I'm Obviously A Girl. But none of you idiots have to know that...

Chapter 36: I'm Obviously A Girl. But none of you idiots have to know that...

He paused, looking at me as if it were a trick question, “Um…well, yeah. Of course we are.” He said, giving me a smile.

My anger knot slowly lessened, but quickly tightened again, “So, you’d never, ever, ever lie to me, correct?”

His eyes seemed to widen a bit, and he knew what I was talking about. He pursed his lips, pressing them into a straight line, “Yeah.”

Suddenly, I could almost feel all of my anger wash away like footprints on the beach; being replaced by heartbreak and bitter sadness. I felt my voice quiver, “Then why did you?” I asked his softly, because I couldn’t muster up the nerve to scream it like the plan in my head had said.

Kale frowned, gripping the arm of the couch. He cursed under his breath, “How did you find out?”

I sniffled, trying to fight back the waterworks I knew were sure to come. “Alex.” I squeaked.

Kale slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand, “That idiot. I thought I warned him…”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up on end, and I turned back to him, shocked, “You warned him?” I said incredulously, “About what?”

He bit his lip, as if he said something he knew he shouldn’t have. “About…” He hung his head, “Not telling you I knew.”

The tears sprung back in my eyes. I knew it! He had kept it a secret from me! But why? I thought we were best friends! We weren’t supposed to keep these things a secret! Especially when they involved my huge secret!

“Why did you keep it a secret?!” I barked, “I kind of need to know these things!”

“I-I’m sorry, I just—”

“How did you find out?!” I finally asked, having not gotten that answer from Alex.

He twiddled with his thumbs, “Well, I was kind of…spying…on you and Alex one day. It was right before Family Day, actually. You two were arguing about what you’d do, and then Alex referred to you as a girl…”

Of course it was Alex who’d done it.

“…I thought I’d just misheard, but then the pieces kind of fit together in my head.” He paused, looking up to me with his cold, hard, icy eyes, “There is no Samuel Stone.”—He gulped—“Only Samantha.”

I dabbed a wet eye with the sleeve of my jacket, pursing my lips again, “But why did you keep it a secret from me?”

He bit his lip, choosing his words carefully, “I was definitely going to tell you. But I didn’t want you to know just yet—I wanted to wait for the timing to be right. I knew that if it came out like this—” He motioned to the air, trying to gesture towards the situation—“Then you’d be pissed off at me.”