Page 82 of The Suite Life
‘What?’ Rick adds.
‘It says their first date was on Halloween,’ I tell him. ‘It was November when he broke up with me.’
‘Let’s see properly,’ Lucy says, taking my phone from me to read the whole caption.
‘Did you know?’ I ask.
‘Of course we didn’t,’ Lucy insists, glancing at Rick. ‘Did we, Rick?’
Rick’s expression betrays him. He definitely knew something.
‘Rick?’ Lucy presses, sensing there’s more to the story.
‘Luce, it’s none of our business,’ he says quietly, attempting to defuse the tension.
‘She’s my sister, of course it’s my business,’ Lucy retorts with fire in her eyes. ‘You knew?’
‘Look, let’s just go for a walk, talk about this,’ Rick suggests, attempting damage control.
‘It’s okay, Lucy,’ I reassure her, trying to downplay the situation, but she’s having none of it.
‘No, it’s not,’ Lucy replies as Rick tries to take her hand in his. ‘I can’t do this right now.’
She abruptly stands up, snatching her hand away from Rick again, before walking off down the beach. Rick, in a blind panic now, runs after her.
I watch them disappear into the night, their silhouettes blurring with the neon glow of the resort. Then I sigh every bit of air from my lungs.
Donnie glances at me, giving me a sympathetic look, but I can tell he doesn’t know what to say. I shake my head. I don’t know what to say either.
I look over at Nathan and Sunshine. They’re looking over, concerned looks etched on their faces, having witnessed what just happened from a distance, but clearly having no idea what caused it. As my gaze locks with Nathan’s, I notice his eyes narrow suspiciously.
‘Shit,’ I mutter quietly to myself as the two of them march over.
‘What’s going on?’ Sunshine asks angrily. ‘Have you upset them?’
My eyebrows shoot up in incredulity.
‘HaveIupset them?’ I repeat back to her. ‘No, I haven’t upset them.’
Nathan looks at Donnie accusingly.
‘Was it you?’ he demands.
‘No, it was you, you tosser,’ Donnie claps back, unable to stifle a bemused laugh. The absurdity of the situation isn’t lost on either of us.
‘Me?’ Nathan’s eyes widen in disbelief.
‘Let’s not do this here,’ I say, trying to calm things down.
‘No, we’re doing it here,’ Nathan insists, his curiosity unwavering. ‘Come on, what have I done?’
Donnie, recognising the delicate nature of the situation, defers to me with a supportive look.
‘Lucy basically found out that Rick knew that you cheated on me,’ I tell him. Then I turn to Sunshine. ‘With you.’
Sunshine’s eyes widen as she realises I know. She looks at Nathan, a mixture of betrayal and heartbreak etched across her face. She looks like her world just ended. Okay, so maybe she didn’t know either.
‘Wait, I can explain,’ Nathan pleads, reaching for Sunshine’s hands.
