The Virginity Pact

26 - double, double toil and trouble

They say the universe has a great sense of humor. That sometimes having your dreams come true can feel like a nightmare. Because getting what you want always come with strings attached.

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"Elijah," Holden calls, jogging up to his friend in the hallway. "Hey, man, what's up?" he grins, clasping a hand on his shoulder. He'd texted Elijah twice over the weekend but hadn't heard back from him. Which was especially weird because he knew Jake had also texted him, yet gotten a reply.

"Uh," Elijah breathes. He really doesn't want to talk to Holden. He still has it in his head that he's been sleeping with Harper. There's no way in hell he'll let Holden use her the way he watched him use every girl he came in contact with all throughout high school. "Nothing, really," he shrugs. Pulling a textbook out of his locker, he slams it shut and begins to walk off.

Holden's eyebrows furrow and he moves to keep up with him.

"Elijah," Holden chuckles. "Did I do something I'm not aware of?"

Not aware of?

Elijah halts immediately, jaw clenching. "Did you have sex with Harper?" The question comes out harsh and accusing, but low enough that the passing students don't stop and listen in. Holden looks surprised. How could he possibly know about that? What, does he count the number of condoms in his drawer before he goes to bed each night? There's no way...

"What?" He asks incredulously. "No. No, of course not," he shakes his head. Elijah would kill him if he found out he slept with his cousin. And it's not like he'd believe him if he told him he was in love with her. He'd probably laugh, in all honesty. "Plus, she's dating that kid from the basketball team," Holden adds, trying to strengthen his lie.

Elijah sighs and closes his eyes for a second, calming himself down. He badly wants to punch Holden in his jaw at the thought of him using a girl that's practically a sister to him. But if his best friend and his cousin are both set on the same story, then he'll just have to believe them. He'll forget the assumption he'd come to when finding his nightstand drawer half open, the neat pile of condoms knocked over, and seeing Holden sneak out of the house at 1 something in the morning. He'll trust them like he's supposed to.

"Alright," Elijah says shaking his head as the two begin walking again. Elijah feels guilty at the accusations he's made against them both. "Shit, I'm sorry, bro," he rolls his eyes at himself for being such a dickhead.

Holden shrugs. If Harper wasn't fake-dating Trevor he may have just told him the truth and told him to fucking deal with it. Maybe.

"It's alright, Elijah."

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"It really sucks you missed the after party," Becca pouts. My heart skips a beat every time prom night is mentioned. I feel like I'm living with a secret that's literally impossible to keep secret. Like I'm in a goddamn Pretty Little Liars episode. I don't plan on telling anyone else about the accident, not even Becca and Alejandra. There's no need to--the more people that know, the easier it'll be to get caught up in our lies.

"Becca," one of the girls, Sara, frowns. "She obviously wanted quality time with Trevor," she smirks.

I roll my eyes. "We went to the park, then he took me home, and then he went home."

"Central Park after dark?" Alejandra scoffs, her face wrinkled up in distaste. "Do you have any regard for your well-being, Harper?"

"I know you're not a native New Yorker, but surely you've seen Home Alone," Sara chimes in. The girls giggle under their breath and I roll my eyes again. I'm not the best at coming up with grade-A lies on such short notice.