Page 93 of No One But Us

“Yeah, I do, since I just watched it happen on Friday night.”

She grows still. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I went up there while Elle was with Ryan and told Mom and Dad everything.”

“What? Why? Why on Earth would you do that over some little fling?”

“It’s not a fling, Ginny,” I say. “I’m in love with her.”

It feels good to say it aloud again, though I probably should have said it to Elle before I told my parents and my sister.

To say my parents were stunned when I showed up on their doorstep is an understatement. To say they were displeased when I told them I was in love with Ginny’s best friend... Well, there’s really no word to adequately describe how true that is.

“You love her? Oh my God, James. You’ve really fucking lost it. You’re moving to France in a few months, but you just had to run up there and tell Mom that?”

“I’m not going to France. I told Mom and Dad I’d go back to law school if they’d help Elle get this whole Edward thing shut down.”

“And they agreed?”

I nod. It took them fucking long enough, though. I stayed in Connecticut until well after midnight, and when I left they were still waffling. My father wasn’t sure they could shut it down that fast, and my mother was just flat-out refusing to help. It wasn’t until last night, just before my shift started, that they called to tell me it was taken care of.

The only thing I actually agreed to was finishing law school, but I imagine they’re hoping I’ll still fall in line and join the firm. Which means they’re in for a disappointment.

“It’s already done,” I tell Ginny. “There will be no article.”

All the hostility in her face slowly recedes. “You care about her that much?”

“I told you already; I’m in love with her.”

“I love Alex, but I wouldn’t give up my future for him.”

“I’m not giving up my future; I’m postponing it. And you wouldn’t even question how far you’d go for Alex if you loved him enough. Given that you’ve been cheating on him, though, I’m guessing you already realize that.”

“I can’t believe Elle told you that.”

“She didn’t, Ginny. She never said a fucking word. Unlike you, who’s apparently spent the entire summer bitching about her to Allison. Do you know how much shit in that article had to have come from you?”

“I wasn’t bitching... Okay, maybe part of the time I was, but mostly Allison would just ask questions about all of you, and I’d answer. She was going to be my future sister-in-law. I didn’t think it was a big deal to tell her that stuff.”

“The only girl I’ve ever dated who might end up your sister-in-law is the one you just screwed over. I won’t blame her if she never speaks to you again.”

Ginny hops on the counter and stares at the floor. “Fuck. I guess her owe her an apology. Is she up?”

“How would I know? You’re the one who shares a room with her.”

She raises a brow. “Elle didn’t sleep in my room last night.” She crosses the room and peers out the window before she looks back at me, her forehead creased. I meet her there. That’s when I realize things are a lot worse than I thought.

The Porsche is gone.

Chapter 54

ELLE

It’s almost noon when I finally get out of bed. I pad down the hall, surveying the damage. When I arrived in the middle of the night, the house was full of people. There’s nothing like coming home to discover someone laying out lines of cocaine on the table you made in Girl Scouts when you were 12 to make you lose your shit.

They were resistant to my suggestions that they leave, naturally. On an unrelated note, they had a sudden change of heart once I started calling the cops.

I cook a frozen pizza and sit at my parents’ kitchen table, unable to eat. How do you manage to lose everything all at once the way I did? James, Ginny, my reputation, any lingering respect I had for my parents. It’s all gone, and I just feel empty inside. I’m not sure if my dad will pay for tuition now, and at the moment, I don’t even care. I’m not sure I want to go through the next year being gawked at every time I walk in or out of class anyway.