Opposite Force

Chapter Twenty

Mikaela Martin | Present

"I swear on my life," Peyton says.

"Really?" I whimper.

Gigi nods fervently. "Really. I would never do that. I know you don't know me, so this probably doesn't mean anything to you, but I would never, ever get with a guy who has a girlfriend. And Peyton would never cheat." She bites her lip before letting out a sigh. "I'm going to go, but Mikaela, please believe me. And him."

"Okay," I whisper.

"Okay? You believe me?" Peyton asks excitedly.

I nod, trying to hold back more tears. I don't even know why they're still coming. I do believe Peyton. And Gigi, as weird as that is.

Maybe I'm crying because I'm an idiot.

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

"Don't be sorry. I'm so dumb. I didn't even think about how it would look if we talked away from everyone else."

I shake my head. "No, I should have asked you."

"I wish you did, but I'm not mad or anything. I probably would have been upset if someone told me you and Liam went off to talk somewhere alone." His lips move back and forth like he's swishing something around in his mouth. "Mind if we go somewhere? I told Coach I'm sick and can't go to practice, so I probably shouldn't let anyone see me."

A half-giggle, half-whimper leaves my mouth. "You didn't have to do that," I mumble.

"I slept, like, five hours total this weekend. I'll die if I go to practice."

That's my fault. "I'm sorry," I sniffle.

"No! No, don't. Don't feel bad. It's my own fault. Okay. I think the coast is clear. Want to come over?"

I nod, afraid I'll break down again if I speak.

Peyton's lips curve into a half-smile, but his eyes are bright, happy again. "Awesome. Can we take my car, and I'll bring you back to yours later? I guess we could drive separate, but I need to see you, you know?"

I blush through the remnants of my tears. "Yeah, sure. Yeah, that's fine."

"Okay, awesome. Did you open the text I sent you in history by the way?"

A wave of guilt smacks me in the face. "No. Sorry. I was upset, and—"

"Nah, all good. You can't open it until you get home, though."

I'm dying of curiosity, but I owe him. "Okay. Deal."

After Peyton checks the parking lot to ensure no potential football snitches are around, we power-walk to his car and dive inside. "Safe," Peyton sighs. "You have no idea how relieved I am." He shakes his head like he's banishing negative thoughts. Maybe he is. "I thought you were about to dump me."

"I thought you were about to dump me," I tell him.

"Uh, no way. You're a catch, Mikaela Martin."

My heart swells, and my tears stop as we drive to Peyton's house. He fills me in on everything else that happened at the woods. It sounds like a mess. Rachel showed up, and Gigi, furious about the dodgeball incident, demanded that she leave, but Rachel refused, causing them to get into a screaming fight. Robbie drank so much he puked and drunk-dialed Sarah a bunch of times. Jake and Peyton had to confiscate his phone because she was trying to go to sleep.

"Yeah, so I'm not going back there for a while," he concludes. It's perfect timing. We wrap up the moment we pull into his driveway.

"Not because of me, right?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.