Page 64 of I'm Gonna Get You Back
I look at the screen, my heart in my fucking throat as I read the text. It’s a screenshot from Kenji of the newest Legacy Lore post—Delaney’s intro post. My chest goes concave as I read it:
@LEGACY_LORE: Meet Delaney Whitlock. Prima ballerina and Woodhurst’s own pom-squad princess, it’s no wonder she’s beloved by all… even her best friend’s ex-boyfriend? More soon.
Oh,fuckyou, Josh.
Below it is a photo of me and Delaney from Kenji’s the night before. When we were talking by the stairs and I begged her not to tell Clara anything. I’m leaning in, my lips close to her ear. The conversation looks heated, intense.
The first comment below the post makes everything worse.
Yeah I heard they hooked up in Reid’s dorm.
I might throw up. Delaney was right. We should’ve told Clara everything last night before the story started getting twisted. But I won’t let this bullshit threat of “more soon” make things worse.
“It’s not what you think.”
Clara’s gone completely blank. That tough front is back—her jaw set, her eyes hard. Her voice is cold and emotionless when she says, “It’s none of my business.”
I rear back like I’ve been slapped. “Yes, it is.”
She tries to walk away but seems to think better of it as she turns around to face me. “Why would I believe anything you say? You’ve been lying since you got home.”
“You’re right.”
Her sharp green eyes pierce mine and I know I have one shot to get this right.
“I’ve lied about a lot. About school, about my knee. I kept this from you, but I would never lie to you about what happened.” My gaze is pleading. “I promise.”
She sucks in a breath and gestures to my phone. “Then start talking.”
“I don’t know who this is or what they think they know…” I swipe a hand across my forehead. “But Delaney did visit and stay over last month. She was on my campus for some dance thing.”
Clara’s nostrils flare but she nods. “Okay…”
“My teammates were having a party. I didn’t want to go, but… she thought it’d be fun. She’s still not eating much and she drank alot—” I cut myself off, trying to shake the memory away. It was hard seeing Delaney like that. “We both did.”
I think back, try to remember. I know we stumbled back to my dorm and started reminiscing. About high school and the team and Clara.
We talked about Legacy and how we both wanted to go back to what we’d been so excited to escape. At least Woodhurst was familiar when everything else was so new.
“I wasn’t handling the changes or the pressure well. My injury was fresh, my head a mess. The guys on the team are hardcore, and Coach is relentless… It was all so intense.”
Delaney tried calling Clara over and over. I tried calling Mitchell, too. Neither of them picked up, and that made it worse somehow. Like we were the ones who were left behind, even though we weren’t the ones home.
Then Delaney lay back on my bed and started crying. Told me how lonely she was at school. I told her I was, too. The rest I mostly remember in flashes. None of them good.
“There was no way she could drive, so she stayed over. We talked awhile. And… I know we kissed.”
Clara’s eyes drill into mine, barely containing her anger. “And?”
“I don’t remember much else.”
Her eyes narrow like she doesn’t believe me.
“IknowI fucked up—” Shame cuts my breath short because the details are fuzzy. But there is one thing I know for sure. “We didn’t have sex like this post is suggesting.”
“Did you want to?”
“No. The whole thing was kind of awful, actually—”
