answer it.
“Come on in,” she said with a wary nod.
“What the hell are you trying to pull?” Gigi snarled without
preamble, stepping in and closing the door behind her with a snap.
Christa stared down at the shorter woman and struggled to
find some composure. “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about right
now.”
“Really? Tai came home in the middle of the night looking
like he’d just left a funeral. You’re telling me you didn’t have a hand in
that?” Her ivory cheeks were sporting two spots of angry color, but her eyes
just looked sad.
Christa ran a hair through her hair, suddenly more tired
than she’d ever been in her life. “It’s complicated.”
“No, it’s actually really simple. You need to stop. He told
you to stay away and you pushed and you pushed. You got what you wanted. He
came here last night. Congratulations. You fucked him up real good. Again. Now
do us all a favor and go back to where you came from.”
Gigi turned and had her hand on the door before Christa
could speak past the lump in her throat.
“I love him. I’ve always loved him.”
Gigi let out a snort. “Yeah, well, from what I hear, you’re
shitty at it.”
That did it. The dam broke and the tears she’d thought she
cried out came back with a vengeance.
“Come on, stop that.” Gigi’s voice was still hard, but she’d
stopped yelling and the hand on the doorknob hesitated.
“I’m sorry. I know he’s your f-friend. I never meant to hurt
him. Not now and not then. It’s not what you think.”
Gigi stepped back in the room and folded her arms over her
chest. “Okay, explain it to me then, because I just don’t get it. I mean, sure,
you’re pretty. But what was so great about you that an amazing guy like Tai
would get into a fight with a guy you were two-timing him with? If you couldn’t
make up your mind between them, he should’ve just dumped your ass. You don’t
seem like that much of a prize to me.”
Laughter broke through the tears, bubbling unbidden from her
lips. “Is that what he told you? They had a fight over me?”
Gigi raised a dubious brow. “You’re telling me they didn’t?”
“Oh no, they did. After Pierce tried to rape me, they
definitely got into a fight. I just wouldn’t have worded it exactly the way Tai
did.”
Gigi’s face grew pale and she leaned hard against the door.
“Rape?” she whispered.
God, she hated that word. That she’d almost been a
statistic. “Apparently Tai didn’t tell you the whole story.”
“No. No he didn’t. I’d really like to hear it now, but if
it’s too hard to talk about, I understand.” Sympathy had softened her
expression—she’d lost most of her bluster.
“I haven’t told this story out loud since…well, ever.” She
marveled at that even as she said it. Her parents couldn’t wait to sweep it all
under the rug, as if it had never happened. After a while, it hadn’t seemed
like all that bad of a plan. Now she wondered.
She poked around and realized it was long past time. “I want
to tell you. And there was no rape. Tai didn’t let that happen.”
“Oh this sounds like a doozy. Maybe we should sit.” Gigi
motioned toward the kitchenette and Christa led the way. She set a kettle on
the stove and they sat, facing one another. Gigi’s eyes had lost most of their
fire. Confusion clouded her pretty features as she waited patiently.
Christa took a steadying breath and blew it out in a rush.
“Where to start? Well, Tai and I met in our sophomore year of high school. He
transferred in from Longley, a public school a couple towns over. His mom
worked three jobs for almost five years to save the money to send him to
Westerbrook High. God, he hated it,” she said with a short laugh. “Thought the
guys were douchebags and girls were snobby.
“Thing was, the more aloof and angsty he got, the more those
snobby girls wanted him. I was no different. He was so beautiful, and so sweet
and strong. The first time we
“Come on in,” she said with a wary nod.
“What the hell are you trying to pull?” Gigi snarled without
preamble, stepping in and closing the door behind her with a snap.
Christa stared down at the shorter woman and struggled to
find some composure. “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about right
now.”
“Really? Tai came home in the middle of the night looking
like he’d just left a funeral. You’re telling me you didn’t have a hand in
that?” Her ivory cheeks were sporting two spots of angry color, but her eyes
just looked sad.
Christa ran a hair through her hair, suddenly more tired
than she’d ever been in her life. “It’s complicated.”
“No, it’s actually really simple. You need to stop. He told
you to stay away and you pushed and you pushed. You got what you wanted. He
came here last night. Congratulations. You fucked him up real good. Again. Now
do us all a favor and go back to where you came from.”
Gigi turned and had her hand on the door before Christa
could speak past the lump in her throat.
“I love him. I’ve always loved him.”
Gigi let out a snort. “Yeah, well, from what I hear, you’re
shitty at it.”
That did it. The dam broke and the tears she’d thought she
cried out came back with a vengeance.
“Come on, stop that.” Gigi’s voice was still hard, but she’d
stopped yelling and the hand on the doorknob hesitated.
“I’m sorry. I know he’s your f-friend. I never meant to hurt
him. Not now and not then. It’s not what you think.”
Gigi stepped back in the room and folded her arms over her
chest. “Okay, explain it to me then, because I just don’t get it. I mean, sure,
you’re pretty. But what was so great about you that an amazing guy like Tai
would get into a fight with a guy you were two-timing him with? If you couldn’t
make up your mind between them, he should’ve just dumped your ass. You don’t
seem like that much of a prize to me.”
Laughter broke through the tears, bubbling unbidden from her
lips. “Is that what he told you? They had a fight over me?”
Gigi raised a dubious brow. “You’re telling me they didn’t?”
“Oh no, they did. After Pierce tried to rape me, they
definitely got into a fight. I just wouldn’t have worded it exactly the way Tai
did.”
Gigi’s face grew pale and she leaned hard against the door.
“Rape?” she whispered.
God, she hated that word. That she’d almost been a
statistic. “Apparently Tai didn’t tell you the whole story.”
“No. No he didn’t. I’d really like to hear it now, but if
it’s too hard to talk about, I understand.” Sympathy had softened her
expression—she’d lost most of her bluster.
“I haven’t told this story out loud since…well, ever.” She
marveled at that even as she said it. Her parents couldn’t wait to sweep it all
under the rug, as if it had never happened. After a while, it hadn’t seemed
like all that bad of a plan. Now she wondered.
She poked around and realized it was long past time. “I want
to tell you. And there was no rape. Tai didn’t let that happen.”
“Oh this sounds like a doozy. Maybe we should sit.” Gigi
motioned toward the kitchenette and Christa led the way. She set a kettle on
the stove and they sat, facing one another. Gigi’s eyes had lost most of their
fire. Confusion clouded her pretty features as she waited patiently.
Christa took a steadying breath and blew it out in a rush.
“Where to start? Well, Tai and I met in our sophomore year of high school. He
transferred in from Longley, a public school a couple towns over. His mom
worked three jobs for almost five years to save the money to send him to
Westerbrook High. God, he hated it,” she said with a short laugh. “Thought the
guys were douchebags and girls were snobby.
“Thing was, the more aloof and angsty he got, the more those
snobby girls wanted him. I was no different. He was so beautiful, and so sweet
and strong. The first time we
Similar Books
