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Silas watches us for long, silent seconds until he finally shakes his head. “Figures.”
That’s all he says before he turns and walks away.
We watch him go, and the moment he’s out of my eyesight, I shrug Rhett’s arm off my shoulders, turning to face him. “What was that for?”
“What are you talking about?” Rhett blinks, innocent as can be.
What a crock.
“That I’m with you? Like we’re together?” I throw my arms up in the air, exasperated with men in general tonight.
“It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.” He shrugs, as if he doesn’t have a care in the world.
“It was a mistake. Now Silas is going to tell Alana, and she’s going to tell everyone that we’re together, when we’re not.” Alana has a huge mouth. Iris and I learned that the hard way a while ago when she would share our secrets with others. Secrets we fully expected her to, you know, keep secret.
“So they talk about us. So what? Might keep things interesting.” He smiles, though it slowly starts to fade when I don’t smile in return. “What? Are you mad at me, Will? I was just trying to help.”
It’s the way he says it, his voice soft. And the look on his face too.
He means it.
A sigh leaves me and my shoulders sag. “I appreciate you trying to help, but that probably just caused more problems.”
“Let them talk. Everyone will forget about us when some new drama happens anyway, and I can practically guarantee that’ll happen in approximately forty-eight hours, if not sooner.”
He’s not wrong, but still. “What if people expect us to act like a couple? If we don’t, they’ll accuse us of lying.”
Rhett rears back. “I’m not a liar.”
“I’m sure you’re not, but you did just lie to Silas.”
“Woman, I did it to help you.” He shakes his head, incredulous. “You’re infuriating.”
“Funny because that’s exactly how I would describe you.” I storm away from him before I say something dumb, and go in search of Iris, who I find by the bonfire. It’s huge, the orange flames licking at the night sky, and when I go to stand next to her, it’s almost too hot, being this close.
The moment she sees my face, she knows something is wrong. “Tell me everything.”
I do, furiously whispering in her ear as I spill my guts and explain the entire story. By the time I’m done, she’s smiling and I’m frowning, my stomach swirling with despair over the situation.
“What am I supposed to do?” I practically wail at her when I’m finished.
“You know what I think you should do? Go along with the lie Rhett created.” Iris backs away from me and grabs hold of my shoulders, giving me a little shake. “This is perfect. You pretend to be in a relationship with Rhett, and Silas will finally leave you alone.”
“Oh my God, you make no sense. A few minutes ago, you said this could be my chance with Silas and now you’re encouraging me to have a fake relationship with Rhett instead?” I shake my head. “I don’t understand you.”
“I was trying to do reverse psychology on you, but I don’t think it worked.” She pulls me in for a hug, her mouth at my ear. “You stay here for a few minutes, okay? I’m going to go make the rounds and see what other people are saying about this.”
“No, don’t leave me.” I grab at her sleeve when she pulls away, keeping her from escaping. Then I remember how I want to stand on my own two feet and I let go of her sleeve, taking a step back. “What should I do if Silas tries to talk to me again?”
“He won’t.” Iris nods her head once. “He’s over there begging and pleading with Alana as we speak.”
I spot Silas on the other side of the fire, doing exactly as Iris described. Alana is standing next to him, staring off into the distance with her arms crossed and wearing an angry expression while Silas just keeps talking.
That doesn’t look good.
“I’ll be right back.” Iris pats my shoulder before taking off, her blonde hair streaming behind her as she practically runs over to a large group of girls, most of whom are in our grade.
I watch her as she starts talking, gesturing wildly in typical Iris fashion, while I’m also trying to keep the panic that wants to flood me at bay. This is fine. Everything is going to be fine.
