Secrets, Lies and Love

(22) Secrets, Lies and Love

Chapter 22

When the plane landed in Minnesota I deplaned, got my luggage and went to find Drew. He was coming to pick me up; I had called him from the car on the way to the airport in California. I finally saw him and he also brought Stefan and Chasity with him. I ran over to them and embraced them all in a hug. I couldn't stop the tears that started to flow out of my eyes. 

"Can we go to the car please?" I asked them. 

"Yeah," Drew said. 

I needed my big brother at that moment so when we got to the car, I asked Stefan to drive the car home. Drew sat in the back seat with me, wrapped in his comforting embrace. 

Chas turned around to face me once we were out of the Twin Cities. 

"What happened?" 

"Before I tell you that, I have to tell you something else. Drew was right, Chris is Jason Adams." At her gasp, I continued. "He came here to find someone to help him with his reputation. He used me." 

"I'm going to kill him," Drew growled. 

"If I ever see him again, I am going to throw a rock at him," Chas said dangerously. 

I gurgled a laugh at our continuous joke: 'Boys are stupid; throw rocks at 'em.' 

"When I realized it, he tried to tell me that he loves me and he never meant to." 

"I'm so sorry, hun," Chas said. She didn't have to say more. None of us had gone through a situation even remotely close to this. There wasn't anything that she could say. 

Drew was scarily silent. I was afraid that he truly meant what he said about killing Chris. 

"I think that he really does care for you," Stefan said from the driver's seat. 

"Whose side are you on?" Drew demanded. 

"I am just saying that some of the things he has done suggest that he does have actual feeling for her," he defended. 

"Are you really standing up for that jerk?" 

"No. I am just trying to point out what could be the truth and not merely a machination." 

"Please stop fighting. We don't need two more heart-broken sods in this vehicle." 

That quieted them down. The rest of the car ride was silent. Enough for me to fall asleep in my brother's safe embrace. 

I didn't wake up as we arrived at home, or even as I was carried inside; most likely by Drew. 

As the days went on, I continued to mope around the house. I did my homework as Drew brought it to me but I couldn't go back to reading my books. They offered a distraction that I didn't want to indulge in. 

It wasn't until two weeks after I returned home that I returned to school. 

I dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt with converse on my feet. I decided to put my hair into a ponytail and then I was ready. I didn't think that I would be able to drive to school so I rode with Drew. People came up to talk to me but I could hardly pay any attention. 

During first hour, I sat at out Chemistry table, but couldn't concentrate on what Ms. Nelson was saying. 

It hurt to look over and see Chris' empty stool. I shouldn't be feeling then sense of missing him. I should be mad that he used me, not sad that we were no longer together.

As I was walking to my locker after lunch, I saw a whole bunch of papers taped to my locker. Upon closer inspection I saw that they were printouts of a magazine, taken from the internet. The picture was from that first morning when we got coffee. Chris and I were sitting next to each other, looking in the others' eyes and smiling.