In the Dark (The Rules 2)

Not really. I doubt I’ll think it was hilarious years from now either.

“Whatever happens, we’ll help you,” Shep says, his words, his expression, everything about him utterly sincere. “Don’t stress. It’s out of your control now. Either she is or she isn’t.”

“I’d prefer she isn’t,” I say.

“I get it,” Tristan says. “I’d prefer that too.”

“Me too,” Shep agrees.

We remain quiet like that for almost an hour, the three of us lost in thought, consuming doughnuts until the box is empty and only occasionally muttering a few words here and there. My mind is too full of all the potential scenarios to focus on much else.

I can’t make up my mind if I’m happy or sad about the possible outcome. I’m starting to feel like I could be fucked for life.

And there’s nothing I can do about it.

“Lucy? Is that you?”

I freeze at hearing that familiar voice, dread slithering down my spine and I close my eyes, breathe deep and prepare to come up with a quick-thinking lie.

But how I can fudge around the fact that I’m in line for my appointment with my financial aid counselor? My mind is a complete blank. There’s no getting around this.

Slowly I turn to find freaking Jade standing behind me, her eyes wide, her mouth formed in this little perfect O. Her vibrant hair is caught back into a long, thick braid and she doesn’t have any makeup on so all I can see is a face full of freckles. She’s adorable. I’m not feeling so adorable. More like I’m feeling trapped. “What are you doing here?” she asks.

I give her a smile but say nothing. How can I answer? I can’t tell her the truth. She’ll run and tell Shep and he’ll tell Gabe and Gabe will be angry at me because I kept this from him all this time. I’ve kept pretty much everything from him and I hate that so much. My lies are just that. Lies. Big, fat one. Gabe has been nothing but honest with me from the very beginning.

I’m the one everyone has to start singing Liar, liar pants on fire at whenever they see me.

Jade clears her throat, her mouth clamping shut for a moment, like she doesn’t want to say what she’s about to say. I mentally steel myself. “Listen, I know we’re not that close—yet—and I don’t mean to get in your business but I thought you were like, rich or something? At least, that’s what Gabe and Shep told me.”

I remain quiet, my mind scrambling. I have no idea what to say.

“So.” She clears her throat. “What are you doing in the financial aid line? Do you need help? Do you have an appointment?”

The lady at the window yells next and without saying anything to Jade I walk away, approaching the window and letting the woman know my name and that I had a ten o’clock appointment. She glances over her schedule, checks me in and I leave the window to wait for my name to be called.

I can’t sit still. I’m freaking pacing back and forth as I watch Jade speak to the woman next, saying she has a ten o’clock appointment as well.

What are the odds that we’d run into each other here? I swear I have terrible luck. Or maybe just really bad karma. I must’ve done something to someone in another life and now I’m paying the price. Shit hasn’t been good for weeks.

This is just the crap icing to slather on top of my shit cake.

Jade approaches me the moment she’s done checking in for her appointment. She holds her hands up in front of her. “You don’t have to explain anything,” she says. “It’s absolutely none of my business. I just thought…well I assumed you were wealthy like the boys.”

I frown. “The boys?”

“Shep, Gabe and Tristan. They’re all three filthy rich and when Gabe told us he met you over the summer in Santa Barbara, that you were his neighbor…” She shrugs. “I automatically assumed. So did everyone else, especially Gabe.”

Because I never denied it. I let Gabe make up that entire scenario for me and I went along with it. I’m a total bitch. A chicken shit bitch—and that’s even worse.

“So you’re not loaded,” Jade states when I still haven’t said anything.

I neither confirm nor deny. “Please don’t tell Gabe you saw me here,” I say, the words rushing out of me as I reach for her arm and give it a squeeze. “I don’t want him to find out this way.”

“Find out what this way?” Jade asks warily. She looks nervous. And ready to be pissed at me. That’s the last I want. I just made a friend and I could lose her because I’m a liar.

I have no one to blame but myself.

“That I’m not…um.” My name is called at this precise moment and I almost sag with relief. “I need to go. We’ll talk later?”

“Oh, yes. We definitely will,” Jade says, her voice high, almost shrill. “Don’t think you’re getting out of this one, missy. I want details.”

“I’ll give them to you, I promise,” I tell her from over my shoulder as I start to head toward the open doorway and the girl who called my name. “I’ll text you when I’m done.”

“You’d better!” Jade shouts after me.

Shit. This week has been so incredibly crazy. I can only imagine what else I might have in store over the next few days. I feel like everything’s falling apart and I don’t know how to stop it all from crumbling. I’m trying my best to keep calm and believe that everything’s going to work out but it’s so hard.

Like having to deal with the fact that my period is late. I mean, yeah. It’s late. No biggie, right? Happens all the time.