If you eat them, you’ll get sick.”
“Like our relationship. It’s never going back
together.”
He grabbed the plate.
His voice was shaking.
“No, I won’t get sick.”
He shoved the chicken wings in his mouth.
“See?
I won’t get sick, Hailey.
Please, don’t leave me.”
“Jake, you knew what you were doing when
you decided to trick me.”
I said, my voice cold.
His face fell.
“I didn’t have a choice. You don’t know
く
what…”
He stopped, choked up, unable to finish the
sentence.
“Just believe me, Hailey.
I didn’t get close to you to hurt you.
I just didn’t have any other choice.”
“What about Ashley?
How long have you two been hooking up?”
My best friend and my boyfriend going car
shopping together?
I couldn’t stop my mind from racing.
“I can explain. I swear, we were set up when
we were little. It was her birthday and her
family wanted me to get her a car.”
“But I don’t love her. I’m not hooking up with
her. I just didn’t have a choice.”
“Stop.”
I said.
“Get out.
I can’t forgive you.”
“Why?”
Tears streamed down his face.
“Didn’t you feel anything for me this past
Г
year?”
Pretending like I didn’t want to give you to
her.
But if he knew it would hurt me, he didn’t
care.
“Yeah.
But I don’t want it anymore.”
I pushed him away, out the door.
“We’re done.”
“Bang!”
I slammed the door.
Г
I could hear him begging me to open it, but I
couldn’t.
I was in too much pain.
I couldn’t accept that someone I’d given my
heart to had been lying to me the whole time.
The next morning, Jake was still there.
He was sitting on the floor, pale and
exhausted, leaning against the wall.
He tried to grab me.
“Hailey, I’m sick…”
I remembered the moldy chicken wings.
Г
I called an ambulance.
I didn’t want to go to the hospital with him,
but he didn’t have any family, so I went
anyway.
When they got him hooked up to an IV, Ashley
showed up.
“Have you killed one already?
Are you trying to kill Jake, too?”
She tried to hit me.
I grabbed her hand, staring her down.
“Don’t you ever talk about Tommy again.
I don’t know what I’ll do.”
Tommy’s death was my fault.
I was more screwed up about it than anyone
knew.
I was trying to get over that summer.
But Ashley wouldn’t let me.
What happened between me and Tommy was
none of her business.
I shoved her away and left.
As soon as I got downstairs, Jake came
running after me.
He was wearing his hospital gown.
L
He handed me three credit cards, his voice
weak.
“This is everything I have.
The PIN is the date we met.”
“Hailey, I don’t know what else to do.
I’m trying to fix my mistake.
Please, give me another chance.‘
I didn’t take the cards.
“Give me the ring.‘
The ring was a silver band I’d made.
Г
We each had one.
Jake didn’t understand.
But he took off the ring and gave it to me.
I looked at it.
My name was engraved on the inside.
And I tossed it into the fountain.
“If you can find the ring, I’ll forgive you.
If you can’t, don’t ever bother me again.
Jake’s eyes went wide.
His face was a mask of horror.
L
Chapter 2
He didn’t even hesitate.
He jumped into the fountain, searching.
He was like a madman, flailing around in the
water.
I opened my hand.
I still had the ring.
I was never going to give him another chance.
I turned and walked out.
I didn’t have to work three jobs anymore,
saving up for Jake’s surgery.
L
I was alone again.
Tomorrow was the music competition at
school.
If you won, you got a free scholarship to
study music.
If Tommy hadn’t died, he’d be competing, too.
And I knew he’d win.
He was so talented.
He’d loved music since he was a little kid.
