Page 4 of Tell No Lies

Bear was sitting among the other football players and pointed over to another. “Tony! Do you think your dad would let us take out his yacht?”

Tony, a brown-haired running back, looked up from his phone. “Yeah, sure. I’ll ask him and let you guys know at lunch.”

As if it was planned, the bell went off, signaling for us to head to class.

Talia popped up and clapped. “Perfect! Catalina, it is!”

I stood up and pulled my bag over my shoulder. Brandon was so not going to go for this. Who would let a bunch of teenagers take a yacht out to an island for the weekend?

No responsible adult, I was sure.

☼ ☼ ☼

I was proven wrong at lunch. Very, very wrong. Not only had everyone’s parents agreed to let them go, but since the group was so big, another dad had volunteered to have us use his yacht too. Well, he’d phrased it as, “I’ll have the crew prep it and take you kids out this weekend.” Seriously?

I had to get Brandon to agree. This seemed like more than just fun; it was a chance to feel included in this group rather than just being Mckayla’s cousin.

Word had spread rapidly through the school. People approached our table constantly during lunch, asking who could be included and if there was room for them.

Mike took the initiative as the leader, explaining to some people that they could come as long as they contributed to the trip fund, and to others that the boats were full. Apparently, it had been decided during one of the class periods that everyone who was coming should contribute to a fund for food and supplies. I was surprised that the guys would think ahead like that, until Talia stepped forward, explaining it to a few of Mike’s friends.

Yeah, that made much more sense.

I tried to ignore the flow of people to our table and turned to Mckayla and Sean. “Have people already gotten permission from their parents, or are they just assuming they’ll let a bunch of teenagers take boats out to an island alone?”

Sean smirked at me, and Mckayla just laughed. “Well, I already asked my mom and got the okay. She said she’ll talk to Brandon and make sure he lets you go too.”

And just like that I was able to relax for the first time that day. “Oh, good! I’ve been panicking about how to ask him. He’s been really chill with things in the past, but since I got the note, he’s been much more protective.”

Sean looked at me while rubbing Mckayla’s back. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Between Mike and the rest of the guys, Brandon will have nothing to worry about. Plus, Mike is all buddy-buddy with him now.”

I chuckled. “You’ve noticed that too? I was wondering when that happened!”

“He’s been really protective of you since formal. The other day in class, one of the guys from the basketball team was talking about you, and Mike freaked out at him. Apparently, someone can’t even call you cute without being threatened.”

I dropped my head and sighed. “I almost wish he would calm down. I appreciate him watching out for me, but it’s kind of too much. I don’t want him to scare people off.”

Mckayla reached over and put her hand on my arm. “That’s why this weekend will be good for you. It will give you a chance to meet people on your own. You have all of us, but it would be good for others to get to know you.”

Things had been a little crazy lately, and I hadn’t been making an effort to meet people. Half the time, I couldn’t remember the names of the guys who showed up at my house with Mike. They were right. I needed to step out of my comfort zone. “That sounds like a really good plan. As long as Brandon is okay with it.”

“Don’t worry so much. This weekend will be the perfect break for all of us.”

She was right. I was sure Brandon needed a break just as much as I did. He recently started seeing Liv, from his office, and I was sure they would appreciate a weekend without the little sister around.

By the end of lunch, Mike and Talia had gotten the group down to around twenty, depending on who could get permission.

On my way to Yearbook class with Mckayla, I stopped in my tracks. Dread filled me as I remembered I couldn’t go this weekend.

Mckayla turned back to me while I threw my head back and groaned. “What’s wrong with you?” She took another step toward me, blocking people to prevent them from running into me.

“Dance. I completely forgot about that. I have practice with the company team. There’s no way I can miss it.”

She raised a brow. “Then how is Cassie going? She wouldn’t miss practice either.”

I snapped my head back. “What do you mean?”

“Cassie already gave Talia her money to reserve her spot. Text her and find out what’s going on.”