His words slithered around me like a snake I’d let coil around my neck for years. I saw it all now — how Jasmine was always there between us. Always. Even before the coma. Even before the rooftop. In high school, I thought she was helping me get closer to him. Writing my letters. Handing him my gifts. But she was the one he’d call at night. The one he’d smile at when he thought I wasn’t looking. My best friend — my betrayal wrapped in a ribbon.
I must’ve been staring too long because Scott’s voice snapped like a whip. “What? Who are you talking to in that head of yours? Are you insulting me now? Say something!”
My eyes burned as tears finally spilled over. I didn’t even try to wipe them away. He paused, his anger shifting into that pathetic, boyish panic he always used to reel me back in. “Oh God, baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout. I hate seeing you cry. You know that, right? You’re hurting me when you cry like this…”
He pulled me into his arms, his hand sliding behind my neck like it always did when he kissed me. His lips brushed mine but I felt nothing. Nothing but disgust. Once, I would’ve melted. Once, I would’ve forgiven everything with just this. But now?
Now I knew what that kiss really cost me.
I pulled back, my voice flat. “I have a stomachache.”
He frowned, brushing a tear from my cheek with his thumb. “A stomachache? That’s all? Why didn’t you say so? I’ll call the driver. We’ll get you to the hospital right now.”
He pressed his phone to his ear, barking orders like he always did. I stood there like a ghost, watching him fuss, trying to remember when I ever felt safe in his care.
We drove in silence for a while. He held my hand, tracing circles on my skin that made my stomach twist. For a second, I almost believed it — this little lie that he cared. But then his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, and just like that, I vanished from his mind.
“What? Jasmine’s awake?” His eyes lit up in a way I’d never seen before — not for me. “Turn the car around. We need to go back. I have to be there. She’ll want to see me.”
I stared at him. “What about me? I’m sick, Scott.”
He looked at me like I was an insect crawling across his precious floor. “It’s just a stomachache, Nadine. Don’t be dramatic. Driver, pull over.”