“Not from everything,” I agree.
But I can protect you from this.
“Did you mean what you said the other day?” she asks suddenly. “Or was that just another lie?”
“Which part?”
“That I…” She presses her eyes closed, unable to hold my gaze as she says it. “That I was your dream, too”
I inhale sharply. It takes a moment to find my voice. “Even if I did… Does it matter anymore?”
Her eyes snap open. “Of course it matters!”
“Does your boyfriend know you’re here, Jo?”
She pales slightly, rocking back on her heels like the question packs a physical punch. “I don’t want to talk about him right now. I want to talk about us. You and me.”
“There is no you and me. There’s just two people who used to be friends, spinning in useless circles because neither of them is smart enough to let go.”
“Is that really what you believe?” Her eyes fill with tears, red-rimmed and glossy. “Or are you just saying that to push me away?”
“I don’t need to push you, Jo. You’re already gone. You just haven’t admitted that to yourself yet.”
“I’m not gone! I’m standing right here!”
“For how long?” I ask lowly. “How long until you get on your private jet with that perfect Ken Doll and fly back to your new life?”
Her mouth snaps closed with an audible click. “I… I don’t know.”
“How long until your parents tug on your leash and yank you back to Switzerland?”
“You have no right to say that to me!”
“You’re right — it’s not a leash. It’s more like a pair of shackles.” I scoff, bitterness rising into the back of my throat like bile. “Blair and Vincent must besopleased to have their precious daughter by their sides, right where they’ve always wanted her. No more silly dreams of art or design, no more charcoal-smeared fingertips or hours wasted sketching. Certainly no more playing with the poor boy in the servants’ cottage. You’re their perfect little doll! And, as an added bonus, now you’ve got the perfect, parent-approved boyfriend accessory!”
“What do Blair and Vincent have to do with any of this?”
“Everything!” I snap before I can stop myself. “Your parents… if you only knew…”
“Knewwhat? What really happened last summer?” She jumps on the fragment of truth, clinging to it before it slips away. “I know there’s more to the story. More than just your accident. Something doesn’t add up. My mother told me you came to the house to drop off that letter…” Her voice breaks when she mentions it, as though just thinking about the things I wrote still causes her deep pain. “I caught her in the lie, and now she won’t tell me anything more. Won’t even discuss the matter.”
“Blair Valentine isn’t being cooperative?Shocker.”
“You’re one to talk.”
“Do yourself a favor — leave it alone. It’s ancient history.”
“Ancient history?” Her voice rises another octave. “Maybe for you, but not for me. I think I deserve to know why you lied to me about going to All-Star camp. Why you didn’t tell me about your accident. Why youbroke my goddamn heartin that letter. And don’t tell me it was to protect me from Jaxon’s shady friends or keep me from getting dragged into danger.”
“Your heart must not have been too badly broken,” I mutter darkly. “Seeing as you moved to Switzerland and immediately fell into bed with someone else.”
She slaps me — a hard, clear hit across the cheek. I flinch, more in surprise than any actual pain. Judging by the stunned look on Jo’s face, she’s just as caught off guard by her actions as I am. “Oh, god, I—”
I rub at my smarting cheekbone. “I probably deserved that.”
“No, you didn’t. I shouldn’t have… I’m sorry.” Her bottom lip is trembling; she sinks her teeth into it to stop the quivers. Reaching up to brush at her face, she clears the mix of rain and tears from her cheek. “Not that it’s any of your business,” she says stiffly. “But I didn’t fall into bed with anyone. And even if I had… you don’t get to be pissed about it. You don’t get to judge me for how I pieced myself back together this past year. Not when you’re the one who broke me.”
“I’m sorry. I was out of line. I don’t have any right to talk about your love life.”