Page 155 of A Little Secret
“And who else is on the list?” Raine interjects.
“Let’s see…” Tapping her finger against her chin, Ophelia rattles off names like they’re confetti. “Rory, Jaxon, Tatum, and…not you anymore.” She gives me a smile. “Thank goodness.”
“Glad I can be of service,” I quip. “But what’s wrong with Jax?”
“Technically, nothing, but he’s worried about Rory, who’s basically blacklisted the poor guy, and therefore, I’m worried about both of them,” Ophelia admits. “At least I don’t have to put up with him during practice anymore. He was always checking his phone and asking me to ask Mav for updates and stuff. Honestly, it was sweet. Like he was a big brother and just wanted to make sure she was okay. The problem was, Rory explicitly told me and Mav that we’re not allowed to even utter her name to Jaxon anymore, which made things”—she grimaces—“a little tricky.”
“Rory’s still MIA?” I prod.
“Not literally,” Dylan answers. “But from what I heard, the girl is either at school or in her room twenty-four-seven, so…”
“Yeah, you aren’t the only one who fell off the face of the earth for a little while. Not to mention Tatum,” Lia adds.
“Where is Tatum?” Dylan interjects. “I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen her since we went to Rowdy’s and she bailed.”
“Yeah…” Ophelia leans closer before glancing at the guys still immersed in their volleyball game. Confirming we don’t have any eavesdroppers, she adds, “After being suspended for drawing a penis in her school’s auditorium, she convinced my parents to ship her off to a year-round boarding school.”
“What?” I screech. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I know I’ve been a little preoccupied, but seriously? When did this happen?”
“Two weeks ago,” Ophelia answers. “And don’t worry, I was going to tell you?—”
“Good because I’m a sucker for some juicy gossip, and this is gold.” I laugh. “Also, what do you mean she convinced your parents? Isn’t boarding school usually a threat the parents make to keep their kids in line?”
“Are you kidding?” Ophelia laughs. “My parents have been begging Tatum to open up to them for almost a year now. The idea of shipping her off is literally the last thing they want.”
Putting myself in Aunt Blakely and Uncle Theo’s shoes, I sober slightly, drawing Tatum’s name in the sand. “Maybe it’ll be good for her, though,” I offer. “A fresh start. Fresh faces.”
“Maybe,” Ophelia mutters. “Rory’s begging to go, too, but Mav’s parents haven’t given in yet.”
Dylan pulls her knees to her chest, her eyes wide. “No shit?”
“Yup.” Ophelia pops the p at the end. “Bet you twenty bucks she’ll be there next year, though.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Any excuse to be as far away from Jax as possible.”
“And I repeat, why? Don’t get me wrong. I get it. I get why she’s embarrassed and stuff, but like…it was one rejection from a guy who would be in jail if he returned it in the first place, so…”
“Exactly,” Raine murmurs.
“Besides,” I continue. “Squeaks is gorgeous. If she could just let her silly crush go and move on, she’d realize there are other guys out there who are her age who would treat her like gold.”
“Yeah, and they’d be lining up in an instant to have a shot with her,” Raine adds.
Brushing off the sand from the edge of her blanket, Dylan chimes in, “True. But to be fair, I get it. Rory might not be as shy as I was when I met Reeves, but she has to be feeling like a lost puppy at this point. She followed my brother everywhere, and now…”
“Now, she feels like she has no one,” Raine realizes.
“No one but Tatum,” Ophelia finishes. “My parents said Rory’s the only person Tatum talks to. Not like it’s a daily thing or whatever, but still. That’s why I think Rory’s going to wind up at the same school. Maybe they can be roommates or something.”
Raine shrugs. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
“That’s gotta kill Aunt Mia and Uncle Henry, though,” I point out. “Rory’s all they have left, and after Archer’s death, they have to be hesitant to let Rory live across the country.”
“True,” Dylan murmurs. “But I also think they’re even more anxious to see their daughter heal, you know?”
I nod. “Yeah. I get it.”