Page 27 of Sins of a Rebel

She ends the call with a breathy goodbye. I jog down the stairs and unlock the door, peeking through the side window until the small headlights of Ivy’s old beat-up car pull in behind mine.

I flick on the front porch light, and as soon as I see the look on her face, I know whatever she’s about to tell me won’t be good.

“What happened? Are you okay?” I ask, holding the door open for her.

Her eyes are puffy and red, remnants of mascara stream down her face, and her hair is pulled up in a bun matching my own. She’s dressed in shorts and a sweatshirt; the temperature has dropped since earlier in the night.

“I want to say goodbye to you before I go.”

“Go? Go where? Where are you going?”

She stares down at the floor, shaking her head. I reach for her hand, tugging her with me into the living room, and gesture for her to sit on the couch.

“Let me get you some water, okay? Give me just a second.”

She nods, and I escape into the kitchen to grab her a bottle of water and some ibuprofen. She looks like she’s been crying her eyes out, and I have no doubt she’ll be fighting off a headache before too long.

Give me a chance to say I’m sorry.

The familiar lyrics break through the silence when I walk back into the living room. Ivy’s seated on the couch, staring down at her phone. The music playing came from her phone.

“I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t wake anyone. I didn’t realize my ringer was on.”

“I’m the only one home. My parents are out of town for the weekend.”

She sighs, her phone flashing again, and she shakes her head. “It’s Brix.” She hits the power button, turning it off. “He won’t stop calling if he’s noticed I’m gone.”

“Did something happen between the two of you?”

I take a seat on the edge of the sofa next to her. She releases a shuddered breath, waving her hands around while searching for the words but can’t seem to find the answers.

“I’m not ready to talk about it. Not yet. All I know and can say is whatever relationship I thought we were building was never real to him. It was all a bet between him and Tysin. We’re nothing more than a joke.”

My heart aches for my friend, but the mention of it being a bet, a joke, between him and Tysin causes my stomach to drop.

“Promise me you’ll be careful with him,” Ivy says.

“Did he say anything about me? Where did you hear this?”

“From their own mouths. I don’t know about your relationship, though. I didn’t stay long enough to hear the rest of the conversation. I could barely hold myself together.”

“Is this why you weren’t feeling well tonight?”

She nods. “I didn’t know what to say or do.”

She struggles to finish the sentence. For me, it’s like I’ve been sucker punched. Tears prick my eyes. I’m trying to be there for my friend, but my heart feels like it’s breaking inside my chest.

I told him I loved him, and he never returned the feelings.

What if I was nothing but a joke to him too?

A conquest.

Would he really do something like this to his best friend’s sister?

Who was the Tysin I’ve spent time with and got to know?

“There’s only a couple of weeks left before school starts. I called my friend Hensley, and she’s agreed to let me stay with her until we can get into our dorm. I’m heading back to Chapel Hill tonight.”

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