fake | tratie | EDITING |

| twenty six |

"She blackmailed you?"

My first thought was that all of the things Ashley said was true. Every piece of the puzzle she laid out had been created by Travis, and she held it over his head for something. 

But why would he have stood up for me, then?

"She said that if I talked to you, she'd tell you the whole dating thing was a prank," he grumbled. "She'd tell you that me wanting to date you was my prank from the archery contest if I so much as spoke to you." 

He cursed in a whisper. "I shouldn't have gone along with it, but I wanted to lay low until I figured out what to do."

I didn't know what to say. I couldn't believe he'd stand being blackmailed into such a stupid trick. Unless... 

"Is it true?"

"What?"

"Was it all a prank?"

His silent shock should have given me hope, but all I felt was dread. If he'd been lying this whole time, I would've been crushed. After everything we'd been through, he played me. He set up a maniacal plot to ruin my self worth, knowing full well how I felt about myself. I'd opened up to him, shared with him things that some of my family didn't even know about me.

I'd stopped hating him.

And his feelings were fake.

"Kates, of course not. I meant what I said in the strawberry fields." He slunk towards me, but still let me have some space. Like I was a delicate thing close to breaking - and I may have been. "I care so much about you, and I'd never hurt you - Hades, I hate this right now and it's not even my fault. It's Ashley's."

I wanted to reach out to him, but my mind wouldn't let me. I fought with myself between the idea that he was still pranking me, or he was telling the truth for the first time in the history of Hermes' children. 

I had to hope for the latter.

"If I'd have known she was gonna tell you anyway, I would never have done as she said," Travis continued, further searing assurance into my heart. "I'll make her pay - I've got about a million torturous revenge schemes lined up for that snake."

I bit my lip. If I had to choose between believing Ashley or Travis, I shouldn't have had any hesitations. Ashley had no intention to make me feel okay with being with Travis, so I couldn't logically have faith in her. Travis was the one who'd been there for me, who made leaps and bounds to prove to me that he cared about me. 

Surely he wasn't lying.

"Didn't you think that she'd tell me regardless of what you did?"

"No, I didn't see it coming!" he exclaimed, gripping his hair. "I hoped that things would calm down without having to take drastic measures. But she started this war, and you know better than anybody that she won't be able to escape me when I retaliate." 

I almost smiled, but a thought stopped me. "And not talking to me isn't a drastic measure?"

I couldn't help myself from challenging him. Though I knew he'd proved himself over and over, my head still told me I couldn't trust him. Because I'd never been able to trust anyone. Especially not boys. 

Especially not him.

"Trav, I'm supposed to hate you."

He moved to stand directly in front of me, eyes pleading. "You've gotta believe me, Kates. Ashley put all this together to tear us apart. We're no good as enemies, but together... together we're stronger."

I gnawed the inside of my cheek. "It's just... so much has happened since I got with you. Don't you agree that life was easier back when we hated each other?"

Travis cracked a grin. "Yeah, but it's way more fun loving you."

Love.

There was that word again. It seemed to like resurfacing in these situations. That word made my head spin last time I heard it. Like I couldn't comprehend its meaning, like I'd been deprived of it my whole life. I'd sent Travis into a loophole of confusion and made all my friends hate him, all because he said that word. I couldn't trust that word.

But I could trust him.

"Wait - I shouldn't have said that," he panicked, backtracking on himself. 

I'd had a lot of trouble with that word.

"I'm sorry, Kates. I can't help it - I've never felt this sure of myself. I know what I'm feeling, and I want you to know it."

I was so scared.

"Say something, Katie."

But, though love was precarious, he was worth the risk.

It was all worth the risk.

I shook my head. "No reason to apologize. I don't think I'm ready to say it yet. But you can say it."

He blinked.

"I mean... I will be ready! I hope," I continued, stuttering through his silence. "I hope someday I'll be able to tell you how much you really mean to me. But I always scare myself when I admit how much I care about someone, and I just can't verbally say it. 

"I'm not even sure I can think it without freaking. To be honest, my brain can't rest on my feelings and be chill. It's hard, having anxiety. I can't make any choices without second guessing myself. I'm sorry I'm like that. But I do know that what I feel isn't bad, and I'll come to terms with my emotions towards you. Then I'll tell you over and over until I'm hoarse. Not yet. But someday."

The fact that I'd rambled dawned on me, and I shut up and examined Travis' reaction. Mouth hung open, he was incapable to form any response. He stepped closer to me with reluctance. Still no words. My mind tumbled around, depicting conclusions in my brain like I was the mental Picasso. 

But, like an artist himself, he drew me into the most loving hug I'd ever experienced. He let out a quiet sob, and I felt his chest heave. That broke the dam of emotions I'd held back for so long, and I hugged back with all my might. He pressed his face into my neck with an unsteady breath, and I tugged him nearer. Though I felt a tear slide from his cheek to my skin, I smiled and held the back of his head. 

He whispered breathlessly, "Someday's all I need, Kates."

And that reassurance was all I needed.

. . .

Jokes on y'all, I wrote this chapter in one sitting after publishing that last chapter and couldn't get it out of my head, so I'm not sticking to a schedule for this book. I'm gonna write it as quickly as possible because theRE ARE ONLY TWO MORE PARTS TO THIS STORY! 

So... yeah. I'm a wee bit emotional. I started writing the epilogue and am literally sobbing over it, so hopefully it'll hit y'all the same lol.

One more chapter. One epilogue. 

Then, it's over. :((((

Bittersweet, but I'm excited to wrap it up so I can start the editing process. I'd like to fix parts in the beginning that I wrote before I actually plotted out the story (dumb idea lol), and correct some typos and stuff. So, I'll do that.

Love y'all,

- mckenna