Page 48 of Soul of Shadow
It pained her to do this. But Elias didn’t know the truth: he had just provided her with exactly the opportunity she needed.
Charlie pasted a huge, fake smile onto her mouth.
“Why not?”
“I need answers,” said Lou as soon as they sat down at their usual lunch table. “And money for a bagel, but that can come after.”
Charlie rolled her eyes. “There’s nothing to tell. I’m just as surprised as you are.”
“Liar, liar, secret make-outs on fire. You’ve been acting like a freak all week. And last night, Mason texted me saying you came home soaking wet and covered in mud last night. He says you made up some story about my dad.”
Charlie looked up, meeting Lou’s gaze across the table. “You were texting my brother?”
Lou waved a hand. “That’s beside the point. He’s worried aboutyou.” She leaned in, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Something is going on with you. We’re just waiting for you to tell us what.”
Charlie glanced over at Abigail, who nodded meaningfully. It was probably the first time Charlie had ever seen her and Lou on the same side of an argument.Shoot.Her best friends were notoriously persistent; they weren’t going to move on until they had an answer.
Drumming her fingers on her wrinkled lunch bag, Charlie thought quickly. She needed another lie. One that would appease her friends for good. She couldn’t have them nosing around right now—not when their lives were at stake.
Like a clap of thunder, the answer came to her: tell the truth.
Or tell half of it, anyway.
“Fine,” Charlie said, purposely drawing out a lengthy sigh. “You caught me.”
Lou raised her eyebrows.
Am I really going to do this?
Yes, she was.
As if admitting to a grave crime, Charlie said, “I’ve been seeing Elias.”
Lou let out a scream loud enough to shock the other tables into looking over at them. “I knew it!” she hollered, shaking Abigail’s shoulder. “Did I not call it, Abigail? Did I not?”
“You called it,” said Abigail, sounding genuinely impressed.
Pointing dramatically at Charlie, Lou said, “That’swhy you’ve been acting sketchy. You’ve been seeing him on the down-low. Ever since you met in the woods. Am I right?”
Charlie shrugged sheepishly.
“Wait.” Lou’s eyes widened. “Does that mean… is Elias Everhart yourboyfriend?”
“No, it’s not…” Charlie trailed off. Her first instinct was to say no, that they were keeping things casual. But would a casual hookup really cover an entire wall with roses to ask someone to homecoming? Would casual hookups spend almost every night together, sneaking into the woods for hours at a time?
She already knew the answer. And she knew what she needed to say.
“Yes,” she said, voice surprisingly strong and confident. Another lie. Another burst of energy. Another piece of evidence that Charlie was not who she originally thought she was. “He is.”
Lou and Abigail squealed so loudly that Charlie buried her head in her arms.
“What’s all the ruckus over here?” said a familiar voice, and Charlie’s stomach sank.
“Well, if it isn’t the man himself,” Lou said as Charlie peered out through her fingers. “Elias Everhart, the first man to ever make our Charles an honest woman.”
Elias looked over at Charlie in surprise. Mason, who stood beside him, appeared to be in shock. Odin save her—this was humiliating. She hadn’t consulted with Elias before blurting out that he was her boyfriend. He had no say in the matter and would probably be furious with her.
“Yep,” Charlie said brightly, straightening up and folding her hands in front of her. “I was just telling them about last night. When we made things official.”
