TMI (2014 Collector's Dream Winner)

TMI - Chapter 44

The days passed. Bailey had not spoken to Chase or Meg or Ryder or Simon or her game buddies or even her family. She hadn’t gone to school, even though Gran had been dropping her off in front of it every day for the past week. That’s because every day for the past week, she’d been hiding in Starbuck’s, the movie theater, or the library until the last bell.

She tugged on the hood of her sweatshirt, tucking her pony-tail under it. A pony-tail, she thought with an eye roll. She always hassled Meg about her messy pony-tails but had to admit it was nice not having hair fall in front of her eyes and really good at keeping people from recognizing her. She kept walking, wondering if her stomach would ever not twist into a ball whenever she thought about Meg. Or Ryder. Or Chase. Or even her mother.

Probably not.

She kept walking.

She walked until she reached the enormous house with the windy driveway with closed gates and a little intercom built into the post. A camera mounted high on a tree swept left and right and back again. Even the stupid tree was designer. She stabbed the call button and stuffed her hands in her pockets while she waited.

“Who is it?”

“Bailey Grant. I’m here to talk to Simon.”

There was a long silence. Bailey glared at the camera every time it panned by.

“I’m sorry, but Simon’s lawyer doesn’t think—”

“Yes, my lawyer agrees with Simon’s lawyer, but I came here anyway because I need to talk to him.”

Another long silence. Finally, Bailey leaned on the call button.

“Miss Grant, you’ll have to leave. Simon is not permitted — Simon? Simon! Get back here!”

Off in the distance at the end of the windy driveway, Bailey could see the front door open. A tall figure jogged her way. It took him almost five damn minutes to reach her.

“What are you doing here, Bailey?” He stopped on his side of the gate.

“Needed to talk to you.”

“You could have texted.”

She shook her head, still under its hood. “You. Not Ryder.”

Simon winced. That scored him a few points in Bailey’s eyes.

“So is he the reason you’re here?”

“No. Yes.” Bailey shut her eyes. “I don’t know. I guess that’s why I’m here — to figure it out.”

Simon lowered his head. “You want me to apologize again? I will if you want me to, but it doesn’t really change anything. I can’t undo what I did.”

“No.”

His eyes snapped to hers and she had to take an extra breath. It was his eyes that she’d needed to see. Even when shooting off his big mouth, trying to be cool, Simon was never able to get his eyes to follow his mouth. They couldn’t lie. Like Abraham Lincoln. She could design a whole character around him in the video game if she still had it. Maybe it wasn’t too late. Maybe she could undelete everything and —

“Then why?” he demanded.

She stepped closer, wrapped her hands around the cold iron bars. “Okay, look. I don’t have very good luck when it comes to guys. Meg always said I tried way too hard. The horseback riding, martial arts, NASCAR racing, video games. She says I’m never just me.”

“Meg’s right.”

Wow. Judging by the way he clenched his jaw when she mentioned Meg, Bailey figured it must have really hurt him to say that. It actually kind of hurt to hear it. She stared at him, and he rolled his eyes.

“Come on, Bay, it’s obvious, isn’t it? You try on lives like they’re outfits at the mall. Do you really think I believe you actually liked stamp collecting?”

Bailey’s lips twitched. “You didn’t?”

“No! Hell, I”m not even sure I like it. I just tried it because my dad wanted me to. At first, I thought it was really cool that you were willing to do things for me. But it got old really fast, Bailey. Your heart was never in it.”

“I really liked you, Simon.” She ran her thumb over a rust spot on the iron bar, watched bits flake off and float away.

“I really liked you too, but you were just pretending to like me, just like everybody else in this fuckin’ neighborhood, since the money came in.” His words were like a whip and she jumped.

“Is that what you thought? Is that why you weirded out on me? I thought—”

“I never cheated,” he shouted. “I never even looked at Caitlyn before that day Meg happened to see us. But you trusted Meg more than me.”

Damn it, his eyes weren’t lying and suddenly, she realized that’s why she was there — to look into Lincoln blue eyes and know without a doubt what was the truth and what was insecurity and fantasy and wishful thinking and… and a lost cause.

“You’re right. I did and I’m so sorry. Meg and I— we’ve been friends for so long, and it’s just so hard not to believe her, you know?”

“Oh, trust me, I do.”

Bailey’s eyes widened. “Is that why you did it? To play us against each other?”

A muscle in Simon’s jaw twitched and he wouldn’t meet her eyes. “I wanted you to see what it’s like.”

Bailey’s filled with tears. She blinked them back. She’d obviously made a mistake coming here. She heard a car approach and watched it disappear around a curve. “You know, it felt real. The only time in my life that it did but the guy was fake.” She laughed once. “That must be so funny to you.”

He suddenly shook the iron bars that separated them and she jumped back. “I’m not laughing,” he shouted. “I tried to end it — end him. I was gonna tell you that day at the mall. I deleted all the accounts — but it was too late. Half the damn school watched you two fight like it’s the Golden Gloves and I’m—”

There it was again. A flash — a glimmer that lit his eyes for no more than a second.

“You’re what?”

He tightened his lips and shook his head. “Forget it. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“It matters to me.”

“You should go. The Dream Team’s gonna have a fit when they find out I talked to you.”

“Simon, it’ll be okay. You didn’t murder anybody. Maybe I can help? Talk to them for you?”

He sneered. “Yeah, like you’d really do that for me.”

“I would. Simon, I came here because I’m sorry. I just wanted you to know that.”

“Yeah. Me, too,” he murmured, shoving his hands in his pocket.

Bailey curled her hands around the bars. “Simon. Did you send me his name?”

He hesitated a moment, then turned away. “I gotta go.” He ran up the windy driveway without waiting for her to reply.

Bailey started walking. But her steps were lighter and a smile tugged at her lips. 

For the first time in her life, Bailey had a plan.