you to. If he was still alive, heads would roll.”
Her eyes glisten, and though what I really want is to leave it at that, I know I have to at least give her the rest of the truth, give her a why to the reason her life changed, even if it’s not a good enough why.
“So, it was just a joke, making fun of me.”
“No, no, I don’t think that’s it at all. It was more about the fact that you didn’t date or sleep around with anyone, so it made you a challenge. Not that that’s any better.”
She pulls her hands from mine. “I don’t understand why you guys would do stuff like that to someone.”
“There’s more.” I drop my chin to my chest, unable to hold her gaze.
“What more?” she whispers.
“Carter also dared Ryker to tape it for points.” I chance a glance up at her.
The hurt on her face feels like a physical punch to my gut by The Rock. And I haven’t even gotten to the worst part yet.
“And then I heard about it and stole Ryker’s phone.” A painful lump grows in my throat as the devastation morphs her features. “I was the one who leaked the tape.”
“You’re the one who put the tape out there?”
I nod, forcing myself not to look away from her. Own your shit, Stone.
“That tape changed the course of my life. I’ve spent years trying to get over it!” Her devastation mutates into anger and I’m glad. I’d rather see her angry than hurt. “I can’t believe this.”
“Isla, I’m sorry. I—”
“You’re sorry!” She backs up off the mattress and stands. “Do you have any idea what that tape did to my life?”
She storms off to the bathroom and slams the door behind her. I rise from the bed and walk over, leaning against the door.
My forehead hits the door. “I wasn’t thinking when I did it. I was angry. I was young and stupid. I’m sorry.”
I hear the rustling of fabric for a minute and the door is whipped open. I almost fall into the bathroom but catch myself. Isla storms past me without sparing me a glance. She’s dressed in the ivory dress she wore earlier. I follow as she heads out the bedroom door.
“It’s bad enough that you and your friends play some sick game like that, but then you share the video with everyone? We were supposed to be friends!”
“I felt betrayed! You had sex with Asher. It was supposed to be me! You were supposed to have sex with me!” I yell and spin her around by the arm.
“Poor little rich boy couldn’t take it when someone else got what he wanted? Cry me a river, Garrin.” She spins back around and reaches the entrance to the foyer, where she yanks her brown boots off the floor and her purse off the table. She doesn’t even put her boots on before she’s racing to the elevator and punching the buttons.
“Wait. Stay so we can talk about this.” I reach for her again, but she takes a step back.
“There’s nothing to talk about, Garrin. You are partly responsible for the worst thing that’s happened so far in my life. And you didn’t tell me. Hell, you let me sleep with you tonight before you even told me!”
The elevator dings and the doors open up. She steps inside and stabs at the button inside.
“Just to make this really clear for you. Whatever this was is over.”
The doors close between us, giving a finality to her words.
“Fuck!” I punch the wall beside the elevator and run my stinging hand through my hair.
I head back into my place and pour myself a glass of scotch.
There’s a part of me that knows I had no choice but to be honest. The feelings that were developing, it would have been much worse if I’d waited. But the other half wishes I hadn’t tried something new, like honesty.
29
Chapter Twenty-nine
Isla
The past few days have felt like the longest of my life. I might as well be at a theme park for the roller coaster of emotions I keep rotating through. One minute I’m hurt, the next I’m angry and the next disbelieving.
I can’t believe Garrin leaked the tape. And yet part of me can. I’d seen him be cruel and vindictive to other students before at school, I’d just never been one of them. Nor did I ever imagine I would be.
“Earth to Isla.”
I look up from my computer screen, the one I haven’t