Secrets & Lies: Two Short Stories(27)

“He’ll expel me.” Her voice cracked, and for a second I wondered if she was crying. “I’ll be kicked off student council. I’ll lose everything I’ve worked for.”

I was starting to feel sorry for her. Starting to regret this. Starting to think maybe I was wrong. But then I remembered that broken look on Elsie’s face on Monday. She hadn’t even been to school since then. If anyone deserved sympathy, it was her.

“You win,” Justine said. “I’ll turn myself in. But people are still going to hate you, Bailey. I’m going to tell everyone you made me do this.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “Maybe those people are the ones who—as you put it—aren’t worth knowing.”

She made a small grunting noise before hanging up.

I put my cell phone down and let out a breath. “She’s telling the principal tomorrow.”

“Good,” Nathan said. “And if she doesn’t, you have that whole conversation recorded on your phone.”

“Could you really do that?” I asked him. “All that stuff about the IP address?”

He shrugged. “I actually don’t know. It’s possible on some sites, but I’ve never tried on YouTube. But I figured she wouldn’t know, either.”

“Do you feel better?” Whitley asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “I do… mostly.”

“Now what’s wrong? Upset you’re not going to be Miss Popularity anymore?”

I shook my head. “No…. Well, a little. But that’s okay. No, it’s just… Justine’s brother is this really cool, cute guy, and I think he was starting to like me. I don’t think he will after Justine tells him about that phone call.”

“You’re too young to date anyway.”

“Nathan,” Whitley said, rolling her eyes.

“She is.”

“Ignore him,” Whitley said. “He’s just jealous no one wanted to date him in ninth grade.”

“Hey, you know that’s not true,” he argued. “I was on the basketball team. All sorts of girls wanted to date me. But I knew I was too young to date—and I was busy with school and sports.”

“You mean you were busy playing with Star Wars action figures,” Whitley said.

I grinned a little. “He totally was.”

“I didn’t play with them,” Nathan said. “They were collectibles. I collected them.”

“Okay, Nathan,” Whitley said. “I love you, but collecting action figures isn’t any less geeky than playing with them. In fact, it might be a little worse. But that’s okay.” She stood up and walked around to where he sat on my other side. “Because today your nerdy side was pretty useful. And kind of sexy.”

“Really?” He smirked at her. “Want to go to my room and listen to me read from my computer sciences textbook?”

“Mm. Maybe.”

“Ew!” I said, slinging a pillow at them. “Get out.”

“Gladly,” Nathan said, standing up and grabbing Whitley’s hand. “Good night, Bailey.”

“Good night,” I said.

Whitley stopped at the door and turned around. “And seriously. If the guy stops liking you, he sucks.”

“Thanks.”

It was easy to hear. But it wasn’t easy to believe. The truth was, Brody Frasier was amazing. And tonight, I’d lost any shot I may have had with him.





Chapter Five


By first period the next day, rumors were flying all over the place. Justine had been suspended, expelled, arrested. There were a thousand different stories, and no one seemed to know which ones were true. People only knew one thing for sure—this was my fault.

Well, not everyone knew that. But Wendy and Melanie did. They’d both given me death glares in the hallway that morning, and I knew cheerleading practice later would be a nightmare.

The rest of the semester would be a nightmare.

I just had to keep reminding myself that I’d done the right thing. That Justine deserved whatever she got. And that anyone who thought otherwise was just as bad as she was.

I told myself all these things, but it didn’t make things suck any less.

Justine’s seat was empty when I got to class. But her brother’s wasn’t. While Mr. Daud drew a diagram of a triangle on the board, I noticed Brody looking at me. I looked down at my desk, not wanting to see his face. To see him glaring at me. I kept my head down for the rest of class.

When the bell rang, I grabbed my things and ran toward the door as fast as I could. I wasn’t fast enough, though.

“Bailey, wait.”

I groaned quietly and stopped in my tracks. Brody was at my side a second later. I didn’t look at him.

“Can I talk to you a second?”

“Um… sure.”

I followed him out of the classroom and down the hall to a small alcove. We wedged ourselves in, and the quarters were so close that, for a second, our knees brushed. I couldn’t avoid looking at him now. But when my eyes met his, I was surprised not to see any anger there.

“I heard what happened,” he said. “With you and my sister.”

“Oh, um… I’m sorry, but I just—”