barely know each other!”

“Aww,” Aisha said, twirling a lock of hair.

“Aisha!” I wailed.

---