Page 56 of Hidden Lies

I doubted my aunt would expect me over break. I doubted she even knew the school closed.

Garrett interrupted my musings with a cleared throat. “Let’s get this damn project finished for tomorrow.” He opened his laptop and powered it on. Reluctantly I slid off of Devan’s lap so he could do the same while I fished out my notebook.

In the end, it took us barely half an hour to work out the remaining details for our class discussion the following day, but only half my attention was on the project. The other half was busy formulating a plan.

* * *

In the end, I didn’t even need a plan. My aunt called—for the first time—two days before vacation started, and asked me point blank if I was planning to stay at school over the holiday. She obviously had no idea that wasn’t an option, and I didn’t bother to correct her.

“Yeah, I have plenty of work to catch up on,” I told her, “so I’ll just stay here.”

I was off the phone less than a minute later.

“Did I just hear you say you were staying at school over break?” Nora poked her head around the doorway into the common area where I was sitting on the sofa. “You know we can’t do that, right?”

I flushed. “Uh, yes. I know.”

Her expression turned devilish. “Ooh, sneaky. So, what’s the actual plan then?”

I shrugged. “I’m not sure.” I wasn’t sure why I lied; I just didn’t feel comfortable talking about it. Sometimes it felt like California was part of a previous lifetime, and if I said it out loud, it would dissolve into mist or something and I’d never be able to go back.

“Well, you’re welcome to come with me if you need someplace to go,” she offered, joining me on the couch.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“My dad’s shooting the new Batman movie in Spain right now, so I’m joining him there.”

My eyebrows shot up. “You’re flying to Spain for a five-day weekend?”

She smiled. “It’s better than sitting at home alone. And I haven’t been to Spain in years. Seriously though, you can come if you like.”

I was pretty sure I’d never been offered such an elaborate invitation in such an offhand way before, and I’ll admit I considered it for a moment before shaking my head.

“Thank you, that’s really awesome of you, but I don’t think I’m up for quite that much traveling. I’ll probably find something local to do.”

She didn’t press it, and I was grateful.

“No problem. Let me know if you need a ride into town or to the airport or anything,” she said, hopping up off the couch and heading back to her room.

“I will,” I told her. “Thanks.”

30

“Do you need a ride to the airport tomorrow?” Micah asked me the following evening.

It was late, and Garrett and Devan had already gone to bed, but Micah was a night owl and I was too comfortable to think about dragging myself out into the cold to head back to my own bed just yet. The two of us were stretched out on the floor, backs against the couch as the familiar sound of the racing game filled the room.

It was Tuesday night, classes were over until the following Monday, and the sense of relief around campus was palpable. Many students had left already, but my flight wasn’t scheduled until the following morning.

“Nora’s going to take me. Our flights leave around the same time,” I told him, shifting to stretch my legs out in front of me. The guys still thought I was heading to Chicago, and I hadn’t bothered to disabuse them of the idea. My change of plans wasn’t necessarily a secret, but inside I was such a mess of roiling nerves at the idea of going home to L.A., I found I didn’t want to talk to anyone about it. Besides, it’s not like they were jumping to tell me what they were up to either.

To be fair, I’d bought my ticket with my aunt’s credit card, and I half expected to get a phone call from her at any second asking what the hell I was doing. But it had been a day, and no call had come through yet.

“Will you text me over break?” He set down his controller and turned to face me. He reached up, pulling the elastic out of my hair so the loose strands tumbled down around my shoulders.

“If you want me to,” I said, a little jolt of warmth running through me at the idea that anyone cared enough to check up on me.

“I do,” he said. He took one of the newly free locks of my hair from my temple and let it drift through his fingers. “I won’t worry about you that way.”

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