Page 104 of Fraternizing with the Enemy
The thought caused a ripple of unease to crawl across my skin. “Is there a bathroom I could use?”
“Yeah, there’s actually one right off the garage. I can show you?—”
“I can find it, it’s okay,” I assured, pushing to my feet. “If I see the boys, I’ll tell them we’re getting impatient for our s’mores.”
Danielle gave an eager nod. “Please do.”
My mind spun as I walked away from the fire, so much so that I only narrowly missed tripping over the garden gnome. I was thinking about my friends a lot more than I’d thought I’d be, but I was also thinking about Noah. As morally gray as some of the Top Tier members were, I couldn’t imagine them intentionally breaking someone’s leg. Connor and Landon, surely, would’ve put a stop to it if they’d known. It just seemed so… insane. And plus, this time last year, there’d been different Top Tier members. No way would they have made that call.
But all the times I’d asked Logan why Noah hated Brentwood so much, why hadn’t he brought up the fact that Noah broke his leg at the rival game? Did Logan think I already knew?
When I got to the side door to the garage, I found it half open, with voices filtering out. I should’ve pushed my way inside, but years of being used to eavesdropping for information had me hesitating. Even though it was wrong, I held my breath and held perfectly still.
“…thought that was a good idea,how?” Noah demanded.
“You know Danielle invited her.”
Noah gave a sharp sigh. “You could’ve uninvited her.”
They were definitely talking about me.
“You know I couldn’t care less about her feelings,”Noah went on, softer now. “But what you’re doing? It’s really messed up, Logan.”
“I like her,” Logan almost whispered. The only time I’d ever heard the sort of pain-like quality to his voice had been Wednesday, when he dropped me off at my house. But why would he sound so sad now? “I really like her.”
There was a long pause, and I found myself leaning closer to the door, straining. I couldn’t even hear either one of them breathing. “Logan.”
“I know, I know,” he rushed on. “Believe me, I know. I know it’s a bad idea, and that it could backfire. And I know you hate it?—”
“I’m trying tohelp you, you idiot. It’s not going to end the way you want it to.”
“I can handle it.” Logan’s voice was stronger when he spoke again. “I’m handling it.”
He always tries to take everything on himself. “You really are an idiot,” Noah murmured, but his voice was quiet. Not demeaning, but almost resigned. “It was supposed to be for aweek. You think she’ll stick around when she finds out?”
The question struck Logan silent. Suddenly, the image of Logan that day in the alleyway filled my vision. His hunched shoulders, his downcast, sad gaze, his chest rising and falling with quiet, panicked breaths. Was that how he looked now?
I couldn’t stand the image anymore. I pushed the side door to the garage open, stepping in and finding the two boys facing each other in the cluttered interior. “Find out what?” I asked.
Noah was leaning against a workshop table with Logan standing in front of him, and they both turned toward my voice, startled. I watched as Logan’s expressionwent from pinched towhite. His eyes widened as he froze, truly looking like a deer in headlights.
He no doubt was mortified by the thought of me overhearing what Noah said. I wanted to grab his hand, to reassure him, but he was too far away. “This is about the dare, isn’t it?” I asked Noah. “You were the one who dared Logan to go to Brentwood’s open house, right?”
Noah didn’t deny it, but his eyes did narrow.
“I already know about it. Logan has already been honest about it all.”
Noah looked at Logan wordlessly, but the quarterback refused to meet his best friend’s eye. Logan wasn’t looking at me, either. Instead, his gaze was on some point on the garage floor, as if too afraid to look anyone straight on. “Honest,” Noah echoed. “Really?”
“Yes.” I took another step toward Logan. “I appreciate you looking out for him, but?—”
“But what? But you won’t drop him the second he does something you don’t like? Or the second someone better comes along?”
The venom in his voice was starting to tick me off. “I get that you don’t like me?—”
“I don’t.” Noah pushed up from the table he leaned against, rising to his full height. He didn’t stand close enough to be imposing, but his eyes were bright behind his glasses. “You don’t even know what it is about you that I don’t like, do you?”
“That I go to Brentwood,” I said, returning his glare. “Who my friends are. But it’s not fair to judge me just because you don’t like my friends.”
