Page 40 of His Secret Santa
“What did happen?” Jamie asked. “They didn’t give us any details, just that you overreacted to a joke. I know that isn’t true. Their jokes aren’t funny. What did they do to you, Holden?”
Turning away, Holden lowered his eyes as more tears ran down his face. “It doesn’t matter,” he mumbled. “After my birthday… I’m leaving.”
“Leaving?” Jamie frowned. “You mean leaving, leaving?”
“Yes.”
“Well… what about graduation?”
Holden sniffed and shrugged. “I don’t care about that. I’m not going back to school. A high school diploma isn’t worth shit, anyway.”
“Holden… what happened?”
With a soft huff, Holden faced him. “You want to know what happened? I saw the light. I learned something tonight, Jamie. I learned that life is a lie. Nothing is what it seems. Maybe keep that in mind as you go forward with the cheerleader because people are fake. They’ll go to great lengths to fool you… just for a fucking joke.” Holden trembled, eyes darting back toward Abby who stood by the picnic table. “Be careful who you trust with your heart.”
Jamie frowned uncertainly, glancing at Abby. He shook his head. “Abby’s cool. She’s not like McKenna and the others.”
“Maybe,” Holden mumbled. “For your sake, I hope you’re right. But don’t ask me to put faith in her goodness. You’re the only one I’ll ever trust. No one else, never again.”
Jamie was confused. “I don’t understand. Why would you lose trust in people because of what those jerks did? You knew they weren’t trustworthy, to begin with.”
Holden rubbed his nose and looked away, swallowing hard. “It has nothing to do with them,” he whispered with a tremor and walked away.
“Holden…”
“Just leave me alone.”
Jamie took a few steps after him then faltered and stopped.
Holden kept walking, hoping his friend wouldn’t follow. He didn’t want to be around anyone right now. He didn’t want to talk. He just wanted to… stop existing.
• • •
“What now?” Abby asked when they were back inside the car. She glanced worriedly in the direction Holden had gone. “Will he be all right?”
“I don’t know.” Jamie swallowed through a tight throat, hurt and anger roiling inside him. Hurt for his best friend—and anger at the assholes who caused him pain. He started the car and pulled away from the park, vision swimming.
“Where are we going?” Abby asked quietly.
“Something happened at Lincoln’s house,” Jamie replied stiffly. “And I want to know what it was.”
Abby shifted in the passenger seat. “You’re… you’re going to Lincoln’s place?”
Jamie nodded. “And he damn well better tell me what they did to Holden.” If the quarterback refused, Jamie was fully aware there was little he could do about it. He wasn’t small, but no way in hell he could beat down Lincoln Pratt. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try if it came to that.
“I don’t know why some people are so mean,” Abby whispered.
“It gives them a sense of power to humiliate others,” he muttered. “And human beings love power—especially the assholes.”
Abby sighed. “That’s sad, that people treat each other so badly for power… or for any reason.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Silence settled over the car as Jamie took the quickest route to the Pratt residence. He pulled into the driveway and parked behind Lincoln’s Trans Am.
“Maybe you should wait here,” he told Abby. “This might get ugly.”
Abby touched his arm. “Try not to get into a fight.”