“You need to go.”

“No, Tori. Please.” I thought we were making progress. Why is she kicking me out?

“I’m done.”

“But I’m not. I don’t want to lose you or Toby. Can’t you see that?”

She nods and the tears spill from her eyes. “You just don’t get it. I can’t. I can’t be second to him, but I can see I already am. So I’m done.” She turns and walks out on me. I hear her car start in the driveway and watch out the window as she drives away. I drove her out of her own house.

***

“You tried. I appreciate that.” Toby sits on my bed, fidgeting with his hands.

“I really thought I was getting somewhere. She cried. She broke down, and I thought maybe she was going to forgive me or at least tell me that with time she’d get used to us being together.”

“Stop thinking about it. It’s over.”

I sit down next to him and lean my head on his shoulder. “It can’t be.”

“Then why is it?” He kisses my forehead. “Look, after Friday, I’ll understand if you don’t want to be with me anymore.”

I jerk my head up. “What?”

“You don’t have to go down with me. There’s no reason to let this lie bury both of us.”

I shake my head and swallow the lump in my throat. Leaving Toby after this kind of accusation will make him look guilty. I’m not about to do that. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ve waited seventeen years for us to be together. Meredith isn’t taking you away from me.”

He looks down at the floor. “If she goes through with it, I’m asking my parents to send me to my aunt’s.”

“To live?” I squeeze my pillow in my hands to keep from jumping out of my skin.

He nods.

“You’re just going to leave?” That would look like he was admitting his guilt.

“What choice will I have? No one here is going to talk to me.”

“I will.”

He frowns, and I get it. I’m not enough to pull him through this. Having one person on your side when the rest of the town is against you isn’t enough. I feel sick to my stomach.

“I—”

“I’m sorry, Becca. I wish I could say I’m sorry I kissed you that day in my room when I started all of this, but the truth is, I wouldn’t take back one second of the time we’ve spent together.”

I break down and cry. If he hadn’t kissed me, he wouldn’t be in this mess, yet he wouldn’t take it back. How can the universe let Meredith Ackles, bitch supreme, take down someone as sweet as Toby? “It’s not fair.”

“We still have two and a half days together. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather spend them with you in my arms than worrying about Meredith. Friday’s going to come no matter what we do. We can’t change it.”

I’m not sure what he’s actually asking me. Is this about sex? Because I can’t sleep with him knowing he’s going to leave and never come back. “I can’t.”

“That’s not what I meant. I really just want to hold you.”

“Oh.” I feel guilty for even thinking he’d use the situation to get sex. In a way that made me no better than Meredith, and that’s not what he needs right now. “I’m sorry.”

“If you don’t even believe me, I’m really screwed.”

“I do believe you.”

He nods, but I can tell it’s not sincere. I lean back on my bed and pull him to me. Instead of kissing me, he lays his head on my stomach. I run my fingers through his hair. We stay like that, not talking, not doing anything but holding each other, until my dad makes him go home for the night.

I barely sleep, and first thing in the morning, I text Tori.

Becca: Please, think about what I said. Meredith is going to accuse Toby at the pep rally. Forget about forgiving me. Don’t let her destroy your brother.

 

I wait, but no reply comes. I’m not surprised. Toby and I hold hands between classes and do all the things he swore made couples get tired of each other. And he initiates all of it. I know he’s not trying to make me get tired of him. He just wants to be together as much as possible before he leaves. I don’t ask how he’ll convince his parents to let him move in with his aunt. I kind of assume once they hear the rumor, they’ll understand and want him to move away. I just hope they don’t believe a word of it. I hope they know their son is one of the good guys.

I skip my afternoon classes, choosing to hide out with Toby on the bleachers. The gym classes haven’t started coming outside yet, so no one catches us until last period when the security cop does his rounds in the parking lot and hauls us into Vice Principal Davidson’s office.

“Well?” Davidson drums his fingers together in front of his face. “Which one of you would like to explain why you felt the need to cut your afternoon classes and sit on the cold bleachers for hours?”

Neither of us says a word. I don’t want to make this worse. I just want my detention because that’s more time I can be with Toby.

“Fine. Since neither of you wants to talk, it’s a week of detention for you both. Mr. Michaels, that means you’ll have detention all of next week as well. And I’ll be calling both of your parents.”

Wonderful. Mom and Dad are going to ground me for at least a month, and I’m sure they’ll put an end to Toby tutoring me too.

Davidson looks back and forth between us. “Go. I don’t want to see either of you right now. Just know I’m highly disappointed. A few weeks ago, neither of you had any prior infractions, not a one. Now, you’ve both gone off the deep end.” He shakes his head and waves us out of his office. “Just go. I can’t look at you anymore.” I refrain from telling him that he’ll be seeing us in about ten minutes when detention starts.

Toby walks me to my locker. “Sorry I got you in trouble.”

“Are you kidding? It was my idea. I wanted to get detention.”

“Why?” His brow wrinkles.

“To be with you. I’m not losing a second with you.”

He takes my hand in his and kisses the back of it. “I don’t even know what to say except you’re amazing.”

Every moment with him feels like a good-bye. Maybe because I know that’s where we’re headed. To a good-bye.

Davidson separates us the second we walk through the door, so we’re reduced to texting and staring at each other for the hour.

Toby: I probably shouldn’t come over tonight, huh?

 

Damn it. I can’t let my parents keep me from seeing him. We don’t have much time left together.

Becca: Yes, you should. Just wait until after my parents go to sleep .

 

Toby: Sneak in?

 

Becca: Why not? I’m already grounded. What’s the worst that can happen?

 

Toby: I hate that I’m making you into this person who lies and sneaks around. I never wanted this.

 

I look over at him and sigh.

Becca: You didn’t. And like you, I wouldn’t take it back.

 

Toby: I love you.

 

Becca: I love you too.

 

After detention, I go home and face two hours of my parents’ screaming. I tune them out after about thirty minutes. I can only take so much of “We’re so disappointed in your lack of judgment. What would make you think it was okay to skip class for a boy?” I can’t tell them the truth. They’ll end up making me break up with Toby. They’re too overprotective to blindly accept Meredith’s accusation as a lie.

When they’re through yelling, I go to my room and lock the door. I text Toby.

Becca: Come now.

 

Toby: Already here. Parked next door.

 

Becca: At Meredith’s?

 

Is he crazy?

Toby: Tried to reason with her one last time.