Part 33 (1/2)

Jess As I hit the bottom step, I hear a low rumble of voices along with my mom's higher pitched whisper. All coming from the formal dining room that adjoins our large front hall. I roll my eyes, figuring my parents must've invited people over for Sunday brunch. They always do that.

Figures. I've got tons to say and now I'll have to wait.

Worse, could they not have warned me? I'm still wearing jammies. How embarra.s.sing. Turning quickly, I move to escape back up the stairs and change, but my Mom sees me first.

”Jess. Good.” Mom's face looks pinched. She also does not have the supportive, sympathy-filled look I'm expecting after our shared moment last night.

It only takes a few seconds to decipher the reason behind the att.i.tude change: Mom's holding my iPhone. From the look of the currently lit monitor, it's now completely charged. And I can tell from here she's in my text messages.

So much for the fleeting minutes when I thought I wasn't afraid of anything anymore!

My mind reels with the possibilities of what she's read. I have no idea what's on there.

If Mom has read any of the conversations between me and Gray, then she's probably seen awkward love messages he'd sent after the hospital. Messages that I haven't even seen yet!

Those aren't a big deal because they'll seem legit. They'll back up my too-fast too-soon break up story. But Holy. Who knows what madness that guy might have tried to text me last night? I'm sure he couldn't resist sending something.

Which means...if they saw those messages, then I've been scooped.

I need to read what's on that phone to get my story sorted out.

I go for a calm expression combined with a steady voice. ”Oh, you found my phone. Great. Can I have it?”

”Not so fast. Your sister plugged this in for you this morning. It went so crazy with incoming messages, your dad and I thought it had been taken over by one of those virus-things.”

Kika is coming down the stairs behind me, but stops on the third step from the bottom as though she's too afraid to approach. I dart her a glance. Has she told? If she has, then that changes my story even more! But if she hasn't...if she's just standing there to listen to me confess like I promised then...

My eyes are drawn to a movement by the dining room door.

Holy. What THE F-oh-no! No. No. No.

A stressed looking Coach Williams steps out of the dining room trailed by my father.

”This is just perfect,” I say. ”Perfect.”

I push past my mom and turn to face them all in the front hallway. ”Couldn't you guys at least have talked about me in front of my own face?”

Coach Williams clears his throat. ”We'd only just begun. That's why we called you down.”

”Does this mean we aren't having pancakes?” I ask, shaking my head at Coach Williams and working to cover the extreme anger that's threatening to blow to the surface.

Not counting Kika, these people-people I trusted-have been lying to me for years.

I speak to Kika first, deciding to play this straight. ”What have you told them? What do they know?”

”I didn't tell them anything. It was your phone that started it all.” Kika shrugs, her face a mask of tiredness and stress.

”Your sister refused to say anything until we woke you up,” Mom says. ”Coach Williams just got here. We called him because he is very well acquainted with Corey Nash.” She holds up my phone. ”This morning-because you were so upset last night, I read your text messages. All of them. I'm concerned, honey. From what I read, things were getting too serious. Is that why you ended things with Corey last night? Did he pressure you to do something you didn't want to do?”

”You broke up?” Kika asks, her tone hopeful.

I almost laugh. My parents still don't even know!

I risk a glance at Coach Williams. I can tell from his darting eyes, and his uncomfortable throat clearing that the guy could easily be prepared to spill it.

I'm going to need to divert him and talk first. I decide to use the typical teen tantrum to buy myself time: ”My messages are private. Private! How could you have read my texts?”

Mom responds right on cue. ”We've always told you girls that we'd check your texts and emails if we felt as though you'd been lying to us. And Jess, we think you're doing just that. The way Kika's been protecting you makes me sure of it.”

I flick my eyes to Coach Williams. ”And what about my favorite teacher?” I know he's heard the sneer in my tone. ”Does he think I'm lying? What has he told you, exactly?”

”Nothing. Yet,” Coach answers, confirming what I'd thought.

My dad is next. ”Honey, this kid seems to be pressuring you.” I roll my eyes because Dad's using the *good guy' voice. ”It's obvious that this Corey's fallen for you. Which is not a bad thing. But from what your mom and I can tell, you seem to also have feelings for him. We don't think it's a good idea. For someone like you-with the past you've lived through-you're-”

”Don't say it, Dad. I know I'm a lost cause and I can't have a boyfriend but I don't need to hear it from you!”

Dad shakes his head. ”No. That's not what I mean. Let me finish.”

I meet his gaze and shrug.

Dad continues, ”For someone who's been through what you've been through, you've got to really be careful and honest with your boyfriend as you go along. Maybe you haven't actually lied to us, but you've kept some information from us. And Mom and I hope you haven't done the same with your boyfriend. I called Coach last week and asked him a few questions about this Corey Nash and he told me Corey was a nice kid, so that's good.”

”You did what!? You were trying to get the scoop without just asking me? Dad!”

Dad shrugs. ”You've been pretty evasive. I only called Coach to ask his opinion on the guy. I was curious.”

”About Corey Nash?” I say, almost laughing. I risk some guarded eye contact with Coach Williams. ”They called you, about Corey? And you knew what you knew-but you didn't tell the whole story? Why not?”

Coach speaks to me as though the others aren't in the room. ”He wanted the chance to tell you first. Told me he loves you. Said he wanted to tell you so he'd be there to catch you if you freaked out and fell off the deep end. He didn't want you to find out alone or from anyone else. And most importantly, without him there to help you.”

”Oh I freaked out. And then I fell, Coach. Major. And n.o.body caught me or helped me. Not my boyfriend, and not my parents-that's for sure.”

I dart an accusing look at Dad. ”I fell hard. Crashed and burned, if you want the report straight from the lips of your crazy daughter.”

I feel tears welling into my eyes as I remember Gray's hands dropping to his sides as I screamed for him not to touch me. Is that what he'd been doing? Trying to catch me? I push all thoughts of him being anything but my enemy away. I can't think of him. Not now.

Dad's turning all purple and he's shouting at the top of his lungs. ”What does that mean? Coach, what is there to tell? Someone say something that makes sense. What in the h.e.l.l is going on here? Jess, start talking-your mother and I have already a.s.sumed the worst.”

I pace into the front door alcove and look out at our lawn.

”Fine. I've been lying to you all summer,” I say.

”I knew it,” says Mom.

I turn. They're all waiting, arms crossed like a jury that's already found me guilty.

Well-I'm about to flip it. This is my trial, not theirs.

A whisper is all I can muster for my first accusation, ”You've been lying to me too.”