for, liar

Chapter 89

I'm fortunate not to find Miles and Ben in a full on brawl when we walk back inside. Ben disappeared completely and Miles is waiting in the foyer slowly sipping out of the Solo cup in his left hand.

I walk over to him, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Everything okay?" He asks.

I give him a quick nod and grab his free hand. "Let's dance again."

He sets his cup down on one of the steps and follows me back to the crowd of dancing people. The alcohol has officially taken full effect and my energy has spiked dramatically. My limit has definitely been crossed by now so I feel no need to drink anymore.

We dance for what feels like forever. I'm glad me and Maddy could be mature adults and put stupid shit behind us in order for everyone to enjoy themselves tonight. It just wouldn't be right to start another huge fight during the holidays. Christmas is only a couple of days away and no one is in the mood for bad blood.

Miles jolts and pulls me off to the side. He grabs his phone out of his back pocket and looks at the screen. "It's my mom! I'll be right back."

He steps out of the living room and heads outside. I take advantage of this free time to flush some water through my system and take a breather away from everyone. I walk past the foyer into the empty hallway.

There's a few pictures of Justin lining the walls when he was younger and a new wedding portrait of his father. I smile slightly, noticing one of him hanging off a tire swing and cheesing at the camera.

"Enjoying the party?"

I practically jumped out of my skin. Why am I so easily startled these days? J

ustin walks over to me to look at the picture that caught my attention.

"Yeah, it's awesome." I say, almost forgetting to respond.

"I was six in that picture. Tire swings were my jam."

I chuckle and nod. "That's cute."

"If you think that one is cute, look at this one." He turns and points to another frame hanging on the opposite wall.

It's a picture of two kids standing in the sand at the beach with the waves washing over their feet. The faces aren't very clear but I recognize her almost instantly.

"Is that Selena?" I gasp.

"Yeah! We were actually best friends when we were kids. Fifth grade me was smitten."

I didn't even know she knew Justin that well. She never really talked about him and scoffed every time he walked by her at school. She made a few remarks that he was full of himself and she didn't understand why people loved him so much.

"That's adorable."

On the inside I'm screaming. What was his reasoning for pointing this out to me? We barely even talk but he figured it would be a great idea to show me a picture of her when they were kids?

I found ways of coping. I found ways to make it through one of the darkest times in my life and somehow with the mixture of the holidays and the alcohol running its course through my veins, everything feels dark again.

"It's so sad. I think about her all the time. It just doesn't make any sense."

I hate that he's doing this. I hate that I'm standing here taking it all in. Everything in me is telling me to walk away and ignore the shitty past he brings up with no remorse.

"It happens." I mutter.

"Hit and runs don't just happen. It's recklessness and pure selfishness. The least the dude could do was try to save her but he didn't. He just left like he didn't just take away someone's fucking life."

My chest is heavy. I glance over at him and see the distress in his eyes. A look that can only be given if he's remembering something that he actually had seen.

"You were there?" I whisper like I'm afraid someone would hear.

"Well, yeah I- I was with her that night. She didn't tell anyone about it. That figures."

Why the fuck is he telling me this after four years? I never saw him at the funeral. I never saw him with her. All she did was talk major shit about him. Was that all a front to hide some relationship she didn't want her best friends to know about? I don't get why she would think that we would care about her seeing Justin Adams. If anything, Maddy would be impressed.

"You saw it happen? You were a witness?"

His face pales and I think he realizes he went too far. He probably wants to spare me the horrible details but I want them. I've been wanting details about that night for years and I've finally been given the chance to hear them.

"Yeah. We got into a fight. A really bad one. She stormed out the bar and I took way too long in contemplating whether or not I should go after her. She was so wasted, Bree. By the time I made it to the street corner she was in the middle of the road and I see this fucking navy blue Pontiac with the bumper hanging off flooring it through the intersection."

I always thought it was a truck driver. Hearing this come from someone who was there makes my skin crawl. Everyone made it seem like Selena's death was unwitnessed.

"You didn't get a license plate?" I ask him, surprised I'm still able to speak.

He shakes his head and stares at the floor. "No. I called the ambulance. The cops questioned me, obviously. My buddy was a witness for me as well as the one old lady at the intersection who saw it happen too. Her vision was too awful to see the license plate either."

I lean against the wall wishing I hadn't drank enough water to sober me up. I wish I could numb what I'm feeling right now.

"You're the only person I've ever told about this. I figured you deserved to know because I know you guys were really close. It's hard to talk about it, y'know?" He continues.

I look at him again and I swear he's about to cry. His eyes are puffy but he's holding back like a champ.

"I'm glad you did. Thanks Justin and I'm...I'm sorry you saw that." I stutter, slowly pulling him into my arms.

He hugs me briefly before straightening his back and clearing his throat. "I should probably get back to my party." He says. "We were just about to play beer pong."

I nod and flash him a gentle smile. "Keep in touch."

He promises that he will and makes his way back through the foyer. I sink down to the floor and bury my head in my knees. It's hard to focus on whatever the fuck my jumbled brain is trying to piece together while the Grinch is playing in the background with over sixty people singing along.

For a second I had hope that maybe the guy could be caught. Maybe if more people knew about what happened that they could keep an eye out.

But it was four years ago and everyone has already forgotten about it or has at least tried to. I know I've tried to, it's just not fair to Selena or anyone who actually knew how incredible she was.

Revised;