I pulled the baseball hat I borrowed from Gavin further down. The last thing I wanted was for her to recognize me.
“This is a dead giveaway.” Noah pulled my hood up and tucked my ponytail behind my shoulder. “There.”
“You think she’d recognize my hair?”
He shrugged. “I would.”
I was glad I’d worn something different from my normal outfits. I dressed comfortably at home, but rarely in all-black or like I was heading to the gym. I doubted Juliet would give me a second glance.
“Almost here.” He looked up from his phone, and I casually glanced down the street in the opposite direction.
I noticed GI Joe turning the corner out of view. Were they going to get out? They would need to be able to see the entrance, too, but without being noticed.
“Where is she?” I whispered.
“There.” Noah pointed with his phone toward a blue sedan that pulled up in front of the building. She got out of the backseat and stepped aside. It must have been a rideshare because that wasn’t her car.
“Who’s that?” he said at the same time I realized another person was getting out.
A man with dark brown hair stood, and something about him seemed familiar. Juliet reached for his hand, and they headed toward the building.
The driver must have called out to them because they both turned, and the man laughed and went to the window.
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
“That’s Mr. Peters.”
My stomach dropped, and I watched as he returned to Juliet with a shopping bag they must have left. He kissed her cheek, and she took the bag from him.
“Oh, hell no,” Noah said.
The second they were inside, I stood and ran to the nearest trash can. I barely made it before throwing up. My insides roiled and tightened, but nothing more came up. Luckily, I’d only had a protein shake today.
Noah rubbed my back, and I stood up, covering my mouth. I blinked away the tears, half from throwing up and half because I now knew Juliet was cheating on my dad. With my guidance counselor.
What the hell was going on?
“Is she okay?” Gavin asked, and I looked up to see his SUV at the curb.
“Come on,” Noah ushered me in, and I scooted over so he could get in with me.
“Here.” Sky twisted from the front seat and handed me a bottle of water.
I took a sip and rested my head back against the seat. I couldn’t stop the steady stream of tears. I wanted this to all be a sick prank. This couldn’t be real.
“Let’s head back,” Noah said.
“Hold on.” Gavin stared down and didn’t speak again for a few minutes. Then he turned to face us. “Sky, play back the recording.”
A few seconds later, Juliet’s voice filled the air. “Freddie, stop!” she giggled. “We have to go tonight. If we don’t at least make an appearance, Rebecca will never let us hear the end of it.”
Noah shook his head.
Gavin froze, only blinking until his gaze met mine. “Freddie Haul and Rebecca Wilk.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Who?”
“Those are two names of her known associates within the AS. Freddie Haul was her college boyfriend, and Rebecca Wilk was her best friend.”
“So Mr. Peters is really Freddie Haul?” I asked.
He held up his phone. It was a picture of Mr. Peters with his real name below. The picture looked about five to ten years old. He didn’t have a beard, but it was my guidance counselor. Another person I thought I could trust. Someone who I believed cared about me.
I covered my mouth again, and Noah pushed me forward to put my head between my knees. “I can’t handle this anymore.”