Page 91 of Never Forget

“Impossible. I checked multiple times. I even took all the light fixtures apart, and the outlets.”

“You did what?”

I give Naz an incredulous shrug. “I was doing my job.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to worry you. I assumed I was just being paranoid with you being out there by yourself.”

Naz rolls his eyes, and I pinch his hip.

“You had to have missed something,” Cory points out. “Unless you had anyone else there, or some kind of delivery that wasn’t food or⁠—”

“Nothing,” Naz says. “Scott was the only delivery I got.”

“I’ll check again when we get back today,” Cory says.

I nod, because he’s right. I’ll fucking hate myself if he is, but how else would they be able to record that?

I just hate that I won’t be there to help them figure it out.

TWENTY-THREE

NAZ

The flight back to Raleigh is quiet. It’s just me, Cory, and the one flight attendant who isn’t really needed since both of us declined any sort of refreshment. She tries to make small talk, but I’m not really in the mood. I give her a small, defeated smile and tell her I’m just exhausted. She lets me off the hook easily, and my guess is that, like most of the world, she’s heard the recording and figures I’m too embarrassed to talk about it.

She’s not wrong. I’m mortified. The humiliation I feel just being around people that aren’t Scott or Cory is thick. I feel like I’m on display, like everyone can see me without my clothes. Only, I’m pretty confident about my body. I’m not so confident about the things that go through my head sometimes or letting anyone perceive me as weak.

I’m not looking forward to getting home. All the guys are going to⁠—

Oh shit, will my grandparents have heard it? They rarely watch mainstream television, but even the weather channel has news highlights. I’m glad I didn’t set up a newspaper delivery yet, at least.

This is going to be awful.

Fuck worrying if they’ll talk to be when I get home. If they find out about this, they’ll never be able to look at me again.

I clutch the burner phone Scott gave me in my hands and look down at the screen.

S: Have a safe trip. Hopefully it won’t be long.

He told me he loves me.

“Welcome home,” Simon greets me as I walk up the porch steps. He holds the door open for me, offering to take my bag.

“That’s okay,” I tell him. “I’m going to take it up to my trailer as soon as Cory is done with whatever it is he’s doing up there.”

“We did another bug sweep today,” Simon says understandingly. I can see the pity in his eyes. The embarrassment on my behalf.

I look away, not ready to face this.

“How bad has it been?” I ask instead, diverting us to the next most uncomfortable topic.

“It’s actually not been bad at all. We’re still in the early stages, but everyone seems like they’re getting along. A lot of tip-toeing.”

“How did they react?”

“They knew it was coming, so they weren’t surprised when your friends came downstairs late this morning. It was a little awkward, I’m not gonna lie. Your grandparents mostly stayed in their room and the little sitting area outside it. But then…” He leans toward me conspiratorially. “Your friend, Mr. Martìn, might have been the icebreaker you needed. He made us all lunch earlier, and, well… Just look.”