Beneath The Lies Read Online Free Page A

won’t budge. I clear my throat and give him a frigid look. “Excuse me. I need to catch up with my friends.”
    “That’s fine. I’ll allow you to go the second you give me your name.” Before we got out of Gabby’s car, Noah told us we didn’t want to talk to the guys that come to these types of fights, especially the ones that are looking to score with women, which is why I decide to give this guy a fake name.
    “Jamie.”
    “Jamie?” He repeats my fake name like that was the last name he was expecting me to say to him.
    “Yeah, now can I please go?” He stands there staring down at me for a few seconds before Kyler shows up out of nowhere and hits him on the arm.
    Oh crap . Kyler didn’t strike me as the type of guy to pick a fight, but apparently I was wrong.
    “What the fuck, Kiran? She’s with us and we can’t leave until she’s out the fucking door, so move out of her damn way.”
    Ah...now I know why I questioned if I knew this guy. He must be Kyler’s older brother, the guy who also runs The Hill. Once I take them both in, standing side-by-side, you can clearly tell they’re brothers. Both of them have sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and they both appear moody as hell.
    “Sorry, I didn’t know Jamie was with you. Boss man told me to figure out who invited her.”
    “Jamie?” Oh no...
    “Yeah. Her.” Kiran points his finger at me, and I can tell the second Kyler figures out I lied.
    “Oh...Jamie. Yeah, don’t trust anything she says. She’s a liar.” Obviously, Kiran is not the brightest crayon in the box because he didn’t pick up on Kyler’s joke. “Come on, let’s go.” Kyler grabs my hand and begins to walk us back out the same way we came.
    Just as we’re about to turn to walk down the hallway, I take one last look around the room and spot the man who was staring at me earlier. He’s talking to Kyler’s brother but he looks angry or maybe confused. When he looks up his eyes scan the room and he quickly finds mine again, only this time his eyes look harsh, his jaw is clenched, and he’s frowning. I have no idea why I’m getting the one eighty from how he looked at me earlier, but either way I give him my biggest, warmest smile before I enter the hallway, never once looking back.
    ****
    “Good morning, sweetheart. How was your night out with your friends?” Leeta is her normal, bright and cheerful self. A part of me is annoyed that she is acting like my mother and another part of me is grateful.
    “Oh, my night was fine.” I just went to an underground fight and watched my only two friends get into a serious argument. When Alyssa finally showed up at Gabby’s car, Noah was beyond furious with her, wanting to leave her ass even though she showed by the time he gave her, which left Gabby stuck in the middle.
    Alyssa and Noah stood on the sidewalk screaming at each other until Noah claimed he was done wasting his time arguing with her. With that, we all hopped in Gabby’s car and we silently rode back to the party where Alyssa left her car.
    Alyssa drove me home and told me she’d see me Monday. I have no idea how things will work out between Gabby and Alyssa, but I don’t envy Gabby at the moment.
    “How about we go out and do some shopping today? We could drive over the bay and hit a few of the designer shops that are open on Sundays. There’s a boutique that I can’t wait to take you to.”
    What I want to do is yell at the top of my lungs how much I hate shopping and how Leeta’s question only spotlights how little she actually knows me, but I won’t. I don’t want to risk upsetting the only adult I have left in my life. “Thanks for the offer, Leeta. I actually have a lot of homework I need to catch up on. I was thinking of heading to the library for a while.” Most of that is true, but if I really wanted to find the time to shop, I could.
    “Oh. Okay.” As I watch Leeta’s face fall, I instantly feel bad. I don’t want Leeta to think she can or ever will