From What I Remember (38 page)

see Lily Wentworth and Charlie Peters standing in the hallway as soon as Juan and I enter Manuel’s house. What are they doing here?

Lily’s skinny arms are folded across her chest in a power pose, outside an open bedroom. I have to assume Kylie and Max are in there, post-whatever.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

There will be blood.

Instinctively, I know I must get to Kylie, to help, protect, and serve. An invisible tether pulls me toward her. I rush past Juan, completely forgetting our discussion. Clearly, he has not. He grabs my hand to stop me. Juan has been gearing up for his big moment with Manuel for the past hour. He wants to proclaim his homosexuality, and he’s asked me to stand by his side for moral support, which I promised to do; but now my allegiance has shifted. Potential boyfriend or not, I have to get to my girl.

“I thought you were going to help me tell Manuel,” Juan says.

“Tell Manuel what?” Manuel asks, sidling up next to us.

“Juan is gay,” I blurt out. I feel bad letting the cat out of the bag like that, but I’ve got a sneaking suspicion this will not come as a surprise.

“Oh, I knew that,” Manuel says. “I think everyone knows. I’m glad you’re finally ready to tell us.”

“You don’t have a problem with it?” Juan asks, shocked.

“Of course not,” Manuel says.

“Problem solved,” I say, extricating myself from Juan’s grasp and hurrying down the hall, Manuel and Juan on my heels.

“What’s
she
doing here?” I hear Kylie say. I can’t see her, but I can feel her. And she’s mad as hell.

“The girl says she’s here to pick up Max. I didn’t know what to do. She insisted on coming in,” Manuel says.

“I’m sure it’ll be okay,” I say, pretty sure that won’t be the case.

If only I’d gotten here a half hour earlier, when Manuel first called, I could have put Max and Kylie on a bus, and we would have avoided this little reunion. But Juan wanted to rehearse his whole coming-out speech. A lot of good that did us.

“What’s going on?” Juan asks.

“Sadly, I think this is going to mean a little change of plans, darling,” I tell him. “I’m going to have to drive Kylie back to La Jolla.”

My holiday in Ensenada has come to an abrupt end. I won’t be dropping Kylie and Max at the bus station and kicking back in Mexico for an extended vacation. I’ll be escorting Kylie to graduation because, first off, she’s going to need her best friend by her side, and second, there ain’t no way I’ll let her travel back with Lily and Max. There’s either going to be a homicide or a suicide in that car, and I don’t want Kylie involved.

“No problem,” says my perfect man. “I can come with. I love a good graduation.”

Did I actually get this lucky, or is Juan a serial killer?

already had a litany of things to worry about, like the fact that my graduation speech may totally blow despite months of work, or that my brother Jake may be lying in a ditch somewhere due to my negligence, or that I may or may not have married Max Langston last night, along with losing my virginity. I didn’t need to add a psychotic girlfriend to the mix.

“What am
I
doing here?” Lily barks at me. “What are
you
doing here?”

Max jumps out of bed so fast, he blurs by me. He’s at Lily’s side, trying to calm her down. Old habits die hard, I guess.

“Oh. My. God. Can you please put on some pants? It’s only making it worse,” Lily insists.

As Max throws on his jeans, he turns to Lily, all apologetic, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he’s just left me in bed.

“I’m really sorry, Lil. It’s kind of a long, crazy story. I can tell you all about it on the way back.” Max speaks softly, calmly. Like he cares. Like last night, with me, was just a bunch of bullshit.

“Yeah, I guess now’s not a good time, because you’re a little too busy cheating on me with Kylie Flores! I suppose that’s why you told Charlie to come alone.”

Lily is gesticulating wildy, fuming, spitting at the mouth. Max puts his arm around her, in an effort to calm her down, I assume. Still, it feels like a dagger straight to my heart.

“It’s not like that at all,” Max says. “I was going to explain everything when I saw you.”

Max shoots Charlie a look. Charlie looks sheepish. “Sorry, dude. I told her not to come. She wouldn’t get out of the car,” he says. “You know what? Think I’ll go wait in the car.” Charlie slinks out.

“Good idea,” Max says. “Listen, Lil, I called Charlie because I didn’t want you to flip out. It’s all a huge misunderstanding. Not a big deal, honestly.…”

Wait. Hold on. Rewind. There are so many things wrong with that sentence, I don’t know where to begin. Max called Charlie? When? And it’s not a big deal? Wow. What a difference a day makes. I’d love to ask Max about this little news bulletin, but the volleys are flying so fast, I can’t get a word in.

“It sure seems like a pretty big deal, Max,” Lily says.

“Just let me grab my stuff and Kylie can get dressed, and then we’ll head out and I’ll tell you what happened—”

“Kylie can get dressed? Get dressed?! Why are you doing this to me?” Lily’s voice morphs into a semi-hysterical scream.

“I’m really sorry, Lily. I didn’t mean to hurt you—”

“Rise and shine, everyone!” It’s Will, popping his head into the room.

“What the hell are you doing here, Will?” Lily yells, turning her wrath on him.

“I’m sorry, Lily, but I don’t recall sending you an invitation to our little soiree in Ensenada,” Will responds.

“Bite me,” Lily spits.

“Lovely to see you too.”

“You called Charlie?” I finally eke out. I glare at Max. The anger is building inside me, especially as I notice he still hasn’t removed his arm from Lily’s waist. The arm that was around my body just five minutes ago. I want to lop off that arm with a machete.

“When did you manage to call Charlie?”

“When I told you I was calling my mom,” Max says.

Nice. Lying jerk. Can I trust anything he said last night? “Did you even call your mom?” I ask.

“No. I was afraid Will would flake on us,” Max says. “He hasn’t exactly been reliable.”

“Standing right here,” Will adds.

“I’m sorry. I guess I should have told you. I was just trying to make sure we got back for graduation.”

He guesses he should have told me? What a dick. I’ve lost all interest in talking to Max. I just want out of here. Away from Max. I can feel myself shutting down, reaching for the armor for protection. I never should have opened up in the first place.

“I’m really sorry, I had no idea Charlie would bring Lily, I swear,” Max says looking at me.

“Yeah. Right,” I say, because, really? Really? He had no idea? He called Charlie and didn’t think Lily would come. They’re the Three Musketeers. Of course Lily would come. And where was that supposed to leave me? I’m sure my feelings never figured into it. I was afraid I’d get hurt. I had no idea how fast it would happen. I’m an idiot for thinking this would end any other way.

“Yo, I’m your girlfriend, in case you forgot. If anyone should be here, it should be me, not
her
,” Lily screeches, pointing at me with her forefinger. “And, for Christ’s sake, can you please stop apologizing to
her
like
she’s
your girlfriend or something. Or, I don’t know. Maybe she is. Is she, Max? Is she?” Lily taunts. “Is she your girlfriend now? Is that what’s going on here?”

“No,” Max says quickly. A little too quickly.

“Yeah,” I snap. “We’re nothing to each other, Lily.”

“Well, then, stay away from him from now on. Don’t go poaching other girls’ boyfriends just ’cause you can’t find one of your own.”

“I wouldn’t want him if he was the last guy on earth.”

“Kylie…” Max says, as if there’s anything he can say to make this better.

“What?” I ask.

“I don’t know. Nothing.…”

Lily and I stare daggers at each other, both breathing hard. I hate her with every morsel of my being. Max just stands there, looking back and forth from me to Lily with a stupid, sad look on his face, like a little kid who’s lost his mother at the mall. What a loser. What did I even see in him? Talk about not rising to the occasion. Just like in the truck—when the shit really hits the fan, Max folds. It’s not an attractive quality.

“Let’s all take a few deep breaths and see if we can’t figure this thing out calmly and—”

“Fuck you, Will,” Lily snaps.

“You know what? I was trying to be civil. But forget it, you little wench. In case you haven’t gotten the picture yet, let me paint it for you. Your presence isn’t wanted here. Why don’t you run back to La Jolla, girlie?”

And that’s when Lily rushes not at Will but at me. She gets in one good smack at my face before Max and Will drag her off me. For a fancy princess, she’s pretty trashy. She could give the girls in the ’hood a run for their money.

“Mess with her, and I will mess you up, bitch,” Will says.

“Leave her out of this, Lily,” Max says in a measured voice. “You want to hit someone, hit me.”

“Shut. Up. All of you,” I yell. I am standing on the bed. “Max was right. This was all a big fucking misunderstanding. A big mistake. And I don’t want to be part of your stupid, petty games, so, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be leaving now. I have a speech to give.”

I jump off the bed and head for the door.

“Wait. Kylie…” Max comes toward me.

I turn around and look at him.

“What now, Max?”

“I just, I don’t know. Drive back with us.”

Us?
Are you kidding me?
Us
is not an appealing prospect, dude.
Us
was you and me last night. And now it’s you, Lily, and Charlie. Count me out.

“I don’t think so,” I say.

Will reaches into his pocket and pulls out a passport, which he hurls toward Max.

“Here you go. See you on the other side,” he says.

As I stare at Max for probably the last time, last night descends on me—swimming in the ocean, kissing on the pier, thinking I had fallen in love. Instead of feeling good about it, I feel like shit. This is not the same boy I was with yesterday, the boy who convinced me that everything was possible. It’s morning. I’m not the princess. And he’s no prince. He’s just the same old Max Langston I’ve known for years. Selfish prick. God, what an idiot I am.