For a few moments, I allowed myself to go back to that time. I’d been so taken by Victor all those years ago. His thick accent, his warm eyes. I remembered how it felt to be in his arms. The way we fit together so seamlessly whenever he hugged me. There was no way of telling where he ended, and I began. Back then, I’d been the one who was in love. Victor had been completely unaware of my feelings.

Time intervened, turning puppy love into a deep friendship that rivaled the one I shared with Anamae. But while she and I were tight, unbreakable, Victor had touched my soul. I stared back at him, wishing there was another way.

I sighed.

Victor would love me forever no matter what happened today. I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve him in my life. “I love you,” I said automatically. “I always will.”

“So let’s leave it at that,” he said.

Apparently, Victor didn’t want to taint Grinds either. Without discussion, the decision to go straight to my house was made for me. Thankfully, Mom and Desmond weren’t home when Victor pulled into my driveway. My mother absolutely adored Victor. I wasn’t eager to explain the breakup to her.

“Here,” I said, reaching behind my neck to remove the silver locket he’d given me for Christmas.

“Keep it, Leathal,” Victor said. His eyes suddenly fastened on the pendant. Leaning closer to me, he lifted the locket, pulling it loose from the other chain. He studied the J for a long moment. “It’s true then?” he asked.

“What’s true?”

“You and Jake,” Victor said, his voice as cold as ice.

“Jake who?” I asked in confusion.

“Jake Green,” Victor said. “Talia told me she saw you two painting a big red heart on the spirit rock. I thought you said you were over him.”

The fact I didn’t know who Jake Green was would not be a valid argument against the accusation in Victor’s voice. It hit me then. Another imperfection in this shifted reality. It would be impossible to rebuild everything and still have it all fit. For whatever reason, the boy I’d formally known as Kevin Green was called Jake Green in this reality.

“Jake?” I asked. “No. Absolutely not.”

“So why do you have his initial?”

“It’s not what you think.” My mind reeled, trying to find an excuse for having James’s wedding token hanging around my neck.

Calm down, I thought.

What would I possibly be doing with Kevin or Jake in any reality? We’d dated for a minute. When we broke up, his mother, my English teacher, had been a royal pain in the rear about it. I couldn’t image any situation in which Jake and I would be doing anything together. It felt as foreign to me as my being on the prom committee.