“Not long. I texted him before the party,” Penny said quickly. She flicked her eyes to Chad. “We’ve been together so long. It was silly to end it over nothing.”

I could have told her that.

Actually, I was pretty sure I did tell her that.

I fastened my eyes on Chad. “I didn’t think you’d be here,” I said.

Tension squirmed in my belly. He didn’t owe me anything, but I couldn’t believe he’d just gone back to Penny. Anger replaced the confusion. He’d kissed me on a whim. I’d been right after all. He was scared to be alone, scared to find out who Chad Ainswick was without Penny Wang in his life. And I’d been … convenient. I’d been there when she wasn’t.

He’d jeopardized what should have been the best summer of our lives just because he was scared.

Chad looked cornered. He glanced between us, gnawing on his lip.

“You’re both freaking me out.” Penny put her hands on her hips. “Chad, what did you want to tell me?”

He shot me a look that was filled with a thousand things. I didn’t have time to decipher them all before he said, “I tried to tell you earlier but you were too busy. It’s okay, I can just tell you later.”

The music faded. The world slowed. I knew what he was going to say next. Why he’d called her in here. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I was supposed to tell her—it had to come from me. I kicked myself for waiting so long. I’d had days to tell Penny what had happened, but I’d been a coward and let it slide.

“Tell me what?” asked Penny. She flounced down on the bed and patted either side of her. “Sit down, guys.”

Chad sat.

I couldn’t. I felt like a prisoner at my own trial, hands and legs manacled to prevent movement, escape. My mouth tasted like ash.

I sent Chad an entreaty with my eyes. Don’t. Please don’t.

“I can’t do this again with a secret between us,” said Chad. He was still looking at me, but his words were for her. “We’ve always been honest with each other. All three of us.”

Something in Penny’s face shifted. It was like she knew what was coming.

Chad went for the death blow. “When you sent Babe to meet me that day … I was a mess. I was angry and sad and missing you, and—” It wasn’t the end of the story. “We kissed.”

“You what?” Penny’s voice was inscrutable.

“It happened so fast, we didn’t mean for it to,” said Chad. He reached out for Penny’s hand, and a second later, she gave it. “She didn’t start it. It was my fault. It was nothing, it didn’t mean anything.”