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I reached up, bringing my fingers to rest where she’d kissed me as she went back to the elevator. I tried to remember another time when she’d kissed me like that.
I couldn’t.
The elevator opened. She stepped inside, and the doors closed.
I sat there for another hour.
“Sam.”
I was finally leaving the hotel when I heard my name. Becky rested against Logan’s Escalade. She twisted her hands together and straightened as I drew near.
“What are you doing here?” I looked around. The lot was full of cars, but it was relatively quiet, like the lobby. A party bus pulled up to the front entrance, and a bunch of people staggered off it, laughing loudly.
“It was Adam.”
“What was?”
“Adam’s the one who turned in that video of Mason. He saw that one of the workers there had his phone out, and later he tracked him down. He edited the video so it looks like Mason attacked that guy for no reason. Here.” She held out a flash drive.
“What is it?” I took it.
“It’s the rest of the video. It’ll show that the guy’s about to hit you and Mason is just protecting you. It should get him off.”
“Why are you giving me this?”
“Because Adam’s wrong with what he’s doing.” She looked away. Shoving her hands in her back pockets, she looked like half the person she’d been. “I’m really sorry, Sam.”
I laughed. This had become the night of apologies somehow. “I… Why did Adam do that?”
“Because he’s still mad about how Mason humiliated him in high school.” She lifted her head, and her eyes swam with tears. “Because he knows you guys are behind getting his dad arrested, and because of Logan’s threat to go to law school with him.” She stopped and took a breath. “Adam’s not thinking straight right now. And he’s angry because…” She took another deep breath. “He’s angry that I broke off the engagement. He’s blaming you for that.” She nodded to the flash drive still in my hand. “He wanted to hurt you guys. This is me trying to make it right.”
She started to go, but I stepped forward. “Wait. You broke up with him?”
She nodded, her lip trembling. “He thinks it’s because his dad’s in legal trouble, but it’s not. I’ve always loved Adam, even before I loved myself. And I’ve always chosen him, but I’ve been thinking a lot over the last week. I still love him. I think it’s just in my DNA, but I don’t know. I think I need to start doing things for myself, you know? I can’t marry a guy and have our entire life already mapped out. I know it’s sudden and random, but—” She lifted her shoulder and rested her cheek against it. “Maybe it’s the fight with you guys. I’m just so tired of it. I don’t know if Logan’s really going to do the whole law school thing, but when he said that, it was like I got a wake-up call. Adam’s always going to fight someone. Whether it’s you guys or someone else. He hates Mason, and it’s like he chooses guys at school to hate, too. I was shocked when he said he wanted to make things right with you guys, but it was all a sham. Adam did know what Caldron was supposed to do. James insisted the two boys worked together, and it was his job too. He was supposed to distract Mason, too. He wanted to do it by being friends with him, but we all know that didn’t work out. I’m sorry.” She went back to twisting her hands together. “This is a lot of talking, and I’m probably not making any sense.”
“No. You are.”
She stopped twisting her hands and held still as her eyes found mine. She almost looked like a statue, like someone I used to know when life was simpler.
“I can never be friends with you. I know that now. I’ve been missing you all these years and thinking what I could have done differently, or what I could still do differently, but that opportunity is gone. Even if Adam’s my ex, I still have to be on his side. It wouldn’t be right to end things with him and then try to be friends with you again. That’s, like, unnecessary betrayal, you know?”
“So what are you going to do?”
She shrugged again. “Stay away from Adam until the end of summer. Try to figure out what I want to do. I went to that college because he went there. I think I need to decide if I want to stay there or transfer, and then go from there. Anyway…” She gestured to the flash drive, which I’d put into my pocket. “I hope that helps get Mason free. He might deserve to be in there for something else, but not this.” She paused, then took a breath. She tried smiling, but it faltered. It didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Goodbye, Sam.”
I nodded. This was my second goodbye in the last two hours. And this one really was a goodbye. I knew I’d still see my mom at some point, but I honestly didn’t know if I’d see Becky again.
“I missed you,” I said. And I meant it, thinking back over the years. “I missed our friendship, and I was happy when I thought I’d gotten it back this summer. I’m sorry things turned out the way they did.”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “That’s just how it is, huh?”
“Yeah. I guess.”
She began backing away and held up a hand. “Bye, Sam.”
I waved back, but I waited until she’d gotten in her car and left. Then I said, so quietly, “Bye, friend.”
Mason was released Monday morning, no charges pending.
The flash drive did what Becky said it would do: It absolved Mason of guilt. It showed Caldron about to hit me, and it wasn’t alone. Logan ended up going with Mark when he went to see Keifer, and they got him to release the carnival’s video recording. Garrett had been right. Apparently, they had security cameras set up, and the footage helped back up what the first video showed. The cops were now looking into pressing charges against Adam instead, but Garrett wasn’t sure if that’d happen. He told us that afternoon, after Mason got out, that any charges against Adam were none of our business. We shouldn’t go looking to start trouble because we had enough already.
I agreed with him.
I was just thankful Mason was out, and nothing had come of his stint in jail.
“So everyone’s all good, Jeeves?” Logan asked.
He received a round of weird looks in return.
Seeing our reaction, he jerked a shoulder up. “What? I like the name. Sue me.”
“Uh, yeah.” Garrett narrowed his eyes just briefly. “Everything’s good, Jeeves.”
Logan grinned. “Sam, I think I like this dad more than the other one.”
“Thanks.” I frowned. “I won’t tell David.”
Logan shrugged again. “Tell him if you want. He knows Malinda holds my heart in their twosome fearsome.”
“You’re starting with that stuff again?” Mason asked.
“We need a new name since Nate is more in the fold. Are we back to the foursome fearsome?”
“Stop thinking about it.”
“Why?” Logan asked his brother.
“Because I can tell it’s upsetting you.” Mason’s hand settled more firmly on my hip, slipping under my shirt. Logan made a sound, but Mason ignored him. “Thank you, Garrett, for coming down and helping us.”
The two shook hands.
Garrett’s gaze fell on me. “You know I’d do anything to help you guys.”
A warmth trickled through me, and I felt my throat choking up. “Thanks, Garrett.”
Mason and Logan stepped back, so it was just my biological father and me. He turned to face me, his arms out at his sides, and I stepped into them. “Can you start calling me Dad?” he asked.
I nodded, my head moving against his chest. And when we let go, I felt some wetness on my face. “Yeah, I mean, I wouldn’t want to confuse Sabrina,” I teased, wiping the tears away.
“Ah, little Seb.” His fondness was evident. “She’s so busy. I always wonder if you were like that, too. She looks like you.”
“Except for the blond hair that’s almost white.” I brushed some of my black hair off my shoulder.
“Yes, but her personality is like yours.”
I couldn’t.
The elevator opened. She stepped inside, and the doors closed.
I sat there for another hour.
“Sam.”
I was finally leaving the hotel when I heard my name. Becky rested against Logan’s Escalade. She twisted her hands together and straightened as I drew near.
“What are you doing here?” I looked around. The lot was full of cars, but it was relatively quiet, like the lobby. A party bus pulled up to the front entrance, and a bunch of people staggered off it, laughing loudly.
“It was Adam.”
“What was?”
“Adam’s the one who turned in that video of Mason. He saw that one of the workers there had his phone out, and later he tracked him down. He edited the video so it looks like Mason attacked that guy for no reason. Here.” She held out a flash drive.
“What is it?” I took it.
“It’s the rest of the video. It’ll show that the guy’s about to hit you and Mason is just protecting you. It should get him off.”
“Why are you giving me this?”
“Because Adam’s wrong with what he’s doing.” She looked away. Shoving her hands in her back pockets, she looked like half the person she’d been. “I’m really sorry, Sam.”
I laughed. This had become the night of apologies somehow. “I… Why did Adam do that?”
“Because he’s still mad about how Mason humiliated him in high school.” She lifted her head, and her eyes swam with tears. “Because he knows you guys are behind getting his dad arrested, and because of Logan’s threat to go to law school with him.” She stopped and took a breath. “Adam’s not thinking straight right now. And he’s angry because…” She took another deep breath. “He’s angry that I broke off the engagement. He’s blaming you for that.” She nodded to the flash drive still in my hand. “He wanted to hurt you guys. This is me trying to make it right.”
She started to go, but I stepped forward. “Wait. You broke up with him?”
She nodded, her lip trembling. “He thinks it’s because his dad’s in legal trouble, but it’s not. I’ve always loved Adam, even before I loved myself. And I’ve always chosen him, but I’ve been thinking a lot over the last week. I still love him. I think it’s just in my DNA, but I don’t know. I think I need to start doing things for myself, you know? I can’t marry a guy and have our entire life already mapped out. I know it’s sudden and random, but—” She lifted her shoulder and rested her cheek against it. “Maybe it’s the fight with you guys. I’m just so tired of it. I don’t know if Logan’s really going to do the whole law school thing, but when he said that, it was like I got a wake-up call. Adam’s always going to fight someone. Whether it’s you guys or someone else. He hates Mason, and it’s like he chooses guys at school to hate, too. I was shocked when he said he wanted to make things right with you guys, but it was all a sham. Adam did know what Caldron was supposed to do. James insisted the two boys worked together, and it was his job too. He was supposed to distract Mason, too. He wanted to do it by being friends with him, but we all know that didn’t work out. I’m sorry.” She went back to twisting her hands together. “This is a lot of talking, and I’m probably not making any sense.”
“No. You are.”
She stopped twisting her hands and held still as her eyes found mine. She almost looked like a statue, like someone I used to know when life was simpler.
“I can never be friends with you. I know that now. I’ve been missing you all these years and thinking what I could have done differently, or what I could still do differently, but that opportunity is gone. Even if Adam’s my ex, I still have to be on his side. It wouldn’t be right to end things with him and then try to be friends with you again. That’s, like, unnecessary betrayal, you know?”
“So what are you going to do?”
She shrugged again. “Stay away from Adam until the end of summer. Try to figure out what I want to do. I went to that college because he went there. I think I need to decide if I want to stay there or transfer, and then go from there. Anyway…” She gestured to the flash drive, which I’d put into my pocket. “I hope that helps get Mason free. He might deserve to be in there for something else, but not this.” She paused, then took a breath. She tried smiling, but it faltered. It didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Goodbye, Sam.”
I nodded. This was my second goodbye in the last two hours. And this one really was a goodbye. I knew I’d still see my mom at some point, but I honestly didn’t know if I’d see Becky again.
“I missed you,” I said. And I meant it, thinking back over the years. “I missed our friendship, and I was happy when I thought I’d gotten it back this summer. I’m sorry things turned out the way they did.”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “That’s just how it is, huh?”
“Yeah. I guess.”
She began backing away and held up a hand. “Bye, Sam.”
I waved back, but I waited until she’d gotten in her car and left. Then I said, so quietly, “Bye, friend.”
Mason was released Monday morning, no charges pending.
The flash drive did what Becky said it would do: It absolved Mason of guilt. It showed Caldron about to hit me, and it wasn’t alone. Logan ended up going with Mark when he went to see Keifer, and they got him to release the carnival’s video recording. Garrett had been right. Apparently, they had security cameras set up, and the footage helped back up what the first video showed. The cops were now looking into pressing charges against Adam instead, but Garrett wasn’t sure if that’d happen. He told us that afternoon, after Mason got out, that any charges against Adam were none of our business. We shouldn’t go looking to start trouble because we had enough already.
I agreed with him.
I was just thankful Mason was out, and nothing had come of his stint in jail.
“So everyone’s all good, Jeeves?” Logan asked.
He received a round of weird looks in return.
Seeing our reaction, he jerked a shoulder up. “What? I like the name. Sue me.”
“Uh, yeah.” Garrett narrowed his eyes just briefly. “Everything’s good, Jeeves.”
Logan grinned. “Sam, I think I like this dad more than the other one.”
“Thanks.” I frowned. “I won’t tell David.”
Logan shrugged again. “Tell him if you want. He knows Malinda holds my heart in their twosome fearsome.”
“You’re starting with that stuff again?” Mason asked.
“We need a new name since Nate is more in the fold. Are we back to the foursome fearsome?”
“Stop thinking about it.”
“Why?” Logan asked his brother.
“Because I can tell it’s upsetting you.” Mason’s hand settled more firmly on my hip, slipping under my shirt. Logan made a sound, but Mason ignored him. “Thank you, Garrett, for coming down and helping us.”
The two shook hands.
Garrett’s gaze fell on me. “You know I’d do anything to help you guys.”
A warmth trickled through me, and I felt my throat choking up. “Thanks, Garrett.”
Mason and Logan stepped back, so it was just my biological father and me. He turned to face me, his arms out at his sides, and I stepped into them. “Can you start calling me Dad?” he asked.
I nodded, my head moving against his chest. And when we let go, I felt some wetness on my face. “Yeah, I mean, I wouldn’t want to confuse Sabrina,” I teased, wiping the tears away.
“Ah, little Seb.” His fondness was evident. “She’s so busy. I always wonder if you were like that, too. She looks like you.”
“Except for the blond hair that’s almost white.” I brushed some of my black hair off my shoulder.
“Yes, but her personality is like yours.”
