Little White Lies (19 page)

Across the table, Jasmine clapped. The sound was deafening in the room.

“Now
this
is a party!” she said. “I'm so glad I didn't miss it.”

Heather stuck her face in Jas's. “Get. Out. Now.”

Jasmine widened her eyes and put a hand on her hip. “Excuse me. I'm not—”

“Now,”
Heather said. “Everyone but Callie and Sasha get out of here before I make you leave.”

No one needed to be told twice by Heather. But Jacob was the last one to leave. I could feel him wanting to stay—wanting to tell the truth. But he finally left and the room emptied.

Callie and I, still on opposite sides of the table, stared at each other. I wasn't sure if she was going to sob or scream at me.

I kept my face expressionless. I'd gone this far—I had to hurt her enough that she believed every word.

“You …,” Callie started. Her voice shook and tears spilled down her cheeks. I struggled to keep my composure, but I was about to start crying at any second. “You know this is it. We're done. We will
never
be friends again. I don't care if you apologize for the rest of your life. I'll never forgive you for this.”

A sob rose in my throat, but I held it down.

Callie started crying. She slammed her palms on the tabletop, then swiped at her tears, smearing mascara across her face. I wanted to run around the table, hug her, and tell her the truth. That it had been Jacob. Not me. That I wanted to be her best friend. That I'd been confused, but would never have gone after her boyfriend.

But instead, I stood there watching my best friend cry. I didn't move.

“We just got our friendship back, Sasha,” Callie said. “That meant everything to me. You were my best friend. I would have done anything for you. And you went after Jacob? I'll never speak to you again.”

I had to say something—anything that would wipe any possible trace of doubt from her mind when she went through this over and over in her head tonight.

“It was worth it,” I heard myself say. It felt like it was coming out of someone else's mouth. “Losing our friendship was worth it for a shot at Jacob.”

My own words made me sick. My stomach swirled and my face started to turn red. This had to end now before I blew it and told her the truth.

Callie swallowed, wiping tears from her face. “I'm
glad,” she said. “I hope you're happy alone. I
hate
you and I never want to see you again.”

Callie walked around the table and I kept my back to her as she left the room. The door slammed shut behind her. I crumpled to the floor, sobbing.

I'd just given up my best friend to protect her. And in the process, I'd lost everyone. I was alone—just like I'd been on my first day at Canterwood.

Twenty-two-year-old Jessica Burkhart is a writer from New York City. Like Sasha, she's crazy about horses, lip gloss, and all things pink and sparkly. Jess was an equestrian and had a horse like Charm before she started writing. To watch Jess's vlogs and read her blog, visit
www.jessicaburkhart.com
.