Life, Love, & Lies

Forty-Three

"You seem rather certain of that fact, so would you like to elaborate on why we are going to hate you after today?" Matt almost smirks, seeming to think she is overthinking whatever it is she has to share with them.

"Um, ya." She sighs, unzipping the bag and reaching for the thick black fabric first, pulling out the old Nets hoodie she had sent to LA with the box they had packed up at the penthouse in New York. "So, I've kind of been withholding a lot of truths from both of you, basically lying really." She sighs, unfolding the sweatshirt and laying it across the coffee table between them.

"Where did you get this?" Matt's cheery disposition is gone in an instant, his face paling.

"I stole it off your bed almost six years ago..." She answers, biting her lower lip as she watches both of their reactions.

"You, her, what?" Milo glances between her and the hoodie with a look of complete shock.

"I also stole this, but I didn't realize I had until I found it at the penthouse over the month off between tour legs..." She offers, pulling a New York Yankees ball cap out of the bag, setting it beside the hoodie.

"Is that...'' Milo looks like he's seen a ghost.

'Your hat? Ya. I got it for you for your sixteenth birthday. You wanted something so inherently New York, and that was within the price range you gave me." She nods. "You must have left it at the penthouse sometime close to when the arrest happened."

"But," Matt is pale, his eyes studying her with clouds of confusion behind them. "You've worked for us for months, eight of them to be exact... Why now? Why not in January?"

"I was scared. I'm still scared. There's a lot to unpack, but please, stop being angry with Zach over it... it's my fault not his that he has been writing the book."

"I– what? I don't understand." Milo shakes his head, something in his eyes looking very hurt suddenly.

"It's me... I'm Felicity Abernathy, and Lauren Anderson. I can explain all of that mess too, if you need. I wanted you two to know before the world finds out. I'm done hiding, and Zach has helped me a lot over the last four or five months with accepting all of the parts of me. I never would have found the courage to face you two as all of me without him. The lawyers don't know anything about the book, or that Zach figured out who I was. Anja knows, she's actually really excited to get to see both of you again, and to get to visit her family again."

"Stop." Matt shakes his head, "You can't be Lyss, you can't! I would have known."

"I am though! Milo and I met in the first class on the first day of sophomore year. He had just moved to New York from Germany and kids in the class were making fun of his accent. He introduced us to each other that same day at lunch, Matt, and we hit it off well when I called all the trust fund kids, like I was, asshats. We were inseparable for two full years before Matt kissed me outside the school a week into senior year, when I got back from Paris late due to ballet stuff. Then we were still inseparable, but you and I were a couple, and Milo was the best third wheel we could have asked for. The night my dad was arrested I ran to your apartment in Brooklyn and cried to you for hours. Less than a week later I saw you both for the last time at Milo's house where his parents prepared a huge German Christmas feast. I had the perfect Christmas gifts planned for each of you, and I didn't get to give them to you." She reaches into the bag again, producing two tattered but still wrapped gifts, setting the red one in front of Matt and the green in front of Milo.

"No!" Milo yells suddenly, "No. You need to leave. I refuse to believe this, to think you have lied to us for eight fucking months."

"Milo! I had to!"

"No you didn't. You could have said anything, you could have come clean."

"You don't know, you can't even try to know, or comprehend, the hell that has been my life since the arrest five and a half years ago. If you don't want to hear it from me, you can read it when Zach publishes his book, because it is all about me, and all about my truths in the story you keep telling the world is wrong. He's the first one who's done it right, and it's almost ready to be bid on for publishing." She shakes her head, "I just wanted you guys to know before everyone else. I thought you deserved that from me."

"Lyss?" Matt whispers her name, his eyes still studying her with shock written behind them.

"Ya Matt, it's me." She smiles at him through her emotions.

"Leave, now." Milo barks again, pointing towards the door.

"I'm sorry, for everything." She sighs, grabbing the now empty backpack at her feet and doing as he asks. Sitting herself on the front step as she calls for a car, flinching as she hears yelling from behind her in the house. She knew it would be a shock for them, but seeing the pain and confusion in their eyes hurt more than she had expected.

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So, she dropped that bomb, how do you think it turns out for her?

Can they accept what she's been keeping from them?

Vote and comment!

I love you guys!!!

~M =)