Dylan. I know you two got off on the wrong foot the
other day. I’m hoping you can both get past that and maybe even be
friends.”
“No,” I say before I can stop myself. Maybe
I’m not as in control as I thought I was.
“Excuse me?” Ellie asks.
“I think Nev needs an apology from Dylan,”
Reina says, realizing that this is going south, fast.
“She didn’t even give him a chance to
apologize,” Ellie argues.
“What do you have to apologize to me for,
Dylan?”
“He doesn’t have to apologize for
anything, actually,” Ellie tells me, still trying to defend her
brother. “It’s not like he’s your boyfriend or
something.”
“Isn’t it?” I ask, and then it all comes
tumbling out. “Didn’t you ask me to be your girlfriend Dylan? You
know, before you went down on me on your basketball court, or ate
sushi off my naked body in your kitchen? Oh yeah, and before you
told me you loved me several times a day? Are you going to
apologize to me for any of that, or just for the fact that you told
me you’d always have my back and defend me if you ever witnessed
someone treating me badly because of my religion?”
“Motherfucking bastard,” Matt says, and I
see him rise from his chair as Reina tries to pull him back down.
I’m sure Ellie’s shocked, and I can tell that everyone’s focus is
on us, but I don’t care. I guess I did come here for a fight.
“I won’t apologize for loving you,” Dylan
says, ignoring everyone but me.
“You didn’t love me.”
“I do.”
I shake my head. “If you loved me, you
would’ve said something to Eric.”
“You can take care of yourself, Nev. You’re
the strongest woman I know, outside of my mom and my sister.”
“It doesn’t matter if I can take care of
myself. You promised to stand up for me.”
“I’m sorry that I didn’t. Nothing else,
though. I won’t apologize for anything else, even though some of
the people here look like they want to kill me, and my sister looks
like she wants to throw up. Thanks for that, by the way. No one
needed to know the details.”
“Seriously? You’re going to apologize and
then chastise me in the same breath? Well, fuck you Dylan
Gallagher, fuck you. Oh wait, I already did that and gave you a
notch on your basketball goal, didn’t I? Is there a t-shirt,
too?”
“Jesus, Nev. I’m trying here, okay?”
“No. It’s not okay. Not even close.”
I need to get away. I just need to be alone
so I can calm down and walk out of here. The pool house is behind
Dylan, and I decide it’s my best bet. I dodge past him before he
can react and push my way into the abandoned house.
Only it’s not abandoned, and as I hear Dylan
shouting behind me, I see a piece of my past staring back at me. My
father. No…no…NO! He’s dead. Matt killed him… we buried him. He
reaches out for me, and all I can do is scream. Scream and run.
* * *
Dylan
I try to stop Nev from running into the pool
house, but Aiden grabs me. “I have to get to her. Let me go!”
“Leave her alone, man. You seem to have done
more than enough to her already,” he practically growls in my
ear.
“You don’t understand,” I tell him as a
scream rings out.
Nev stumbles backwards out of the pool house
and turns her horrified gaze back to our group. “Matt. Oh my God,
Matt.”
“What is it?” he asks.
“It’s me,” Sadiq answers, walking out of the
house.
“You…you look like…,” Matt says, going to
Nev and putting his arms around her.
“That’s because I am, Matthew.”
“That’s impossible. I saw…”
“You saw what your government and I needed
you to see.”
“No. This is a trick. Some kind of crazy
trick. I-I gave up my life for over a decade because I killed
Neveah’s father. You’re an impostor. You have to be.”
Reina is standing next to Matt now, rubbing
his arm and looking like she wants to kill Sadiq and make it real
this time. Nev has been silent, but she finally speaks up. “How are
you
other day. I’m hoping you can both get past that and maybe even be
friends.”
“No,” I say before I can stop myself. Maybe
I’m not as in control as I thought I was.
“Excuse me?” Ellie asks.
“I think Nev needs an apology from Dylan,”
Reina says, realizing that this is going south, fast.
“She didn’t even give him a chance to
apologize,” Ellie argues.
“What do you have to apologize to me for,
Dylan?”
“He doesn’t have to apologize for
anything, actually,” Ellie tells me, still trying to defend her
brother. “It’s not like he’s your boyfriend or
something.”
“Isn’t it?” I ask, and then it all comes
tumbling out. “Didn’t you ask me to be your girlfriend Dylan? You
know, before you went down on me on your basketball court, or ate
sushi off my naked body in your kitchen? Oh yeah, and before you
told me you loved me several times a day? Are you going to
apologize to me for any of that, or just for the fact that you told
me you’d always have my back and defend me if you ever witnessed
someone treating me badly because of my religion?”
“Motherfucking bastard,” Matt says, and I
see him rise from his chair as Reina tries to pull him back down.
I’m sure Ellie’s shocked, and I can tell that everyone’s focus is
on us, but I don’t care. I guess I did come here for a fight.
“I won’t apologize for loving you,” Dylan
says, ignoring everyone but me.
“You didn’t love me.”
“I do.”
I shake my head. “If you loved me, you
would’ve said something to Eric.”
“You can take care of yourself, Nev. You’re
the strongest woman I know, outside of my mom and my sister.”
“It doesn’t matter if I can take care of
myself. You promised to stand up for me.”
“I’m sorry that I didn’t. Nothing else,
though. I won’t apologize for anything else, even though some of
the people here look like they want to kill me, and my sister looks
like she wants to throw up. Thanks for that, by the way. No one
needed to know the details.”
“Seriously? You’re going to apologize and
then chastise me in the same breath? Well, fuck you Dylan
Gallagher, fuck you. Oh wait, I already did that and gave you a
notch on your basketball goal, didn’t I? Is there a t-shirt,
too?”
“Jesus, Nev. I’m trying here, okay?”
“No. It’s not okay. Not even close.”
I need to get away. I just need to be alone
so I can calm down and walk out of here. The pool house is behind
Dylan, and I decide it’s my best bet. I dodge past him before he
can react and push my way into the abandoned house.
Only it’s not abandoned, and as I hear Dylan
shouting behind me, I see a piece of my past staring back at me. My
father. No…no…NO! He’s dead. Matt killed him… we buried him. He
reaches out for me, and all I can do is scream. Scream and run.
* * *
Dylan
I try to stop Nev from running into the pool
house, but Aiden grabs me. “I have to get to her. Let me go!”
“Leave her alone, man. You seem to have done
more than enough to her already,” he practically growls in my
ear.
“You don’t understand,” I tell him as a
scream rings out.
Nev stumbles backwards out of the pool house
and turns her horrified gaze back to our group. “Matt. Oh my God,
Matt.”
“What is it?” he asks.
“It’s me,” Sadiq answers, walking out of the
house.
“You…you look like…,” Matt says, going to
Nev and putting his arms around her.
“That’s because I am, Matthew.”
“That’s impossible. I saw…”
“You saw what your government and I needed
you to see.”
“No. This is a trick. Some kind of crazy
trick. I-I gave up my life for over a decade because I killed
Neveah’s father. You’re an impostor. You have to be.”
Reina is standing next to Matt now, rubbing
his arm and looking like she wants to kill Sadiq and make it real
this time. Nev has been silent, but she finally speaks up. “How are
you
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