Page 118 of Under the Influence

“Mom almost has dinner ready, so maybe make that quick, okay?” He nods down toward the water, indicating that he knows I am looking at her.

“I’ll just be a second.”

I trek halfway down the backyard and stop, Nash’s words ringing in my mind. She is mine.

Being a decent friend is so much more complicated than I thought it would be when it comes to her. I step out onto the wood, my footsteps drawing her attention.

“So, did you forgive him?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” she whispers. “He’s just...”

“Infuriating?” I interrupt.

“And frustrating,” she adds.

“He can be all of those things,” I agree. “But he can also be good. I’ve seen it.”

She wipes a tear, “I left Chicago because I wanted to leave the drama behind. Instead, it’s like it followed me here. I have enough trouble in my life. I don’t need anymore.”

I sit next to her, my feet swinging off the edge of the dock next to hers. There is a moment of hesitation, but I realize that not telling her the truth would only worsen things. So I suck it up and blurt it out. “It was me in the bathroom at school the other day.”

She jerks her head toward me, a hateful look on her face.

“I know,” I sigh. “I should’ve told you, but once you started talking, I couldn’t stop listening. I know that’s selfish considering you weren’t even talking to me.”

Getting no answer, I place my hand against her thigh, “I’m sorry.”

She exhales, looking down at the water, “I’ve heard that a lot today.”

I nudge her with my shoulder, “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think you told me anything I didn’t already know.”

She doesn’t say anything and a lump forms in my throat, “Cori, what really happened in Chicago?”

Her gaze doesn’t falter. She stares into the same spot, her voice somber, “I lied.”

“About what?” I ask, pushing a little further.

“Who I was having sex with.”

Her words are soft, scared.

“How is that anyone’s business?”

“Because he hurt me,” she cries. “Over and over. I’d get away from him, and he’d suck me back in. Aspen was always there to drag me back out. I promised her I wasn’t seeing him anymore.”

“But you were?” I question.

“I thought he loved me,” she grits. “He watched my life fall apart in front of the entire city, and when I needed him, he didn’t even bother to reach out a hand.”

“What happened?”

She finally forces herself to look at me, “Aspen caught me in a lie when I was sneaking around with him. I couldn’t hurt her, so I told her I had met someone new. The next day, a video leaked on her boyfriend’s social media.”

I knit my brows, a little confused, “I’m not following.”

“Aspen and her boyfriend were having problems. They were on a break, fighting all the time because of his brother. His brother was older and conveniently the one who kept hurting me. Aspen hated him because of it, which caused a lot of problems between her and Zander. The video of me and Kane, his brother, leaked, and it looked awful. Kane was wearing one of Zander’s jackets. They obviously live in the same house and look similar. Everyone thought it was Zander.”

Wow. What a mess.