for, liar

Chapter 102

Tucker Anderson grew up in Chapin, South Carolina and moved to my hometown when he was eleven years old. Like most of the kids who went to my middle school, his family didn't have a lot of money. He would wear the same pair of Levi jeans every day. Kids would notice and start picking on him for it, easily acquiring him the nickname, Levi, in his first month in town. Levi's divorced mother, Francesca, got married to Nicholas Shavey, who had recently started his position teaching as a history professor at UNC.

I had never seen Levi in any classes of mine throughout my entire four years in college. He was in my middle school yearbook. He lived fifteen minutes from my house and became best friends with my boyfriend who allegedly stirred up trouble before his mother moved to Myrtle Beach and left him to live with his father for a short time in Charlotte. Once William Hart got married, he moved to Brooklyn with his wife and left Miles his condo that he would return to every six months to check up on since he would still be paying for it.

Miles never told me any of this. To be fair, I never asked about these intricate details that seemed unnecessary for me to know. I just find it strange that he never brought up the fact that he lived in my town while I was here, made a name for himself with my neighbors who thought he was some poor fuckup, and seemingly left town around the time Selena was killed. These events can't be related. It's too obscure and unrealistic. I wouldn't even know who or what I would even ask to try to put together this fucking Clue game I somehow had gotten myself into.

I could confront Miles about it. I could lay everything out onto the table and start questioning everything he's done and why he would hide all of his childhood details. It would completely derail any sort of trust we had been able to build these past few months since the fair incident. I wouldn't be doing anyone a favor.

I could call Levi. Tell him who I am and ask him a few questions about Miles. That wouldn't do me any good though because Levi seemed perfectly fine with Miles blatantly ignoring the fact that he knew the guy. Unless he doesn't know Miles at all and this is all some fake bullshit that middle aged women conspired to create drama and appease their loneliness.

I think the better option here is scratching all of that and doing what I do best by consulting my best friend to get her opinion on the situation before I do anything stupid to endanger myself. Not that I think Miles could be dangerous at all since he couldn't beat up my ex boyfriend which I totally prefer by the way. Bad boys might be popular in the movies but no one actually prefers them in real life if they want a long lasting relationship.

"You've been really quiet this whole ride. Is everything okay?" Miles asks.

I completely zoned out the entire drive back to my apartment. Once I had started the playlist, I sat quietly going over my entire conversation with mom last night, sticking in the tiny details she gave me to relate to everything I know so far about Miles. It's still not enough to confront him about it. I just know it will make things worse, unaware of what it'll cost.

"I'm fine! I'm just really tired." I open up the car door and get out to gather my bag from the backseat.

Miles gets out too, walking me up to the door of the apartment. Maddy's car is parked right in front. Now would be the best time to talk to her.

"I'll see you tomorrow, right?" I ask him.

"Do you not want me to come in?"

My hand is still on the doorknob. "I really need to talk to Maddy about something." I blurt.

Hopefully he doesn't question my vagueness and leaves me to it. He nods and takes a step down towards the sidewalk. "Tomorrow it is, then. I love you."

I can sense the disappointment in his voice.

"Love you!" I yell back and rush inside the door.

I quickly push it shut and lock it. I can't believe how crazy I'm acting right now. Miles wouldn't break into my fucking apartment.

I set my bag down next to the couch and groan. The living room television is off but Maddy's cell phone is on the coffee table. I pick it up and walk down the hall to her bedroom. The door is only open partly and I don't really hear anything so I push it open to see if she's here. She's got the curtains closed and the light turned off. She's probably in the shower or something.

I reach over to the light switch and flip it on, causing mad panic to the two people I didn't even realize were wrapped up in the sheets on her bed. Maddy screams and my first instinct is to scream back even though I'm the intruder.

She yanks the covers over her bare chest and pushes at the guy next to her to scoot away from her as if it wasn't completely obvious what they were doing.

"Bree! What the fuck!" She yells.

"You didn't have a sock on the door! Oh my God, I'm sorry!"

I go to leave when I catch the face of Maddy's current flame. To no surprise at all I came face to face with my ex boyfriend doing ungodly things with my best friend. It's so much easier to ignore this being my reality when it isn't sitting in front of me in full mockery. I can tell myself I'm fine with this repeatedly but there's just something about it being all too real when I catch them having sex right across the hall from where I sleep.

Ben avoids all eye contact with me. I wouldn't expect him to address me at all. I'm still the bad guy here by intruding so I look at Maddy with all seriousness in my voice. "Whenever you get a chance, I really need to talk to you. It's important."

She raises her eyebrows and gives me a nod. I walk out, making sure to close the door behind me. I take a seat on the couch and bury my face in my hands.

Is it too much to ask for a crisis to strike separately and not all at once?

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