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Allie doesn't believe the car crash that caused her amnesia was an accident. She knows the truth...
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THE JUNKYARD IS quiet around us as I wait for Mason to collect his thoughts. We sit among the mangled cars, me perched on a stack of discarded tires and him on a trunk across from me, our knees several inches away from grazing. He avoids my eyes, but I don't look away from his face, as if his features can tell me everything I need to know, and I'll miss something important if I so much as blink.
With a sigh, he drags a hand over his face, suddenly looking a lot older than his presumed seventeen or eighteen years. He finally looks at me, his eyebrows furrowed marginally, and I see him examining my expression carefully, eyes running over every detail, as if still deciding whether he should tell me or not. Though I'm struggling to breathe with the anticipation of what I'm about to learn, I try to look as calm and capable of the truth as possible. I can't have him back out now.
He glances at me warily. "Are you ready?"
Closing my eyes, I take a deep, steadying breath, balling my hands into fists to keep my fingers from trembling. I meet his gaze again, nodding shortly. "Yeah. I'm ready."
Mason sighs again. When he reaches up to scratch the back of his head, it almost looks as though his hand shakes. Everything about him looks haunted. "Everything started when the Hendriks family moved to Pender Falls," he begins and my eyes widen. "The second Zoe began attending our school, she was your competition. Previously, you were the one they all envied, but Zoe instantly became the shiny, new thing that attracted everyone's attention."
My eyebrows furrow in disappointment at the immaturity of my past self, though even just hearing the words now causes the tiniest twinge of jealousy to materialize in my chest. Old habits die hard, I suppose.
"You decided to befriend her, since it would be easier than competing," he continues, raising a dark eyebrow and shaking his head slightly. "Not that it really changed anything. You two could go from best friends to worst enemies in a matter of seconds. It seemed like one of you was always trying to sabotage the other, whether it was through starting a nasty rumour, plagiarizing a paper, or going after the same boy."
I've always felt like there's something strange about my relationship with Zoe, and none of this really comes as a surprise. In fact, it explains my feelings toward her, why I feel like I can never trust her, and my suspicion that all of her compliments are veiled insults. Maintaining our friendship seems like a waste of time and energy, and I have neither of those things.
I narrow my eyes a small fraction, studying Mason. The picture of him with Dylan and James flashes through my mind. "You're sure knowledgeable on this subject," I remark, and his eyes dart up to meet mine.
He grunts in dark amusement. "I should be. I used to be one of you."
It's something I've suspected for a while, but it's still strange to hear him admit it so readily. "Really?"
Giving me a dubious look, he sighs, resting his elbows on his knees, his fingers grazing my jeans. "It's not exactly something I'm proud of," he says, voice flat. "But I used to be on the football team with Dylan and James."
