It Had to Be You

twenty seven

"WHO should go first?" Adrian asked and I shrugged. I may have agreed to spilling my guts, but I needed a bit more time to prepare. He dug into his pocket. "Let's flip a coin. Call it."

"Tails."

He flipped the coin, catching it. "It's heads."

I sat back in my seat, waiting until Adrian found the right words.

"I would skate here more nights than I care to admit, and I would sit out on the roof next to my bedroom window, just to stare at the stars and listen to the cicadas. Looking out to the other million-dollar homes reminded me of my old life, of who I used to be. It reminded me of a simpler time, a place that I fit in.

"Going to a new school, a public school when I used to attend one of the most prestigious private schools in the country was a punch in the face. I didn't belong there, and they all knew it. I sat by myself, sat the bench half the time at my soccer games, and contrary to what you believe, I didn't score too well in the girl department. It took me three months before I made a friend and then wormed my way into their friend group. And going back to Northwood poor and on a scholarship, I didn't belong there, either."

I stayed quiet as he paused his story. I never looked at it from his side. Our local public schools despised Northwood, the hatred deeper than jealousy over attending the school. And anyone who attended Northwood frowned upon those attending on a scholarship because being accepted into a school based off your talent is worse than being accepted into a school because you have enough money to cover the tuition.

I wasn't sure what came over me in that instant, but I reached over, resting my hand on top of Adrian's and sending him a tight squeeze.

"At least, when I returned to Northwood, I had my old friend group to fall back on." He continued. "We had kept in touch, but we hadn't hung out as much, as half the things they did I couldn't afford to do, but we reconnected, and I'd still trust them with my life. But coming back to Northwood was supposed to be a new beginning and then I find out they inducted you into their friend group. The sole reminder of my old life. I couldn't look at you without thinking back to what my life was like. And then I remembered what your family did to mine, and I wanted nothing more than to get away."

"What my family did to yours?" I repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?"

We've had this conversation before, and I was left confused with more questions than answers. It was obvious that my parents weren't going to spill what really went down between them and the Wests, and if we were having a full-on confession, I'm going to make the best out of it.

"Quit acting like you don't know."

"I don't know." I exclaimed, hoping that I'll finally get through his thick skull. "All I know is that our families had a falling out. I don't know how, and I don't know why, just that it happened, and your name is like a curse word in my home."

Adrian furrowed his brows. "You abandoned us."

"What?"

"Once news got around that we went bankrupt, my mom called yours to see if we could stay with you until we got everything figured out. Not only did your mom deny us, but she also said that she didn't know who we were and to never call that number again."

"You're lying."

Eleanora Webster was many things, but even she couldn't be that cruel.

"Believe what you want, Norah." He told me. "But you at least deserve to know the truth."

"Your story doesn't make sense."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Again, believe what you want." He turned back to the giant house in front of us. "You know, besides you, your family was like family to me. And as soon as we lost this house, I lost a part of my family, too. A house doesn't make a family, but I guess ours did."