Nine

Scott

On Wednesday night, Scott walked into his apartment lost in thought. The visit at Massachusetts General Hospital had gone well, and he was optimistic they’d accept him. So why did the thought make him so gloomy? Unconvinced, he peeked at the brochure still clutched in his hands. What was he complaining about? Massachusetts General was a top-tier hospital, and Dr. Salinger—Scott’s would-be assigned doctor—was an excellent neurosurgeon.

But not the best.

Okay, not the best, but close. And this internship would be here in Boston, where he could stay with Haley all summer instead of them spending it three thousand miles apart.

Right.

He would get another chance to work with Dr. Allen. Sure, because opportunities like that just happened to rain on pre-med students, especially after they’d turned down medicine luminaries once already. Dr. Allen would simply sit there and wait for the wonderful Scott Williams to be his shadow whenever he chose.

Who am I kidding?

Students all over the U.S. would kill to get picked for that job, to be part—even if only as an observer—of Dr. Allen’s research project. And the doctor had picked him, Scott. And he was about to turn down the offer, for a girl. But he’d do anything for her.

“Hello, brother.” David’s voice made him jump. Scott hadn’t seen him half-hidden behind the kitchen bar. “Sorry, I didn’t save you any dinner.”

“Get lost, David.”

A rundown with David was the last thing Scott needed right now.

“That’s the best you can do? Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome on stage Scott Williams…” David banged a fork against a glass a couple of times and then dropped both into the dishwasher.

Scott refused to take the bait.

“No speech?” David continued. “I’ll admit I was expecting more of a powerful opening.”

“I said get lost.”

“Oh, come on,” David said, coming into the living room. “What’s it gonna be?” He crouched slightly, hopping from one foot to the other and bringing his fists in front of his face in a defensive stance. The movements of a boxer in the ring. “Hook to the face?” David swung his elbow up and punched the air. “Sucker punch to the stomach?” He threw a low punch with his other hand. Then he straightened up—the boxing demonstration apparently over. “Personally, I’d prefer a raging shouting match. I would hate for us to get physical again. No one around to save your skinny ass this time.”

Scott frowned. What the hell was David talking about?

“Wait, wait. Oooooh…” David’s sneer widened. “You don’t know…”

“Know what?”

Scott hated being at a disadvantage with David, and it looked like he was right now. David knew something that Scott didn’t. Something that made David happy and that would, presumably, make Scott feel just the opposite. So much so that his brother had expected Scott to attack him as soon as he’d laid eyes on him. What was it?

“She hasn’t told you…”

She. David meant Haley, Scott had no doubts now. His blood ran cold through his veins, and he rolled his fingers into tight fists, crushing the hospital brochure he was still holding.

“Told me what?”

“Oh.” David shrugged and waved him off. “I wouldn’t want to meddle.”

Scott moved in a blur—in two quick strides he was on his brother. He grabbed David by the collar of his T-shirt and pinned him against the wall. They were almost nose to nose. “What did you do?” he hissed.

“I kissed her, brother.” David spat the words in his face. “It was long and passionate. And she enjoyed every second of it.”

Scott let go of his brother and staggered backward. He felt like he’d been hit multiple times in short sequence. Only David had used words instead of fists. “You didn’t.”

“Ask her if you don’t believe me.” David straightened the collar of his T-shirt. “We were reminiscing about it just the other night. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” David grabbed his phone and put it in his jeans pocket. “I had plans for tonight.” He put on his black leather jacket and, with one last sly smile, he left.

Scott reeled backward until he hit the couch. David was a bastard and an asshole, but he wasn’t a liar. He’d never said he’d kissed Haley if it wasn’t true.

When had it happened? Was that why Haley had been kind of off lately? Scott had had the impression she’d been dodging him in the last couple of days… and now he’d found out why: she didn’t want to confess.

No! The Haley he knew, the Haley he loved, would never cheat on him, especially not with David. She hated his brother. At least, that was what she’d always told him.

But David is no liar.

Scott’s world tilted. He grabbed the couch backrest for support as angry tears streamed down his cheeks. In a blind rage, he punched the cushions in hard, fast strokes until his hand began to hurt. Taking deep breaths to try to calm himself, Scott took out his phone. He opened the messenger chat with Haley and scrolled through the past few days’ conversations. Nothing in her texts pointed to a betrayal; they were full of sweet words, cute emoji, and I love yous.

But David is no liar.

He shuffled the chat to the end, his eyes resting on the last string of texts from her.

Call me when you get back

I need to talk to you tonight

There’s something I have to tell you

Love you

:*

Was “there’s something I have to tell you” code for “tonight I’ll admit I’ve cheated on you and dump your ass to be with your brother”? Could Haley really like David? Kiss him? It seemed so impossible…

But David is no liar.

Why else would she have kissed him?

Scott was still looking at the chat, searching for clues, when an email flashed into his inbox and invaded the top half of the screen. It was from Dr. Allen’s office in California, reminding him they were still waiting for an answer from him about the shadowing program.

He loved Haley so much, and the last thing he wanted was to spend the summer away from her. But was he being stupid and naïve to give up an opportunity like this for a girl? Until an hour ago, Scott would’ve been sure the answer was no. He could already picture himself marrying Haley, one day after they were done with college and both had a job. He was devoted to her, and her to him. She wouldn’t cheat on him, she just wouldn’t…

But David is no liar.

The notion was like a drill into Scott’s brain, and after hearing it so many times in his head, he started to believe it.

Jaw clenched, Scott wiped the tears from his cheeks with the back of his hand. He opened the email and, after reading the complete message, he tapped an impulsive reply…

Haley

Seven, and still no call. Haley was losing her mind. For the past hour, she’d been sitting at the dining table in her apartment staring at the black screen of her phone. She’d done all she could to postpone seeing Scott, but she’d spent the afternoon wishing time would fly faster… now that she had her speech ready, all this waiting was getting to her. And Scott should’ve been home by now.

“That phone will disintegrate in your hands if you grip it any harder,” Alice said, staring at her dubiously. “I’m trying to make dinner here, but your anxiety is ruining my cooking chakra.”

“Sorry,” Haley said, releasing the hold a little. “I’m waiting for Scott to call. We’re having the big talk tonight.”

The book Madison was reading tumbled to the floor as she straightened abruptly. “You still haven’t told him? Why?”

Haley shrugged and grimaced guiltily. “I’ve been busy, and so has Scott. I’m telling him tonight.”

“Haley!” Madison pressed her palms to her cheeks, shocked. “But he lives with David. What if the jerk tells him first?”

A sense of unease sneaked around Haley, tightening around her chest like an invisible rope. “David’s never home, and he wouldn’t.”

“Um, hello?” Madison was getting all worked up. “Are we talking about the same person? Because the David I know wouldn’t miss an opportunity like that to make people miserable. Especially his brother.”

The unease worsened. Haley looked up at Alice chopping vegetables behind the kitchen bar for reassurance, but judging from her friend’s worried expression, Alice seemed more aligned with Madison’s line of thinking.

“Why don’t you call him?” Alice said. “Instead of torturing yourself waiting.”

“Okay.”

With a pounding heart, Haley unlocked the screen and dialed Scott’s number…

“It went to voicemail,” Haley said, staring aghast at her friends.

Madison frowned and Alice stopped chopping her veggies.

“What do you think it means?” Haley asked.

“He could have forgotten to charge his phone?” Alice said tentatively.

Madison kept quiet; she just chewed her bottom lip like she did whenever she was nervous.

“Oh, no. No, no, nooo. If David got to him before I could explain… no!” Haley panicked. “I have to call him. Madison, do you have his number?”

“Scott’s? No, why?”

“Not Scott’s, David’s…”

“Ah.” Madison blushed. “Yeah, sure. I’m sending you the contact.”

Maddie sent you a contact

David

Haley saved the number and pressed call.

He picked up on the third ring. “David’s phone.” There was music in the background and David sounded surprised, probably because he didn’t recognize her number.

“Did you tell Scott?” Haley asked without preamble.

“I think I recognize that lovely tone of voice.” The background music dimmed. Wherever he was, David must’ve moved to a quieter spot. “Nighty-night, Sunshine. What can I do for you?”

“Did you tell him?” Haley repeated.

“Tell him what?”

“David,” she warned him. “I’m not in the mood for your games.”

“Okay, fine. My brother and I had a heart to heart earlier.”

“What did you say to him?”

“You sound worried… I only told the truth.”

“What truth?”

“That we kissed, and that you enjoyed it… if memory serves me well.”

Haley lowered the phone and closed her eyes, holding back the tears that were already threatening to spill.

After a few steadying breaths, she lifted the phone back to her ear, saying, “You know that’s not the truth.”

“No? Where’s the lie?”

“Did you make it sound as if I cheated on him?”

“I stuck to the facts. No more. No less.”

“So did you tell him the kiss happened before I even met him?”

“Um, that detail could’ve slipped my mind.”

“You bastard.”

“Ah, but I seem to remember that half-truths like I’m-not-lying-but-I’m-not-telling-you-everything made you tick.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It worked pretty well for Scott when he told you how I was mad at him because a girl in high school chose him over me, forgetting to say I was with that girl when he started screwing her behind my back.”

“I don’t have time for this.” Haley hung up. “You were right,” she told Madison. “David is an asshole and I’m an idiot for leaving him the space to work his stupid tricks.” It was adrenaline alone that kept Haley from collapsing in tears. “What do I do now?”

“Go find Scott,” Alice said.

“You need to explain everything to him,” Madison added. “It will be fine, he loves you.”

“Go,” Alice repeated. “Don’t waste another second.”

Haley jumped up, grabbed her bag, and dashed out of the house at a run.