Page 164 of Tell No Lies

“When you put his reaction together with what we saw, it looked pretty bad. I know we should have talked to you about it. I know ignoring you was so incredibly immature, but it was shocking. None of us knew how to react, so we just froze you out.”

“I really thought that you were just afraid to tell us about Gage, so you kept it a secret. I thought maybe you actually did like him and didn’t know how to tell Mike. It’s so stupid. I feel terrible.” Mckayla was growing more emotional with each word. “I’m so sorry, Aubrey.”

I was deciding what I should say when Alexis spoke up. “We’re all sorry. Do you think you can forgive us?”

I fell back onto the couch and thought. They’d turned their backs on me the moment I needed them most. Did they deserve to be forgiven so easily?

I looked at each of them and immediately knew. “I accept your apology if you accept mine. I knew you guys didn’t like Gage, but I continued to hang out with him and didn’t tell anyone. In a way, it’s my fault the pictures looked so incriminating. If you’d known how good of friends I am with him, they would look as innocent as they truly were.”

Their faces looked shocked, and Mckayla wiped her eyes. “You can be friends with whoever you want to be! Especially after everything. He proved himself this week. I think we were wrong about him.”

I looked around, waiting to see if they agreed with Mckayla’s words.

They nodded at each other then smiled at me.

“I really appreciate that. He’s a really good guy, but we are just friends. I’m disappointed Mike couldn’t see that, and trust me.”

They nodded solemnly.

“So, what’s with the change of heart? Not that I’m not insanely happy to have you all back. I just don’t get it.”

Suddenly, they looked guilty. Mckayla bit her lip before talking. “Liv came over last night. She told me what’s been going on with you. How sad you’ve been and the things Mike said to you. Then she told me about the note. I knew we’d all been played. The stalker is doing what he can to isolate you and make your life horrible, and we were his pawns.”

I nodded, feeling defeated.

Talia rubbed my back lightly. “We talked to Mike and told him about the note, but he doesn’t see how it changes things. He doesn’t get that you were being framed and made to look like you cheated on him.”

“I think he was looking for a way out, and this was the perfect opportunity,” I confessed.

They all looked confused.

“If he really cared about me like he said he did, then he wouldn’t have been so quick to dump me. He would have talked to me about it and figured things out. He saw his way of escape and jumped as soon as he could.”

Talia stopped and pulled me into a hug. “I’m so sorry, Aubrey. I thought he loved you.”

Love? That was too strong, but I thought he really cared.

Alexis reached out. “Do you want me to try talking to him again?”

“No. I miss him, but to be honest … I haven’t even cried over him. I’ve just been numb. Don’t you think I should be more upset? I thought I really, really liked him.”

Alexis, who was quietly listening, suddenly broke out into laughter. “I’m sorry. I swear I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at the situation. Your stalker is trying to ruin your life, but he got you out of a pointless relationship.”

Mckayla slapped her arm and shook her head. “What is wrong with you? She just said she had feelings for him.”

“No, she didn’t!” Alexis pointed out, “She said she thought she did. Don’t you see it? You two were pushed together because you were his ideal girl come to life, and he was your friend. It was convenient, but I never saw any passion.” She paused and looked around to see if we were catching on. “You guys! He liked how she looked and what people thought of her. She liked him as a friend and brother. She only started dating him because he threatened to cut ties with her if she didn’t. No one else saw this?”

We all shook our heads. How had she and Gage both seen this and never told me before?

“I mean, I knew you two cared about each other, but come on! Look at how Mckayla and Sean are together … it’s borderline disgusting. Even Talia, the most emotionally guarded one, is public about her feelings with Mark. You can tell they love each other, but did anyone ever see that with Mike and Aubrey?”

I automatically started shaking my head. She was right. Did I get butterflies around him? Maybe at first, but not while we were officially dating. It seemed to cause physical pain when the girls had been separated from their boyfriends, but it had never been like that with Mike. I was comfortable with him but didn’t really miss him when he was gone.

The realization of her words changed my perspective on the past several days. Gage wasn’t making things up; he was just the first to point them out to me. Mike was one of my best friends, and I cared about him deeply, but not romantically. He could be chivalrous and sweep me off my feet in the moment, but I had never craved him.

My stalker had actually saved us both. We might not be speaking now, but I thought our friendship could be salvaged. Now that I understood how I really felt about him, I could talk to him and try to get back what we had.

“You’re absolutely right, Alexis. He’s my best friend, but I never loved him the way he wanted me to. How did I not see this?”