Page 37 of Twisted Secrets

I’m dropping my pants when there’s a knock on my bedroom door. “Crew. Can I come in?”

“Yeah,” I deadpan, still reeling from what I just heard. I’m not sure if I’m angrier with Neo or Scar. Either way, I need to hear what she has to say, and once again, I’m giving her the chance to come clean first. Hopefully it pans out this time because when she fucked Jagger, it took days for me to get the truth.

She steps inside, closing the door behind her. I kick away my pants and snap the band of my black briefs. “I take it you heard I decked Neo?” Pulling open my drawer, I start shuffling for a tee shirt and end up with a solid black one.

My shirt is hung around my neck when she grabs my hand, fingers grazing my swollen knuckles. “I didn't just hear. I saw. What happened?”

Eyes on our entwined hands, I stand still. I can’t even look at her. “He was talking shit, and if he knows what’s good for him, he won't do it again.”

Her head hangs low, which makes me wonder if she’s fighting eye contact because of the guilt inside her.“Talking shit about me?”

“Why?” I lift my eyes, and she does the same. “Is there something he’d need to say about you?”

She nods subtly and I catch a glint of a tear in the corner of her eye.Good. She feels bad.“There’s something I need to tell you, Crew.”

I don’t say anything. Instead, I wait for her to speak.

Seconds later, she looks up at me. “I kissed Neo.”

My eyes close momentarily and I wanna bang my fucking head against the wall when the image of them making out pops into my head. When I open them, I seethe. “Why?”

“Because something happened today, Crew. Everything changed. And I need to be honest with you, even if it means slicing myself open in the process.”

I roll my neck, exhaling profusely. “What happened, Scar?”

She hesitates, opening her mouth to speak then closing it again. Finally after a few moments of uncertainty, she says with a trembling voice, “I can’t be with you anymore.”

“Wait. What?” That’s not what she was supposed to say. No. She was supposed to tell me about the kiss with Neo. This isn’t right.

Tears expel from her eyes. One by one, dropping so loudly that I swear I can hear them hit the skin of our held hands.

“What are you talking about?” I laugh it off, though I’m not feeling any humor in this situation. “Sure you can.”

She shakes her head no, and each movement pushes the knife deeper into my chest. “I love you so much, Crew, and this is killing me.” Her sobs become more violent and when I pull her close, wrapping my arms around her, she comes undone.

“Stop talking like this. Whatever happened with you and Neo, it’s okay. We can all move past it.” I squeeze her tighter, relishing in how right her body feels against mine. How perfect she fits in my arms, like it’s home for her.

Pulling back an inch, she looks up at me with questioning eyes, arms still wrapped tightly around my lower torso.

“He already told me about the kiss. I’m sure he coerced you into it somehow and I’m not upset.” I watch meticulously as she swallows, her throat bobbing. “He did force it, didn’t he?”

Her tongue darts out, sweeping up the tears that have fallen. “No. It wasn’t forced. I kissed him of my own free will.”

I step back, letting go of her. My shoulders fall, willing to take my body down with them. “That’s impossible. You despise Neo.”

“You’re right. I do.”

ChapterTwelve

SCAR

I can’t do this.It hurts too much. The look of betrayal on his face. The way he stares back at me like I’m a stranger and not the girl he’s loved since he was just a kid.

I can’t do this. But I have to. I’m not sure what Neo has hanging over my head, but at any time, he can bring down the veil and suffocate me with the truth. Until I know, I have to do what he’s asked and break up with Crew. Not for him, but for my family. And most importantly, for Maddie.

“You’re not making any sense, Scar.” Crew’s voice rises to a shrilling shout. He spins around, unable to look at me, and I get it. I wouldn’t want to look at me either. “Explain to me what the hell happened earlier.”

“I…I’m not sure how it happened, but Neo and I found ourselves in a compromising position. My heart told me to go for it because of what you said today. You said you don’t think it’s just hate Neo feels toward me. So I kissed him and it was freeing. After all these years, I knew exactly why Neo treated me the way he did—because deep down, he was in love with me.”

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