Truth be Told ✔️

Chapter 40

"Also, we were jealous about how hot Blake is," McKenzie added.

Maddie sharply elbowed McKenzie. "Shut up," she snapped. "Gossiping doesn't come until after she's forgiven us. Come on, keep up. We went over the steps to Besties-For-The-Resties last night."

"When does suggesting the idea of an 'open relationship' come in?" McKenzie questioned.

I snorted. "Never."

Maddie sighed. She fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve for a moment before sucking in a deep breath and looking me straight in the eyes with her own large doey ones. "We're so sorry," she murmured. "We were jealous about how much of your time was being consumed by Graham and Blake, that we thought if we could at least get rid of Blake, it would be back to normal. But we should have been there for you. We should have been giving you advice."

I crossed my arms across my chest, still suspicious despite what I could tell was the most effort they had put into anything in a while. "How do I know that this apology is true? It feels like I'm listening to a broken record that was played at the Italian restaurant. You could be saying this to lead me into a false sense of security, and then you'd stab my heart just like the rest of them."

"No," Maddie said firmly. "Never again. We're here for you and we will support all of your decisions that you make...except for a nipple piercing."

"I already called dibs on being the first one to do that," McKenzie whined.

I stared at them. Both were a mess and way out of their comfort zone. This was a definite low. Could they survive it? "Let's test this theory then," I decided. "After the proposal, I went home with Blake. What would you say if I said I slept with him?"

"I say I just won ten bucks!" McKenzie beamed. She grinned like a mad woman at Maddie. "I told you she'd sleep with another guy before she slept with Graham. New is always better."

Maddie swatted McKenzie on the shoulder, promptly shutting down the triumphant blonde.

I frowned.

I can't believe Maddie only bet ten bucks on that.

I shook my head. Focus. You need friends you can trust right now, not enemies.

"What if I told you that he wants me to go to the same college as him instead of in-state like what we were going to do? I'd graduate early."

Maddie suddenly fell into a mess of coughs of disbelief, before managing a weak smile. "Follow your heart," she stammered.

"I'm going to sit on the Brentwood side of the football field?"

That one actually wasn't a lie.

McKenzie took a deep breath. "Only if we can sit with you?" She smiled.

I didn't.

My mind was going a hundred different ways. Every part of me wanted to see what they actually wanted, but was I willing to pour out everything I had been dying inside, struggling to keep in?

At last, I blurted, "He told me he loved me. And I didn't tell him it back. And I don't know if I will."

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