Page 119 of I'm Gonna Get You Back
My heart is hammering against my chest as she continues. “Logan said everyone else breaks the rules, why should we have to play by them? And he was right. All I did was show them the truth.”
I give her a tight smile. “Sounds familiar.”
I look over my shoulder and catch eyes with Clara through the crowd, camera pointed directly at us. The Bluetooth mic on my jacket poised to pick up everything we’re saying. Clara nods like she got it all, her face a furious pink.
Nicole follows my gaze, and she pales as she puts it together. “What is this?” She steps backward. “You set me up?”
Clara approaches, green eyes blazing. “I wasn’t the one who sabotaged a friend. I just caught it on camera.”
Red splotches instantly appear across Nicole’s neck. “Legacy Lore was right; betrayal really doesn’t come from your enemies.”
“I could say the same thing about you.”
Tears spring to her eyes, but if she’s trying to make me feel bad it isn’t working.
“What are you going to do with that?” Nicole barks at Clara.
“I’m not sure.” Clara lowers the camera to her side. “But I’ll tell you what I’mnotgoing to do. I’m not going to show it in front of the entire town. I’m not going to intentionally humiliate you and ruin your life. I’m not going to do what you did to me.”
Clara walks off, and when I turn to follow, Nicole calls after me, as ifI owe her anything. I ignore her and walk closely behind Clara. I can feel her breaths shake as I press my chest to her back.
“I can’t believe they all knew,” she whispers through gritted teeth over her shoulder to me.
I give her waist a small, reassuring squeeze. At least we made it through the first part.
Our walk through the crowded room is cut short when my dad catches me by the arm, directing me to the table for dinner. Kenji and Mitchell are seated beside me and our parents, and though they’re cracking jokes—and for the love of god wearing Hawaiian-print shirts—it still isn’t enough to get me to fully relax knowing what’s coming.
Clara sits at the table beside us with her mom and Mayor Harper, her hand protectively on her bag the entire time. We’re only halfway through the meal when Delaney rushes over, carrying her phone. Clara frowns, blinking rapidly while they have an urgent, whispered conversation. Something about her expression has me leaning across the small space between our tables.
“What is it?”
Instead of answering, she grabs my arm and gets the attention of our friends to follow as she weaves me through the circular tables. Delaney, Kenji, and Mitchell walk with us past the coffee bar and into a quiet break room off the bustling kitchen. Since Clara works here, nobody stops her. She closes the door behind us and rifles through her bag.
“What are we doing?” Mitchell asks.
“Connor,” Clara bursts out.
Kenji’s face screws up in confusion. “No, I’mKenji.”
She cuts him a look and wordlessly pulls out her laptop. She turns the screen toward us and opens what looks like an editing program.After a moment hunting through a cascade of multicolored video files that make my head spin, she lands on the one she’s looking for.
Clara drags the progress bar to a point, then in a breathless voice says, “Here. Watch this.”
We do.
It’s the video clip of Kenji’s guest room from the party the other night when we accidentally walked in on Nicole and Logan making out. Them springing apart and Clara lowering the camera so it’s facing the floor. But we can still hear what they’re saying. She turns up the volume.
It’s a scramble of movement and Clara’s high-pitched promise to delete it. We exchange a glance now, and she flushes since she clearlydidn’t. Then Logan’s voice filters in. “West mentioned you’re working on the new video. I’m doing sound for the banquet, so let me know if you need anything.”
Then comes the sound of his footsteps as he got close to Nicole and said something to her in a low voice before leaving. I was so distracted by seeing Clara, I hadn’t clocked any of this.
But it’s crystal clear on the audio: “I won’t tell Connor if you won’t.”
She slaps the space bar to stop playback.
The silence hangs until Mitchell’s words come out slow like he’s approaching a wounded animal. “While I get you’re trying to help, I’m already over him, Clara.”
“That’s not—” Clara’s sigh is heavy as she closes her eyes and gestures to Delaney. “Tell them the other thing.”
