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Back One White Lie Save as PDF
Chapters (59)
  1. COVER
  2. About the Author
  3. DEDICATION
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. Acknowledgments
  59. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

Vera’s handwriting was smooth as she signed her name on the sheet. The air was crisp and biting, turning her skin a paler shade of white. Her golden hair was pulled into an incredibly neat bun, as if she were off to a ballet performance after this.

Meanwhile, I was a mess. My curls had refused to be tamed, and my hands were quivering with nerves as I took the sheet from her, nerves I hadn’t been able to shake since waking up yesterday with John in my bed, since Ellie had discovered me the afternoon before in what had turned into an awful adult game of hide-and-seek.

‘You okay?’ Vera asked, an eyebrow raised.

‘Fine,’ I lied, signing my name quickly. ‘Good.’

I watched as John signed in, his scrawl of a signature shaky. His eyes connected with mine for a moment as he handed the clipboard back to Vera, his lips pressing firmly together, as if holding back words.

I looked down, his gaze too much. I wondered what he was thinking, or if I even wanted to know, as guilt clattered around inside my chest.

Vera surveyed the rest of the names, oblivious to the live wire linking John and me together. She told us that one person had come in at one thirty; we might pass them on the way up. If it worked out right, they could act as a witness, proof that John was there if anyone felt the need to check.

After that, I didn’t get any more chances to read John’s face, to search for feelings, for answers, for what we should do next. He took the lead, and though I was just behind him, Vera bringing up the rear, he didn’t look back as we began our ascent through sheer carved rocks covered in moss. I wasn’t sure if he was laser-focused on what he had to do or if he was avoiding catching my eyes again.

I tried to distract myself, taking in all the nature around us. The trees weren’t fully bare yet, though it was deep enough into fall that there were plenty beneath our feet; the sounds of snapping twigs, crackling leaves, the pop of a branch, creating an afternoon cacophony. I kept my hands in the pockets of my hoodie, my water bottle hooked to my belt with a carabiner. I had to act normal. With Vera bringing up the rear, she could see us both, our every move, like actors in a play. I forced myself to take a deep breath, to focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

She would never know. She couldn’t ever know. I loved her too much for that.