Poe frowns. “Do what?”
“He wants me to stop talking,” I worry the edge of Jupiter’s textbook, “or having any sort of contact with… Reign. But I…”
They both give me time to put my thoughts together.
“I don’t want to,” I tell them. “I’m not going to.”
My determined tone would’ve shocked them a few days ago. Like it did when I’d told them how I’ve been meeting up with Reign at night and how he’s been helping me with Lucas.
But it doesn’t.
They get it.
Because now they know. They know everything that I know about Reign.
About my ex-boyfriend’s asshole ex-best friend.
Who as it turns out isn’t that much of an asshole after all.
I mean, he is.
But not the kind who makes me sick with hate anymore. He’s the kind that protects me, keeps me safe, makes me warm and laugh and yes, blush.
The kind that I’m not giving up.
It’s not even a question. I knew it as soon as Lucas hung up the phone.
I’m not giving up Reign and it pisses me off that Lucas wants me to.
Why is he doing this?
It’sReign. It’s his best friend. His brother.
I understand that given the situation, Lucas’s trust is shaken. Of course it is. But if he can give me a chance, why can’t he give Reign one too?
If the crime was committed by the both of us, then why am I getting forgiven and not him?
“Lucas isn’t going to like that,” Jupiter tells me.
I realize that.
I realize that this isn’t the way to be a ‘good’ girlfriend. And after everything that I’ve done I probably should give Lucas whatever he wants.
But if not giving up Reign makes me a bad girlfriend then so be it.
I’ve only just found him. He’s my friend — well, kinda; I mean he’s more but still — and I don’t give up on my friends.
“Well, he’s going to have to deal,” I say.
“But areyouready to deal with it?” Poe asks. “This is what you wanted.”
“I did,” I say, clenching my teeth. “But not like this.”
They both look at me, probably trying to determine how serious I am.
But then, both Poe and Jupiter smile and high five each other.
“I’m so glad you said that,” Jupiter says.