“When?” he demands.
“That day. The day of your family’s open house.”
Reeve jerks in surprise. “You came?”
I look around and spot Rennie in the crowd, surrounded by guys from the football team. So she didn’t tell him I came by. Big surprise. Not that it makes a difference. It’s all over and done with now.
I shrug. “Yeah, I stopped by. Rennie told me you didn’t want to see me, so I left.”
Reeve’s staring at me. “Are you serious right now? You came to my house?”
“It wasn’t a big deal,” I say, and I try to duck under his arm to get past him.
But he backs up and blocks me again. “Wait! Look, I don’t know what Rennie said to you, but I spent the whole day alone in my room, pissed at you for bailing on me. I wanted you there, Lil. Only you.”
For a second I close my eyes, and then I open them again. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
Which is when Kendall makes her way over to us and says, “Hey, Lillia. What’s up?” She puts her head on Reeve’s shoulder, which he tries to shrug off.
“Hey,” I say. I’ve got my eye on the front door. There’s a line of people coming into the party now, so I can’t get out through the front. I’ll just go out through the back. I flash a quick smile at Kendall and say, “Have fun, you two!” and squeeze past them both.
I’m halfway down the hallway when I hear Reeve coming up behind me, calling my name. He yells out, “You still like me. I know you do. So I reject our breakup on the grounds that this is a bullshit misunderstanding.”
I stop and turn around and face him. “We’re not broken up, because we were never together.”
“You like me! Admit it, Cho.”
“I do not!” God, I hope Kat and Mary aren’t here yet. If they see us like this, they’ll want to start the ruse up again. I can’t do it anymore. So I say it again, more calmly. “Reeve, I don’t like you.”
“Yes. You. Do.” Reeve takes my hand, and I try to pull it away, but this time he won’t let go. “You like me, and I like you. So can we just—can we stop with the games and be together already?” He pulls me closer and closer to him until we’re close enough to kiss. “It doesn’t have to be this hard, you know.”
“What about your girl Kendall?” I challenge.
He makes a dismissive sound. “I was talking to her to make you jealous. It worked, too.”
I’m about to deny it when suddenly he cups his hands to my face and kisses me. I try to resist for like a second, and then I kiss him back. My hand snakes around his neck to pull him closer, and his hair feels so soft against my fingertips.
Then I hear a gasp. I break away from Reeve, whose arms are cradling me against the wall.
“What the f**k?” It’s Rennie, standing at the other end of the hallway, staring at us. Stunned. She points at me, her arm shaking. “You’re so done, bitch.”
Reeve turns around and sees her and says, “Hold up, Ren.”
She backs away from us, into the kitchen. I follow her, with Reeve at my heels. “Rennie . . . ,” I start to say.
She spins around, pushes me to the side, and pounds her fists on Reeve’s chest. “You picked her over me?” Rennie lets out an angry sob and steps away from him. “She’s not who you think she is, Reeve. Sweet, innocent Lillia? What a freaking joke. She’s a slut.”
“Don’t talk about her like that,” Reeve warns.
Rennie ignores him and advances toward me. “I let you be my little shadow, I took you under my wing, and I basically made you!” Rennie’s whole body is trembling with rage. “You would be nobody if it weren’t for me.”
Reeve tries to get in between us. “Ren, stop it. Lillia didn’t steal me, so don’t put the blame on her. You know I love you, you know I do. But it was never gonna be like that with us.”
“Don’t you dare defend her to me!” Rennie screams, whirling on him. “You can’t see her for what she really is!”
I take a raggedy breath and step toward her. “Rennie, you’ve got it backward. You’re the one who’s always wanted what I have, not the other way around. Our whole lives, you’ve been jealous because I have what you want.”
Her mouth twists into a sneer. “I can’t believe this. I can’t even believe you’re turning this around on me right now.”
I wet my lips. “You know what? I think that on some level you were glad about what happened that night with those guys.”
Rennie’s eyes dart over to Reeve and then back to me. “Shut up,” she warns. “Don’t say another word.”
“I think you were glad because it brought me down to your level,” I say, my voice shaking. “I wasn’t innocent Lillia anymore. I wasn’t a princess, or a virgin. I wasn’t special. I was like you. Both of us damaged goods.”
Rennie’s hand strikes lightning fast, slapping my cheek so hard I rock back onto my heels and almost fall. Reeve yells, “What the hell, Ren!” And he pulls me away from her and stands between us.
Black tears run down her face. “She doesn’t care about you! Trust me.”
I shake my head over and over. I’m crying now too. “That’s not true.” Despite everything I’ve done, that isn’t true.
A guy in suspenders stumbles into the kitchen and says, “Whoops, I thought this was the bathroom.”
“Get out!” Rennie screams, and the guy runs off. As soon as he’s gone, Rennie starts up again, advancing on me this time. “I’m telling you, she’s not who you think she is, Reeve. She’s an evil, lying bitch.” She takes a deep, satisfied breath. “And I have proof!”
Oh my God. Oh. My. God.
I feel dizzy. Rennie knows. She knows what I did at homecoming. But how?
“Reeve, please go,” I beg, trying to push him out of the room. “Just go.” I’m pushing with all my might, but he won’t budge. Her face is bright red. “You could have killed him!”
“Please, Reeve!” I’m begging, trying to steer him toward the door.
Reeve stands there like a statue, his arms crossed. “What are you talking about?”
Rennie sobs to him, “I’m the only one who’s been there for you. After you got hurt, nobody gave a shit about you but me. I was the one who was at the hospital every day. That’s how much I care about you.”
“That day. The day of your family’s open house.”
Reeve jerks in surprise. “You came?”
I look around and spot Rennie in the crowd, surrounded by guys from the football team. So she didn’t tell him I came by. Big surprise. Not that it makes a difference. It’s all over and done with now.
I shrug. “Yeah, I stopped by. Rennie told me you didn’t want to see me, so I left.”
Reeve’s staring at me. “Are you serious right now? You came to my house?”
“It wasn’t a big deal,” I say, and I try to duck under his arm to get past him.
But he backs up and blocks me again. “Wait! Look, I don’t know what Rennie said to you, but I spent the whole day alone in my room, pissed at you for bailing on me. I wanted you there, Lil. Only you.”
For a second I close my eyes, and then I open them again. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
Which is when Kendall makes her way over to us and says, “Hey, Lillia. What’s up?” She puts her head on Reeve’s shoulder, which he tries to shrug off.
“Hey,” I say. I’ve got my eye on the front door. There’s a line of people coming into the party now, so I can’t get out through the front. I’ll just go out through the back. I flash a quick smile at Kendall and say, “Have fun, you two!” and squeeze past them both.
I’m halfway down the hallway when I hear Reeve coming up behind me, calling my name. He yells out, “You still like me. I know you do. So I reject our breakup on the grounds that this is a bullshit misunderstanding.”
I stop and turn around and face him. “We’re not broken up, because we were never together.”
“You like me! Admit it, Cho.”
“I do not!” God, I hope Kat and Mary aren’t here yet. If they see us like this, they’ll want to start the ruse up again. I can’t do it anymore. So I say it again, more calmly. “Reeve, I don’t like you.”
“Yes. You. Do.” Reeve takes my hand, and I try to pull it away, but this time he won’t let go. “You like me, and I like you. So can we just—can we stop with the games and be together already?” He pulls me closer and closer to him until we’re close enough to kiss. “It doesn’t have to be this hard, you know.”
“What about your girl Kendall?” I challenge.
He makes a dismissive sound. “I was talking to her to make you jealous. It worked, too.”
I’m about to deny it when suddenly he cups his hands to my face and kisses me. I try to resist for like a second, and then I kiss him back. My hand snakes around his neck to pull him closer, and his hair feels so soft against my fingertips.
Then I hear a gasp. I break away from Reeve, whose arms are cradling me against the wall.
“What the f**k?” It’s Rennie, standing at the other end of the hallway, staring at us. Stunned. She points at me, her arm shaking. “You’re so done, bitch.”
Reeve turns around and sees her and says, “Hold up, Ren.”
She backs away from us, into the kitchen. I follow her, with Reeve at my heels. “Rennie . . . ,” I start to say.
She spins around, pushes me to the side, and pounds her fists on Reeve’s chest. “You picked her over me?” Rennie lets out an angry sob and steps away from him. “She’s not who you think she is, Reeve. Sweet, innocent Lillia? What a freaking joke. She’s a slut.”
“Don’t talk about her like that,” Reeve warns.
Rennie ignores him and advances toward me. “I let you be my little shadow, I took you under my wing, and I basically made you!” Rennie’s whole body is trembling with rage. “You would be nobody if it weren’t for me.”
Reeve tries to get in between us. “Ren, stop it. Lillia didn’t steal me, so don’t put the blame on her. You know I love you, you know I do. But it was never gonna be like that with us.”
“Don’t you dare defend her to me!” Rennie screams, whirling on him. “You can’t see her for what she really is!”
I take a raggedy breath and step toward her. “Rennie, you’ve got it backward. You’re the one who’s always wanted what I have, not the other way around. Our whole lives, you’ve been jealous because I have what you want.”
Her mouth twists into a sneer. “I can’t believe this. I can’t even believe you’re turning this around on me right now.”
I wet my lips. “You know what? I think that on some level you were glad about what happened that night with those guys.”
Rennie’s eyes dart over to Reeve and then back to me. “Shut up,” she warns. “Don’t say another word.”
“I think you were glad because it brought me down to your level,” I say, my voice shaking. “I wasn’t innocent Lillia anymore. I wasn’t a princess, or a virgin. I wasn’t special. I was like you. Both of us damaged goods.”
Rennie’s hand strikes lightning fast, slapping my cheek so hard I rock back onto my heels and almost fall. Reeve yells, “What the hell, Ren!” And he pulls me away from her and stands between us.
Black tears run down her face. “She doesn’t care about you! Trust me.”
I shake my head over and over. I’m crying now too. “That’s not true.” Despite everything I’ve done, that isn’t true.
A guy in suspenders stumbles into the kitchen and says, “Whoops, I thought this was the bathroom.”
“Get out!” Rennie screams, and the guy runs off. As soon as he’s gone, Rennie starts up again, advancing on me this time. “I’m telling you, she’s not who you think she is, Reeve. She’s an evil, lying bitch.” She takes a deep, satisfied breath. “And I have proof!”
Oh my God. Oh. My. God.
I feel dizzy. Rennie knows. She knows what I did at homecoming. But how?
“Reeve, please go,” I beg, trying to push him out of the room. “Just go.” I’m pushing with all my might, but he won’t budge. Her face is bright red. “You could have killed him!”
“Please, Reeve!” I’m begging, trying to steer him toward the door.
Reeve stands there like a statue, his arms crossed. “What are you talking about?”
Rennie sobs to him, “I’m the only one who’s been there for you. After you got hurt, nobody gave a shit about you but me. I was the one who was at the hospital every day. That’s how much I care about you.”
