What You're Not | ✔

39. Murky Water

"Pin." I held my hand out and Kimber dropped a straight pin into my palm. I weaved the pin into the fabric, attaching the sleeve to the torso that made up the shirt.

The past two days had been non-stop sewing—alternating between fashion show items and my contest entry for Victoria. Keeping busy was my only option, otherwise I'd allow myself to focus on the fact that my idiot boyfriend had been ignoring me since Thanksgiving.

My feelings about it were conflicted. On one hand I understood the running away, after all I practically invented the tactic. But him shutting me out hurt. Did he not trust me enough to talk to me? Were we not as close as I thought? It sucked being on the other side of it.

"She's making that face again." Jem's comment pulled me back to reality.

Kimber and Jem stopped by to check on me when I neglected to text them back about the grand finale of the show. That's when we were going to reveal the new and improved cheer uniform.

"What face?" I questioned, my gaze shifting between the two of them. They were laid out on my bed, staring up at me.

Kimber hummed as she thought about her response, playing with her earring that looked like it was made with one of the pieces from the game Sorry. Jem wore a matching pair. "It's kind of angry."

"But also kind of sad," Jem added, looking up from the latest issue of Beauteen.

That summed up my emotions perfectly.

"I'm just concentrating on this," I said, motioning to the mannequin.

"No," Kimber disagreed. "I've seen your concentration face and that's not it.

"What's really going on?" Jem asked.

My first instinct was to brush it off and change the subject, the usual. But they knew Miles better than I did, maybe they could help.

"Okay, so, on Thanksgiving, Miles and I went to Cameron's for dinner," I told them, sinking into my desk chair. "And his parents were there."

Their faces scrunched up in unison as they grimaced.

"So, his dad is always like that?"

"It started after Rose passed," Jem said, frowning. "Miles kind of went the rails. Fighting, smoking, screwing any girl willing."

Kimber shoved her sister, nearly knocking her off the bed. "Seriously?" she hissed.

Oddly I wasn't bothered by that. It was the past and he was going through the lost of his sister. He acted out. I knew he wasn't like that anymore. Besides, everyone had a few skeletons in the closet.

"But he got his act together sophomore year," Kimber said. "He only hit people on the football field and started showing up to class regularly."

Those sounded like positive things and didn't explain why his dad was such an ass. Maybe that was a question only Miles could answer. If he'd ever reply to my texts.

"Do you know where he'd go if he was upset?"

The two of them fell silent as they thought about this.

"Cameron's?" Kimber guessed with a shrug.

I doubted that he'd be there. "If not?"

"Oh!" Jem exclaimed. "The lake."

Kimber nodded. "Yeah, the lake. That's where he went whenever he ditched class."

It was worth a shot. "Where is this lake?"