Page 80 of Hateful
They stop directly in front of me, Jasper avoiding looking into my eyes while Beck’s chest heaves and jaw works.
“How could you …” he starts, then has to stop and compose himself. He too looks away, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides for a moment before his head finally snaps back in my direction, eyes narrowed. “You made a fool out of us.”
I try to swallow, but my throat has gone dry. When I do manage to force out my next words, my voice comes out as a croak.
“I didn’t mean to. When Jasper found out—”
I’m not able to finish.
Becks eyes grow wide and he takes a stumbling step backwards. “You knew?” He asks, disbelieving, jabbing a finger at Jasper.
Jasper winces, but he says nothing.
Beck looks between the two of us, his mouth moving but not making a sound. He sputters and stammers for a moment before he begins pacing back and forth, running his fingers through his blonde hair.
I share a glance with Jasper, but he can still only barely bring himself to look at me.
I can see the look on his face. I know it well. He knows he’s broken Beck’s trust.
A trust that I’m guessing doesn’t come easy.
“What about Heath?” Beck asks, words finally coming back to him as he whirls to face me. “Did he know?”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I don’t think so.”
Saying it out loud makes the color rise to my cheeks again as I remember the way he grabbed my face earlier andkissedme. I still don’t know if he would have done that if he’d known who I am. What I really am.
Beck looks over to Jasper, who actually looks surprised. They both saw the kiss, I realize.
I guess I’m not the only one with questions now.
But that doesn’t seem to be Beck’s main concern at the moment.
“How is it thatyouknow?” he spits at Jasper before turning toward me again. “How doesheknow and I—I don’t, and I—” He gestures mutely at his face. “Why’d you tellhim?”
I know immediately what he means.
He means the kiss last semester, when he pushed me against the wall of the locker rooms and made out with me so fiercely it felt more like he wanted to devour me.
I cut my eyes at Jasper.
“I didn’t,” I say, staring directly into his eyes. “He found out on his own.”
Jasper’s mouth opens and then clamps shut, but he still says nothing. He just shoves his hands into his pockets and turns away bitterly.
“No,” Beck says, reaching out to grab a fistful of Jasper’s shirt right where it meets his collar. “I want the truth this time.”
Jasper sets his jaw. “I didn’t mean to,” he mumbles.
“Didn’tmeanto?” Beck repeats incredulously, his fingers digging deeper into the fabric. “What the hell does that even mean?”
Jasper sighs and passes a hand over his face. “It’s not something I’m … proud of. Not something I wanted to talk about.”
“Well now’s the time to talk,” Beck spits.
“It was nothing,” Jasper says, trying and failing to shake himself free from Beck’s grasp, “just a misunderstanding.”
I’ve never seen red so quickly. Bile rises in the back of my throat as flashes ofthatnight come flooding back in, unbidden.
