Chapter 7: Does She Know?

Vanessa's POV

"No."

I stepped around him, but Nathan moved with me, blocking my path again.

"I'm talking to Vanessa," he told Cole.

Cole's voice remained almost pleasant. "And Vanessa said no."

Nathan ignored him.

He had always been good at pretending the words he didn't like had never been spoken.

"Vanessa, seriously. Two minutes."

"You've had a month."

"I've been trying to reach you."

"I blocked you."

"Exactly."

I almost laughed. "You cannot possibly be confused about why."

"I'm not confused." He lowered his voice. "I just think you should hear what I have to say."

"I've heard enough from you."

"Not about what actually happened."

My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag.

I had imagined seeing Nathan again more times than I wanted to admit.

During the first week after the bonfire, I imagined screaming at him. By the second week, I had graduated to slapping him. There had been one particularly satisfying version where I broke his nose and somehow managed to avoid getting arrested.

None of those fantasies included standing three feet away from him while he spoke to me like we were discussing some ordinary misunderstanding.

"It wasn't supposed to get out," he said.

My stomach tightened.

Cole shifted beside me, but I spoke before he could.

"You recorded me without telling me."

"I know."

"You hid a camera in your bedroom."

Nathan glanced around us. A few people had already slowed down, pretending they weren't listening.

"Can we go somewhere private?"

"No."

"Vanessa."

"You wanted to talk. Talk."

His eyes moved to Cole; that was when I understood.

Nathan didn't want privacy because he cared about protecting me. He wanted Cole gone.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I shouldn't have recorded it."

"That's probably the first honest thing you've said to me."

"I know I fucked up."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"Then whether you meant for the video to get out doesn't really improve things."

"I never said it did."

"You keep telling me you didn't send it like that's supposed to make me feel better."

"Because I didn't send it."

"Right."

His mouth tightened. "You don't believe me."

I stared at him.

For six months, I had believed almost everything Nathan told me.

I believed him when he said he didn't acknowledge me around his friends because they were immature and he didn't want them making jokes about us.

I believed him when he disappeared for days and returned with an apology and some excuse about practice.

I believed him when he told me I was beautiful while keeping our relationship hidden from almost everyone who mattered to him.

Most humiliating of all, I had believed him when he said he loved me.

Nathan knew exactly how much my trust had cost me, and he was standing here asking for more of it.

"No," I said. "I don't believe you."

"I swear to the Goddess, Vanessa, I didn't send that video."

"Who did?"

"I don't know."

"Convenient."

"I'm serious. My phone was compromised."

"That's what your family's lawyers said."

"Because that's what happened."

I gave a short laugh and shook my head.

Nathan stepped closer, but Cole moved before I could.

He didn't touch Nathan. He simply placed himself slightly between us, enough that Nathan noticed.

"So that's how this is going to be?" Nathan asked.

Cole looked at him. "How what is going to be?"

"You're going to stand there playing bodyguard?"

"She doesn't want you near her."

"I wasn't talking to you."

"You keep saying that like it's going to make me leave."

"Cole," I said quietly.

He glanced at me.

"I can handle this."

For a second, I thought he might argue, then he stepped back.

Nathan's attention stayed on Cole for another moment before returning to me.

"I know you're angry."

"Please don't tell me how I feel."

"I'm trying to apologize."

"No, you're trying to make yourself feel better."

"That's not fair."

"Not fair?"

"I didn't mean—"

"No, please. Finish that sentence."

Nathan exhaled through his nose. "You're acting like I planned for the entire school to see it."

"You planned to record me without my consent."

"I already said I was sorry for that."

"And what exactly am I supposed to do with your apology?"

"I don't know, Vanessa. Maybe understand that I made a stupid decision."

"A stupid decision?"

"Yes."

"A mistake is forgetting someone's birthday. A mistake is sending a text to the wrong person. You knew exactly what you were doing when you put that camera there."

"I know."

"You knew I wouldn't agree to it."

His gaze dropped.

My throat tightened, but I refused to let my voice change.

"You knew."

Nathan looked up again. "I wasn't thinking."

"No. You were thinking. You just weren't thinking about me."

"Vanessa—"

"That's the difference."

He dragged a hand through his hair. "Can we not do this in front of him?"

I looked at Cole; he had moved a few feet away, giving us what little privacy a school hallway could offer, but his attention hadn't left us.

Then I looked back at Nathan.

"You didn't care who saw me when that video went around."

"I didn't send it."

"Right."

"I didn't."

"Then tell me who did."

"I told you, I don't know."

"Then we have nothing else to talk about."

I stepped around him again; this time, Nathan caught my arm.

It happened quickly enough that my body reacted before my thoughts did. I jerked away from him, and Cole was beside us almost immediately.

"Don't touch her."

Nathan released me. "I wasn't hurting her."

"She didn't ask whether you were hurting her."

Cole's voice was quieter now.

Nathan gave him a long look. "You think because you're a Grayson you can talk to everybody however you want?"

"No. I think I can tell you not to put your hands on my girlfriend."

His gaze moved to me. "What? So this is real?"

I folded my arms. "Why do you care?"

"Because a few months ago you were telling me you loved me."

My face burned. "You don't get to use that against me."

"I'm not."

"You just did."

"I'm saying you don't suddenly stop loving somebody."

"You'd be surprised what public humiliation can accomplish."

Nathan flinched. "I never wanted any of this to happen to you."

"But it did."

"I know."

"And you caused it."

His lips pressed together.

I started walking again.

"Does she know?"

My feet stopped. When I turned, Nathan wasn't looking at Cole anymore; he was looking directly at me.

"Know what?"

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Ask your new boyfriend."

Beside me, Cole became very still, and I looked at him.

Nathan glanced between us, and his smile deepened.

"Interesting."

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.

Nathan took a step backward. "You should probably ask him."

"Ask him what?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm sure he'll tell you."

"Nathan."

But he was already walking away. I watched him disappear through the cafeteria doors before turning to Cole.

"What was that?"

Cole adjusted the strap of his bag. "Ignore him."

"No, I'm not."

"Vanessa."

"What does Nathan think you know?"

"He's trying to get into your head."

"That isn't what I asked."

Cole rubbed his thumb along the edge of the strap.

I had never noticed him doing that before.

"What does he think you know?" I asked again.

"Whatever Nathan is doing, you don't need to let him ruin your day."

"Stop."

He went quiet.

"Don't do that thing where you answer a completely different question and expect me not to notice."

"I'm not."

"You are."

His mouth opened, then closed again.

I stared at him. "You know something."

He finally met my eyes. "Vanessa—"

"About me?"

He didn't answer quickly enough, and I stepped closer to him.

"Is it about me?"

That finally got a reaction.His fingers stopped moving against the strap.

Lillian's threat returned to me immediately.

Wait until he hears the truth about your family. Except Nathan hadn't asked whether Cole knew about my family.

He had simply asked whether Cole knew, and Cole had understood him.

"How much do you know?" I asked.

"Not here."

"Why not?"

"Because this isn't a conversation you should have in a hallway."

"Apparently everyone except me knows what conversation we're having."

"That's not true."

"Then explain it."

Cole glanced toward the cafeteria doors Nathan had disappeared through before looking back at me.

"Cole."

He hesitated before speaking. "I think we need to find somewhere to talk."