Jesse's Girl

Chapter 39

     My shoulder pressed against the brick wall, fingers pressing hard into the biceps of my crossed arms as I watched him.

     "Are you sure?" I asked.

     "Yeah."

     Of course. I didn't even really need her confirmation. His name was all I could think of the moment I'd read Katrina's text. I didn't know anyone else in school who matched the description, and even if I didn't, no one wore the scent of cigarettes as proudly as he did.

     "What are you gonna do?"

     "What can I do?" Kale was sitting on a crowded picnic table in the courtyard, long legs stretched out with a girl nestled in between them on the bench. He wore a smile, looking pleased with himself in the company around him, but all I saw was a mask. "If what you've told me is true, he has no reason to come clean."

     Katrina breathed a sigh. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her look away from me and follow my line of sight. We both stood there a while as we stared, until she finally said, "What's the plan, then?"

     I finally looked away. "Manage a passing average and hope senior year treats everyone better?"

     "But, Jesse—"

     "—Is better off without all of this," I finished for her. "Everyone is."

     "But what about everything I said? Carson, he lied."

     "Katrina..." I started, my voice feeling heavy. "I don't know what he did. Not really. All I understood from what you told me was that he"—I wave an agitated hand toward Kale—"lied to me all this time and I fell for it. But you also had all this time to come to me with this and you're only telling me now that it's over. And that's what it is, Kat. It's over."

     She faltered, looking down. "I thought I was doing the right thing."

     "Yeah," I scoffed, but the sour tone wasn't meant for her. I turned back to look at the blond on the table again. "He has a way of making you believe that."

     Another silent moment. We could both hear the laughter in the distance, but we watched mutely.

     "It just doesn't feel right," Katrina said.

     I felt her words resonate in my mind, but I didn't have anything to say to it. It felt like I'd been lacking a proper reaction to hearing her side of the story, but not because what I'd learned had been shocking, but because deep inside, all I could feel was that I should've known better. Since day one, I hadn't entirely trusted Kale—and apparently neither did Katrina—but he so easily manipulated the situation and molded it in a way that fit the narrative he wanted to tell.

     She'd tried warning me that day in the parking lot, but I naively thought she meant Farrah. And while I hadn't been entirely wrong, I still narrowly missed the king while I'd been so distracted with the pawn.

     "Don't you think Jesse should know?"

     I had tried swallowing that thought down earlier with no success. It only led to silly excuses to avoid any confrontation. And I surely wasn't short of them. "You know where he lives? Why don't you go?"

     "I don't know where he—"

     "I'll write it down for you."

     Despite everything, Katrina managed a small laugh. "I don't think I'm in the position to break the news."

     "And you think I am?" I asked.

     Katrina's response was a blank stare and pursed lips.