Page 9 of Liar
“Come on,” Will said. “I think we both suck up to Ash.”
We all laughed at that.
The pizza arrived about thirty minutes later, and Will paid with cash. He didn’t like using the Briggs money, but now he had no choice. Now that Dean Briggs was dead, he and Declan were pretty much in charge of the whole shebang.
We arranged ourselves in the living room, turning on the TV for noise. Will got us all plates, and we dug in. I sat smack dab in between the brothers, and as I ate, I couldn’t help but wonder whether they’d be down for a sandwich without clothes. It was probably a daydream of mine that would forever remain one, but hey, a girl could hope, right?
I ate only one piece, reaching for another, when Declan spoke, “You think Sawyer’s going to come back?”
Okay, at that, I lost the rest of my appetite completely.
I nearly dropped the second slice of pizza on the floor, glancing at Declan. His dark eyes were on me, although they did glance to Will every now and then. Mostly, though, they lingered on me. A part of me wondered if he knew that I’d seen Sawyer today, or if this was something he was honestly pondering.
Will made a face. “Why wouldn’t he? Unless he’s still in rehab, trying to get his shit together, which wouldn’t surprise me. He never seemed like the kind of person who could ever really get his shit together.”
Okay, the animosity toward Sawyer, while well-deserved, was a little much.
I carefully set my plate on top of the pizza box on the coffee table, running my sweaty hands over my jeans. I’d text Travis later and tell him, but right now, if I let this conversation go on without adding the small fact that I’d seen him earlier, things would only get worse. I would not keep Sawyer a secret from them.
“Speaking of the dickbag,” I started, glancing between both brothers. “He is back. I saw him earlier—funny story, actually.” The way both Declan and Will looked at me right then told me they’d think it was anything but a funny story. The opposite. “He found me in the union, when I was picking up my textbooks.”
A muscle in Will’s jaw clenched, an intense expression forming on his handsome features. “He was stalking you?” Such a serious question, considering everything that transpired last semester.
“I don’t think so,” I answered honestly, shrugging. “I think it was random, but…but he did take my books and force me to talk with him.”
“The bastard—” Will would’ve said more, but Declan cut him off.
“Let her finish,” he said, shooting his older brother a look.
“I think he just wanted to talk to me, see how I was,” I said, reclining back on the couch. “I don’t think there was any ill intent or anything. He seemed…better. He hardly seemed like the Sawyer I remember, which has to be a good thing, right?”
Declan’s expression softened, while Will’s remained almost venomous. Will truly did hold a grudge over everything Sawyer had done, turning the whole campus against Declan. I couldn’t blame Will for feeling that way.
“Then maybe rehab was good for him,” Declan murmured.
“Or maybe he’ll just go back to his old tricks again,” Will said, turning his body toward me. His hand found mine, squeezing perhaps a bit too hard. “Don’t listen to any of his lies. Sawyer is the king of douchebags. He’ll do and say anything to get what he wants.”
“And what do you think he wants now?” I asked. A spiteful part of me wanted to pull my hand away, but I let him hold it. Sawyer had been awful, yes, but there were always parts of him that were good. “You think he’s done going after Declan, and now he wants to go after me?” I sounded annoyed, and that’s because I was.
I…was jumping to Sawyer’s defense. Stupid, stupid me.
“I’m saying we can’t trust him,” Will clarified.
Declan was slow to take my other free hand, having set his pizza plate down on the cushion beside him. “Maybe, if Sawyer can prove that he’s changed—”
“Things will never go back to the way they were before Sabrina died,” Will cut in, frowning.
“I’m not saying they would,” Declan said, a sigh leaving his lungs before he continued, “but maybe we could move past it. Maybe we could look to the future instead of looking back.” His warm, dark eyes fell on me. “Didn’t we learn that after last semester?”
A smile grew on my face, and I leaned toward him, giving him a soft, gentle kiss. That was my Declan. Ever logical, always understanding. Despite his past with Sawyer, he knew the only way things would get better would be to fully move on. Maybe not forgive, but forget.
“I think we shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” I said, glancing at Will after I pulled my lips from Declan’s. Now it was my turn to squeeze his hand, to stop him from pulling away. “I think we should give Sawyer a chance. We’ve all been through a lot, and I think…I really do think people can change. Maybe he has. He told me he wants to be better.”
Will managed to pull his hand from mine, and he got up, angry. “He’s lying, obviously.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” I told him, annoyance ticking inside. I knew Will hated Sawyer for the things he’d done to Declan, but if Declan could be a bigger person and let it go, why couldn’t he?
“He knows Declan loves you—what better way to hurt him than taking you away?”
