“What are you doing? You can’t leave. You can’t tell Isabella I’m here. She has Kennedy. She said she’d kill Kennedy if I didn’t leave town. She can’t know I’m still here. She had a gun. And a bomb.” It sounded so ridiculous that I thought he’d just laugh and tell me to leave and stop ruining his night. That he’d just ignore me like everyone else.
Instead, he shook his head. “Isabella’s always been nuts, but she’s officially lost her mind.”
Had she ever had it? “I don’t know what to do.” I wiped the tears from my cheeks, but it was no use. My eyes weren’t nearly as dehydrated as the rest of me. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I’m so sorry, James. I didn’t know that you’d be…” my voice trailed off.
“It’s homecoming,” Rachel said. “Of course he’d be with his girlfriend.”
He ran his hand through his hair so roughly that I was surprised he didn’t pull any out.
“Mr. Pruitt…” He took a step back. “Mr. Pruitt was in the lobby causing a scene right before we came up here. I didn’t hear what he was yelling about. But he’s probably still here. Let me call downstairs.” He ran over to the hotel phone.
“Where the heck is my dress?” Rachel said as she looked under the bed. Then she turned to me. “Can’t you wait outside?”
I shook my head. “I can’t leave. I can’t risk Isabella finding out that I’m still in town.”
“James, do you seriously believe her?” Rachel asked. “She’s probably just trying to get your attention. You led her on.”
Oh come on. Like I’d do this to get James’ attention, when I already had it fully clothed earlier tonight.
He was still on the phone and he held up his finger to her.
She cursed under her breath. “This is the freaking worst night ever,” she said. She abandoned looking for her dress and walked over to the door. “Move.”
I shook my head. “You can’t leave.”
“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” Rachel said. “You don’t get to kiss my boyfriend at homecoming and then come in here demanding his attention. Haven’t you already done enough damage for one night?”
Hadn’t she? And she was being awfully territorial when she was the one that had cheated on him.
“Rachel, you can’t go,” James said. “This isn’t a joke. She said Isabella had a gun and a bomb.”
Rachel laughed and lifted her hands in the air. “A bomb? Seriously? Where would a prissy high school girl get a bomb? It doesn’t even make any sense. I don’t know Isabella very well, but she doesn’t seem like some insane evil villain to me. I only hate her because your mother loves her and is always trying to gently nudge you two together. But that doesn’t mean Isabella is a monster. It means your mom is. God, why are we even talking about this right now?”
I had no idea why we were talking about James’ mother right now. This felt like a private conversation. Could tonight be any more awkward?
“You brought it up,” James said. “You know I don’t like Isabella. We’ve talked about this a million times.”
Rachel glared at him. “All I know is that Brooklyn kissed you. And either she goes, or I do.”
“Brooklyn isn’t leaving. And neither are you,” James said and grabbed her arm. “You’re not even wearing any clothes, babe.”
“Which is apparently your thing,” she said and gestured toward me.
“Come on, Rachel.”
“No.” She took a step away from him. “I can’t believe you’re taking her side. This…you…ugh!” she screamed. She turned in a circle looking for her dress again. “And where is my dress?!”
“It’s in the bathroom,” James said.
Rachel started toward the bathroom door.
“Yeah, I kissed her,” James said. “And I gave her a keycard to my room. Because you cheated on me, Rachel. And our relationship has nothing to do with the fact that Brooklyn’s in trouble.”
“You’re full of shit. You’re just trying to torture me.” She shifted the comforter on her body so she could fit through the bathroom door and slammed it behind her.
James cringed.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m so…”
“Don’t.” James ran his hand through his hair. “Don’t apologize when you haven’t done anything wrong.” He looked down at my bloody knee and grabbed a tissue from the table behind him. “The front desk said Mr. Pruitt was still there. He’ll be up in just a minute.” He leaned down and put the tissue against my knee. “I’d say we should clean up that cut, but I guess Rachel’s hogging the bathroom.” He laughed, but it sounded forced.
“James, I didn’t mean to ruin your relationship. I…”
“You didn’t ruin anything. We’re going to be fine.”
“It doesn’t seem like you guys are fine.”
He shrugged. “Well, maybe she shouldn’t have cheated on me.” He was acting like he didn’t care, but I could tell that he did.
“I really do think it was just a kiss,” I said. “I don’t think she slept with Matt.”
He shook his head. “Does it really matter? How would you feel if you found out Matt was kissing someone else while you were dating?”
I swallowed hard. I had kissed someone while I was kind of dating Matt. Was that the same as this? Rachel was upset and went to Matt. I was upset and went to Miller. My stomach churned. “It sounds like she’s sorry. Maybe you should give her the benefit of the doubt. Besides, didn’t you get even?”
“I love her. I love her so fucking much and she betrayed my trust. I’d have to do a lot more to get even.”
“That doesn’t sound very healthy.”
“I didn’t say I was going to do it.” He lowered his eyebrows again. “Are you seriously analyzing my relationship right now? You’re the one that came here instead of going to Matt. Maybe your relationship is as unhealthy as mine.”
“Matt lives outside the city. It would have taken me forever to walk to his house.”
James stared at me. “You still chose to come to me.”
“Because I had your keycard.”
“You still chose me.”
I laughed.
“That,” he said. He reached up and lightly touched the bottom of my chin. “That. Don’t let Isabella ever take that away from you.”
I swallowed hard. “Take what away?”
“Your happiness. Your hope.” His eyes drifted to my lips. “Your innocence.”