Page 93 of Bloom

“He hits on everyone,” I say.

“Yeah, I know. But I could tell you had something going on with someone, and then Allison told me she’d caught you in bed with him.”

“What?” I gasp. “She didn’t ‘catch’ us. I was sleeping in his room because you locked me out and when he came in – with another girl, I might add — I got up and left. We were in the same room for all of five seconds and Allison knew it.”

She nods, her fair skin getting a little paler, and she studies her clasped hands. “I never thought she would lie,” she finally whispers. “I mean, she made law review … ” I roll my eyes. “But then I saw those quotes she gave the tabloids and it occurred to me that maybe she had.”

“Ginny, you’ve known me for 16 years. When have I ever been the type to steal someone’s boyfriend, or cheat on my own?”

“Never,” she murmurs, burying her face in her hands. “Oh my God, Elle. I’m so sorry. She thought you were sleeping with Max and trying to sleep with James and I … sort of believed her. So when James said he was with you I figured you’d been cheating on him with Max and I … ” her words trail off.

“Let’s get something straight,” I say. “Allison never for one moment thought I was with Max. She’s just a scheming bitch who played you like a fiddle and you allowed the fact that she made law review to trump 16 years of friendship.”

She starts crying, an unrestrained, wild crying that is so unlike her that it twists my heart a little even though I want to stay angry.

And a part of me is still angry – that she could doubt me, that she could believe an idiot like Allison, that she could think me capable of so many terrible things – and a part of me gets it. I have had an easier life. And if I thought a girl was hooking up with the guy I liked as well as my brother, I probably would have done a lot more damage than she did.

“Don’t cry,” I tell her, feeling an unwilling sort of forgiveness steal over me.

“I should have figured it out,” she says, still crying. “She was jealous before she even met you. Ever since she saw our spring break pictures she’s been weird.”

“It’s okay,” I tell her, though it’s really not. But I know that one day it will be, and maybe I’ll just have to fake it until then. We were too close for too long just to let it all be ruined by one bad summer.

**

“So are you guys okay?” James asks when he comes back out.

“You totally set that up, didn’t you?”

“No,” he says defensively. “But I did ask her when she was going to apologize and she asked how she possibly could with me always ‘hovering’.”

“I like that you hover,” I smile.

“I don’t hover,” he argues. “I just want to be near you. So what was her deal?”

“I think the problem was mainly Allison. Putting ideas in her head and then telling her she’d caught me and Max together.”

He stills. “Where’d she get that idea?”

“She saw me leaving Max’s room one night during a party. I was sleeping in there because I was locked out of our room and … ” I pause, watching James tense up like he’s bracing for a bad blow. “Give me a break, James. He wasn’t even in there! He came in with some girl and I left.”

He relaxes and I continue. “But I don’t get how Allison knew that Ginny liked Max? She never said a word about it.”

“It was totally obvious,” he argues. “She was always getting mad and storming off around him.”

I sigh. “You Campbells ought to consider finding a new way to show you like someone.”

He smiles and pulls me closer. “But look how well my way worked,” he says against my ear.

Chapter 51

The next morning we are headed to New York, and not a moment too soon. There are photographers outside as we leave, and I’m not really surprised. It’s more amazing that my anonymity lasted as long as it did.

“This could have been such a good trip under different circumstances,” I say, watching the trees give way to fields dense with end-of-summer corn.

“It’ll be good in its own way,” he says, grabbing my hand. “You’re going to do what you need to do, and we’ll be together when it happens.”

“This could all backfire,” I sigh.