He Thought I'd Never Leave

My childhood friend Reid Holloway had been lying to me for a solid month.

I'd shielded him from countless "insults." Confronted people spreading rumors about his family scandal. Even agreed to leave the school I'd spent three years at just to transfer with him.

Turns out he never planned to go with me at all.

Six weeks ago, Ivy Brennan transferred to our school. A week later, Reid started complaining to me. Said people were talking behind his back. Said his dad's past was being dredged up again. Said he could feel everyone staring in the hallways.

His dad, Douglas Holloway, was genuinely a piece of work. Remarried some capable woman, used her connections to save his failing company, then cheated on her and got caught cooking the books. She divorced him without a word. The scandal made waves up and down the East Coast.

Reid had lived in that shadow his whole life. I knew that better than anyone.

He was a bastard. Born during his dad's first marriage—outside of it. In our circles, there's nothing more shameful than that.

So when someone cornered him in the locker room, threw his clothes in the toilet while calling him a "bastard spawn who doesn't belong in a school like this," I burst in and shoved the ringleader aside.

The guy looked at me and laughed. "Well, well. The Aldridge princess. Do you even know what you're protecting? His mom was a homewrecking slut. The kid's no better."

Reid stood behind me, silent, shoulders trembling.

I grabbed a baseball bat from nearby.

It got ugly. I was called to the principal's office. The other kid's parents threatened to sue. My mom had to step in to smooth things over. After that, my reputation at school was shot—"The Aldridge heiress went blind, playing human shield for a bastard."

I didn't care. I thought Reid was different from his dad. Those people didn't understand him.

I'd known him since I was five. Thirteen years. Grew up on the same street, went to the same schools. My mom didn't like his family, but I always thought Reid was different. He just had bad luck. Wrong birth circumstances.

I liked him. Had for a long time.

Last week he told me again about the pressure, the stares. Said he wanted to transfer. Said he couldn't take it anymore.

"Then I'll go with you," I said without hesitation.

The look on his face—I thought it was gratitude.

Today I came to school to pick something up. Walked past the activity room and heard voices inside. Wouldn't have paid attention, except I heard my name.

"...so Sloane actually believed you?" Someone laughed. "You just said people were targeting you and she agreed to move schools with you?"

Reid's voice: "What else is she gonna do? I could tell her that a hundred times and she'd believe it every time."

My feet froze.

"What about you? Did you submit the paperwork?"

"Submit what?" He laughed. "I'm not actually going."

"Damn, you're cold." Someone whistled. "But Sloane Aldridge isn't stupid. She'll figure out you never enrolled eventually."

"So what if she does?" Reid's tone was casual, like discussing something boring. "She's been following me around for over a decade. You think she'll cut me off over this?"

"Bold bet. What if she runs off with someone else?"

He paused. "There are plenty of guys at this school. Has she looked at any of them twice? That Whitfield kid chased her for an entire semester. She didn't even acknowledge him."

Someone jeered: "So she's stuck on you for life?"

"Pretty much." Reid laughed. "She can't wait to give it up to me. Even after she gets married, she'll probably still be fantasizing about me when she's screwing her husband."

The room erupted in whistles and catcalls.

My nails dug into my palms hard enough to draw blood. I didn't let go.

"Then why get rid of her? Wouldn't it be nice to keep an Aldridge girl around? Look good having her follow you."

Reid didn't answer right away.

"Ivy can't handle it."

"Can't handle what?"

"Can't handle Sloane being around." He sighed, voice softening. "Every time I talk to Sloane for more than two sentences, Ivy throws a fit. Cries, stops eating, says she knew she could never measure up to the princess. I can't stand seeing her like that."

"So you're putting on this whole show... just to make Ivy happy?"

"She's different from Sloane." Reid's voice carried a tenderness I'd never heard before. "She doesn't have all those resources, doesn't have that kind of backing. I need to protect her."

"What about Sloane? You know how much she's taken for you?"

"Sloane?" He sounded amused. "Sloane's an Aldridge. She's got people kissing her ass everywhere she goes. Why would she need me to protect her? Besides, all that stuff—she chose to step up. No one forced her."

Someone laughed and changed the subject: "Alright, alright—but what if Sloane walked through that door right now? What would you do?"

"Her?" Reid scoffed. "If she heard all this, she'd cry for a bit, then come crawling back in a couple days. Where else is she gonna go without me?"

My hand was already on the door handle.

I wanted to kick it open. Slap him across the face. Settle thirteen years of accounts in front of everyone.

But my mom's words stopped me.

She had a friend once who'd helped someone beneath her station with everything she had. My mom told her to cut her losses. She didn't listen. Lost everything in the end.

Mom repeated that story to me over and over: Some people think taking from you is their birthright. The more you give, the less they respect you. Fighting with people like that just wastes your own time.

I used to think that was harsh.

Now I understood.

I let go of the handle. Turned and walked down the hall in the other direction.

My phone lit up. Message from Reid: [Where are you? Dinner tonight, let's finalize the transfer stuff.]

I stared at it for two seconds. Swiped it away.

The transfer definitely needed to be finalized.

Just with a different destination.