Page 18 of The Lie
His nose has stopped bleeding, but he looks like hell, black eyes starting to form. I almost feel bad for that.Almost.
Did Hunter know Grady’s gay?
Britney laughs. “I’m only telling the truth, what’s the matter with that?”
“Everything, Britney. You just took that from him. You can’t out people like that. That’s not right,” Hunter continues. “I hope you’re happy because the team will no longer sit with you. Actually, we no longer acknowledge you exist. You’re nobody to us.”
Everyone just stares, and there are a few whispers, but that’s it. That’s when it hits me—everyone here knows Grady’s secret. I have no idea how this is going to affect him. She just told everyone his deepest, darkest secret, and I’m speechless. Can’t put that back in the box. It’s done, and I can’t do anything about it.
Emerson walks over and stands beside Hunter and points at Britney. “That goes for your friends too. If anyone associates with Britney Montlake, you’re dead to us. Don’t talk to us, don’t sit with us, and you sure as hell can’t party with us.”
I look around as all my teammates stand behind Hunter, Emerson, and Roman and glare at Britney, who sputters, unable to find words. Just like me.
This is all my fault, and I need to go home to Grady. I need to apologize to him. But how can he ever forgive me? He didn’t start this—I did. Britney is a bitch and always has been. I should have seen something coming, but I thought, if anything, she would be nasty to Mila. Not Grady.
I walk to my car, my shoulders slumping as I make my way across the lot. How did Britney know Grady was gay and not me…his own brother?
He hooks up with girls at parties. I’ve seen him. That’s the only time he really hooks up. He’s at training every day, and he never goes out on dates. Hell, most of us don’t, but that doesn’t make someone gay. How would I see him with another guy? He’s either home or over at Makai’s, studying.
Oh my god.I slump into the seat of my car, throwing my head back as I run my hands over my face. How could I have been so blind? I knew having a study session on the first day of school was strange, but I just thought they wanted to get a head start and, I guess, hang out. The whole time, they’ve been more than friends and hiding it.
I look over to my teammates still standing around, feeling grateful Grady has such amazing friends. Wishing I was an amazing brother and not such a self-centered dick.
Looking into my rearview mirror, I hate the reflection I see. “Jace Montero, you’re a fucking asshole.”
EIGHT
MILA
Hunter hasn’t called me yet. We discussed earlier that I would wait for him to call me because he planned to talk to Roman after the game. To try get him to come see me tomorrow to talk. So, the fact he hasn’t called means he must still be working on Roman. He might go to a party tonight if Roman does. Hunter said he will stick with him. Make sure he’s all right and doesn’t get into any trouble.
Beside me, Madison makes a soft snoring sound, and I smile. She passed out about an hour ago, and I’m still here watching the movie she picked. It’s awesome, actually. Miles Teller is in it…and well, anything that guy is in is sure to be awesome. He is cute and so fucking hot. I saw that body of his in the newTop Guntrailer. I need to see that movie just to stare at him all day.
I hear yelling outside at the Montero’s place. I can tell it’s Jace. Great, he’s going to wake Madison. What the fuck is his problem now?The world doesn’t revolve around you, asshole. As much as he seems to think it does.
Carefully extracting myself from under the blankets, I sneak over to my window barefoot to look out and see what the hell is going on. The outside light is on at the back of their house, and Daniel is there, stopping Jace from going farther. I can’t understand what Jace is saying until I hear him call out, “Grady, please.”
Grady? I look down toward the street and see a dark figure standing there. Did they have another fight? Jace needs to get over the kiss. We weren’t dating; he was with Britney still. I’m sure of it. He can hate me forever, but he can’t hate his brother. That’s his family, and I know they were very close growing up. I don’t want to be the reason they have a falling out. But I don’t know how to make it better.
The movie playing on my laptop must give off enough light that all three of the Montero men stare up at me. Fuck, I didn’t want Jace to know I’d been looking at him. I glance back toward Grady and see he’s now gone. Stepping back from my window, I block them out. I don’t need to add their drama to my night.
I’m heading back to bed when I hear what sounds like a soft knocking at the front door. Pausing, I listen attentively. Then I hear it again, this time a little louder.
That better not be Jace coming to tell me to stop spying on him from my window. Then I snort. Jace wouldn’t be knocking on my door; he wouldn’t have the guts to tell me that to my face. The only other person it could be is Grady. Hunter would have called if he was coming, plus Dad gave him a key, so he wouldn’t need to knock.
I sneak out of the room and close the door behind me, hoping that Madison doesn’t wake from the knocking. The stair squeaks, and I grit my teeth and listen for her to wake. There’s no sound, so I continue down the stairs. The knocking starts again.
“I’m coming,” I whisper-yell as I switch on the living room light so I don’t fall over anything getting to the door.
But as I place my fingers on the lock, I hesitate. What if it isn’t Grady and is some crazy killer instead? Like, I know the odds are against this being a killer, especially one who knocks, but that knowledge doesn’t help my nerves at all. My hand shakes a little.
“Grady?” I hold my breath, waiting for his response.
“Yeah, can I come in, Mila?”
I let out a ragged breath. I need to stop watching so much true crime. It’s messing with my head. Twisting the lock, I open the door. As Grady’s figure comes closer, I smile into the darkness. But my smile drops as soon as I get a good look at his face. His eyes are red and glassy, and he’s all splotchy and puffy. He’s been crying.
“Grady?” I reach out and grab his arm, pulling him into me. Stopping him as he gets just over the threshold, I reach up to cup his cheek. He closes his eyes and presses his face into my hand.
