Page 155 of Tell No Lies

“Not possible. Then I wouldn’t be me.”

“True.” I smiled for the first time today. “I wouldn’t want that.”

As fate would have it, Mike decided to appear at the one time I haven’t been silent or sad. He stood in front of us with his fists flexing. “I need to talk to you. Now.”

When I made a move to stand up, Gage put out his arm to block me. “She’s not going anywhere with you until you calm down.”

Mike didn’t bother taking his eyes off me to look at Gage. “Don’t you even dare speak to me.”

“Seriously, Mike?” Gage sneered. “You and your little posse have been ignoring her all day, and now you stomp over here looking two seconds away from Hulking out, and you want her to go off with you? No way.”

I sat, frozen. Gage made sense, but Mike’s gaze chilled me to the bone. I knew I had to talk to him to find out what was going on, but I certainly didn’t want to.

I patted Gage’s arm, which was still blocking me. “It’s okay, Gage. I need to talk to Mike too.”

Gage broke their staring war to look at me. “No, you don’t. He’s ignored you all day, and now he calls and just expects you to run to him? Aubrey, you’re better than that.”

His words stung, but I stood anyway. “Thanks for talking to me.” I grabbed my books and bag without looking at him. I knew the expression he would have in his eyes. A plea for me to stay, mixed with concern and hatred for Mike.

I followed behind Mike as he led me into an empty hallway.

“Do you want to explain yourself?”

My mouth fell open. “Me?”

“Well, I’m not talking about myself.”

“I have no idea what’s going on. Mckayla kicked me out of her car this morning, Talia and Alexis haven’t responded to any of my texts, and you didn’t even bother showing up to class.”

I watched the muscles in his jaw tense and jump. “I couldn’t look at you yet.”

“What? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Stop acting innocent!”

Time froze. This was the first time Mike ever raised his voice at me. He looked like he was one wrong word away from exploding. I crossed my arms in front of me automatically. I wanted so badly to stay strong, but it was too much. He was acting like Morgan had, angry and out of control.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” My voice cracked on the last word.

“Oh, stop it! You don’t get to act like the victim this time.”

His words were daggers in my heart. He knew what he was saying and how it would affect me. “Please, please just tell me what happened.”

He barked out a laugh and ran a fist through his short hair. He turned to the side, away from me, and shook his head. “Stop looking at me like I’m the bad guy.”

“I’m just scared, Mike. I don’t understand!”

“Just admit it!”

“What? Admit what?” My emotions were coming in waves of panic, anxiety, and frustration.

“You cheated on me.”

That was the absolute last thing I was expecting, and I stood there stunned for a few moments. He seemed to take that as an admission of guilt.

“You aren’t even going to try to deny it?”

“No.”