Good Guy

Part Twenty-six

A million questions ran through Cleo's mind as she looked up at Scotch. Now that he was willing to tell her the truth, she wanted to ask about anything and everything she could think of, but she could only do it one at a time. She settled on the most obvious question first. "How did you know I'd be here?"

Scotch held his breath for a minute, then sighed as he sank onto the staircase. He sat down on one of the steps, not caring that he was blocking off a good part of it. It wasn't like anybody would be going up now that it was past closing time, so he made himself comfortable. "I asked."

"You asked?" Cleo sat down next to him, peering closely at his face. Did he know what she'd been doing in school all along? He wasn't keeping tabs on her, was he?

"I don't leave school if you haven't yet. So when I didn't see you pass the gate today, I asked your class where you were," he explained. "I'm not following you or anything. I just... don't want anything happening to you. Safety and all that, right? We're neighbors, after all."

She saw his cheeks getting a little red, but she wasn't stupid or insensitive enough to call him out. Besides, wasn't that what she'd been doing too? She was willing to bet that Art and Shayla were already tired of politely fending her off because of how often she pestered them. "Right."

Cleo didn't take her eyes off of him, even though he'd slipped into silence. He wasn't speaking, but the warping expressions on his face clued her in on what he was thinking of. If they were what she had to go by, it was clear as day that Scotch was having just as difficult a time at talking to her. Still, she waited until he could get things straight in his head. Classes were over, and there was no rush to get anywhere this afternoon.

"You were really gonna do it, huh?" he asked at last, hardly looking her in the eye.

It was Cleo's cheeks that turned red this time, and not just because she was embarrassed by everything she'd done and he'd overheard. If she had to be perfectly honest, she was a little angry that he was judging her for them.

"I'm sorry. I know you didn't wanna tell me anything, but Jackson did offer me the chance to make up for my grades." Cleo twisted her body so that she faced him more, so that he could clearly see where she was coming from. "Plus, there's no point in keeping secrets from me when you don't want me hanging around anyway."

"So I might as well tell you, huh? Is that it?" He turned his head, his cold, reluctant gaze meeting her dead on.

"No. That's not it," she said. It wasn't just because he had no choice anymore. It was because Scotch hadn't given her the chance to prove herself when she clearly wanted and needed to. "You think I'm gonna run away or leave you once I know all your dirty little secrets."

Scotch's gaze remained impassive, almost as if he was taking everything in stride. However, the rest of his body was strained stiff, the complete opposite of whatever brave front he'd managed to show through his eyes. "That's what Jackson did," Scotch said, voice getting harder and harder as his words finally poured out. "He discovered something he didn't understand. Asked me about it, and I told him. Next thing I knew, he wouldn't come within ten feet of wherever I was. And when I pissed him off and punched him in the face one time, all hell broke loose. He told everyone, Cleo. Everyone."

No wonder he had a problem with talking about the stuff that hurt him. That stupid Jackson had gone and done the worst kind of thing a supposed friend could do. It pained her to see him so defeated, so unsure.

So betrayed.

And Cleo didn't want to see him looking that way. Before he could react, she scooted closer. Then she did something she wouldn't have normally done with somebody else, but had wanted to since getting to know Scotch better. Her head was on his lap in the blink of an eye, utterly defenseless if he decided to do anything to her. "I'm not Jackson," she said, trusting him with everything she had. "I'm Cleo Hilard, and I'm your friend, Scotch. I'd never do anything like that. You know it. You know me."