The Lie(82)

God, I feel like everything is slipping away. “That’s exactly why,” I plead. “So please, have a little compassion. I love him and he loves me.”

Her lip curls as she looks me up and down. “And what about me? What about the friend you cast aside, the one you keep lying to? Where’s the love for me?”

I stare at her, feeling so f*cking helpless. I don’t know what she wants. Everything is spinning out of control, crazy. “Melissa. You’re the best friend I have.”

“Tell me you love me, then.”

My chin jerks back. “What?”

“Tell me you love me,” she says. “As a friend, as anything. Just tell me.”

But I can’t. Because I don’t. Not as a friend, not as anything else. Until this moment she was just a friend, a person in my life, but no one I had a deep attachment to. God, maybe she’s right. It’s just me in this world and no one else.

Except for Brigs.

“That’s right,” she goes on, eyes narrowing. “Because you don’t love anyone except yourself and him. Well, you’re both f*cking perfect for each other. The two most selfish people on earth.” She turns around and starts to walk to the door.

Brigs reaches out and grabs her arm, glaring at her with a look that even makes me shrink in place. “If you f*cking report me, I’ll end you.”

She stares right back at him for a few moments and then shakes her head, a sour smile on her thin lips. “You should have gone for me,” she says. “It would have been safer.”

Then she steps out into the hall and disappears. Brigs quickly shuts the door behind him, locking it, and runs his hand over his face. “Bloody hell,” he whispers, coming right over to me. He pulls me into an embrace, but I can barely move. I can’t believe what’s just happened.

“What the f*ck,” I say. “I don’t…I don’t know what that was.”

“I guess now isn’t the time to tell you that she’s been blatantly hitting on me after class.”

“What?” I hiss, pushing him back. “She’s been what?”

My heart turns bitter, acidic. It adds to the panic.

He nods, looking away. “I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to cause a rift. She’s been hitting on me. Completely inappropriate to the point of harassment.”

I’m wounded. I can’t breathe. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“I couldn’t,” he cries out. “I wanted to, Natasha. But I was thinking of you. You live with her. What would you have done if I had told you? You would have confronted her about it, and then what? We end up in this same scenario.” He growls in frustration, pressing his fist into his forehead. “Can’t you see? She wants everything that you have to the point that she’s bloody psychotic.”

Oh, I can see it now. I just don’t understand. I may be standoffish at times, I may be a hard person to know, and maybe I don’t let many people in…or maybe I let no one in. Maybe Brigs is the first person I’ve let see every part of me.

“Natasha,” he says to me in a hush, pulling me into him. “Don’t listen to anything she’s said. Don’t. She’s jealous of you and that’s it. Jealousy is almost as strong as love, and definitely as strong as hate. It warps people. It can take the nicest, gentlest human being and turn them into something weak and rancid. She’s bitter and she’s scared and she’s grasping at straws.”

“You’re making excuses for her.”

“No excuses,” he says, licking his lips. “Never that. I’m just trying to make sense of it, just as you are.”

“She’s going to report you,” I say. My voice won’t stop shaking.

“Maybe not,” he says with a sigh. “I think she just wants to be heard, that’s all. She still likes you. She’s just hurt and envious and it’s taking over. You need to go home and talk to her.”

“What? I can’t go back there,” I cry out. “Did you not hear what she said?”

“I know, but that’s where you live. I would go with you, but it will only make things worse. Listen, Natasha, you need to try to make things right for now, and hopefully she’ll respond to common sense. She wants you to be real with her and vulnerable, so be those things. Then start looking for somewhere else to live, right away. In fact, I’ll help you.”

“I could live here,” I say quietly.

He winces, trying to smile. “I wish you could, darling, I really wish you could. But right now, with her watching us, I don’t think we can. I know you’re not my student, but I really have to make sure that neither of us will get in any trouble. But I’ll help you, and if it costs more, I will pay for it. I don’t care. You just can’t stay there with her anymore.”

I nod. “I know, I know.” I turn away from him, knots in my chest. One moment everything was perfect, the next it’s blowing up in my face. The last thing I want is for Brigs to lose his job. He can’t lose anything else on account of me, I won’t let it happen. Fucking Melissa has the whole f*cking world in the palm of her hand right now.

“Okay,” I say, sighing. My heart feels like lead. “I’ll go.” I quickly put on my own shirt and grab my stuff. My stomach churns and churns and I’ve never felt so nervous, as if I’m actually going into battle.