Sweet Liar (Candy #2)(28)

“Maybe she’s a closet slut.”

She shot me a look that said she wasn’t amused.

“Lea.” I sighed. “Senior year is half over. How much of high school are you going to spend pining over Ethan? Maybe it’s time to let it go, or just finally be honest with him. What have you got to lose at this point?”

“Him. I could lose him. I could ruin everything if he doesn’t feel the same way, and let’s face it, he doesn’t. He’s had plenty of time to tell me. Anyway . . .” She glanced down at the floor. “I’m making too big a deal of this. I know that.”

“Lea.”

“See you at lunch. Do we even have lunch today? They should have just cancelled school like they did in Ryberg. This dumb town never cancels. If we were in the middle of a tornado, they’d probably open the school and hand out helmets.” She scowled as she turned and walked down the hallway.

I snorted, thinking I should have acted more sympathetic. But she was running out of time, and I wanted her to be happy. Despite how ridiculous Ethan sometimes spoke and acted, I didn’t think he was a bad guy. He’d been loyal to Jonah and he never took any of Parker’s crap, which weighed heavily in his favor.

Ethan had to know Lea liked him, and yet he did nothing about it other than have random, probably drunk make-out sessions with her at parties. Guys weren’t that complicated. If Ethan liked Lea, they’d be together. Since they weren’t together, he probably didn’t.

I was wondering if I should stick my nose in and try to help when I walked into first period English and stalled just inside the doorway. My stomach knotted as I remembered the last time I’d been in here and the way Jonah had confronted me. It was a day I didn’t want to remember, but knew I would never forget.

Jonah was already seated at his usual desk, and his eyes followed me as I walked down the aisle and sat beside him. I pulled out a blank piece of notebook paper and handed it to him.

He eyed it curiously.

“Write down where Drew is for each period today. You know his schedule, don’t you?” I figured if Drew was his original assignment, he must know.

Jonah’s expression told me I was right. His mouth tightened, but he nodded and started writing.

When class ended, he handed the paper back to me. “Your best bet is to catch him after gym class.”

I tilted my head suspiciously at his helpfulness.

“Just come see me after,” he added. “If you’re going to do this, I want a line of communication open between us.”

Right. He was cooperating because he wanted to be kept in the loop. “Sure,” I said, but I kept my fingers crossed behind my back as we walked out of class. I’d keep him in the loop if it suited my purposes. I wasn’t doing this for him or his organization. I was doing it for my father.

In the hallway, I asked Jonah about Ethan. “Does he know who you really are?”

“No. And I’d appreciate it if it stayed that way.”

“So he thinks you’re actually his friend.”

Jonah’s eyes darkened. “I am his friend.”

Obviously, he was tired of my reminding him of his lies. “Do you know who he’s dating these days?”

His frustration turned to wariness. “Why? You interested?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m asking for Lea. She’s wondering if he’s serious about her.”

He shrugged. “Is he serious about anything?”

Biting my lip, I wondered if I could enlist his help for Lea.

Jonah glanced at his watch. “Spit it out, Seaborne. We’re going to be late for class.”

I scowled. “Look, this needs to stay between us, but Lea really likes Ethan, and she’s taking it pretty hard every time he asks out a girl that’s not her.”

“He likes her too,” Jonah said nonchalantly.

“He does?” I was shocked by how easily he’d related this critical information.

Jonah nodded. “The problem isn’t with Lea, it’s with him. From what I can tell, his family is messed up, and they messed him up. He believes that if she ever really got to know him, she wouldn’t like him, so he keeps her at a distance.”

“But she does like him. They like each other. They could totally be together.”

He angled a look at me. “Sometimes it’s not that simple, though. Is it?”

My gaze locked with his as I got his meaning. “This is different,” I said quietly. “Maybe you could talk to Ethan?”

He took a step back. “No way.”

“Why not? You’d be doing a good thing.”

“Sorry. That’s above my pay grade.”

I tilted my head at him.

“I don’t see a happy ending happening with those two. You should stay out of it. Since when do you play matchmaker anyway?”

“I just want Lea to be happy.”

He pointed a finger at me. “I suggest you worry about yourself.”

When Jonah turned and walked away without a backward glance, I should have been upset with him for refusing to help, but I wasn’t. Normally I’d stay out of it too. But for some reason, I didn’t want to see Lea heartbroken.

Maybe it was because my own heart felt so raw. I wanted someone to be happy, even if it couldn’t be me.