Page 91 of Liam

Liam sits taller. “Cam’s beat-up old van?”

“Yeah.”

“And…”

I tell Lincolnalmosteverything. Start to finish. How the stupid name was invented the day after I found her hiding, then the note in my locker that led to the beating, then the copsshowing up the night Roman was arrested, to everything that’s happened while she’s been back, ending with our blow-up the last time I saw her.

At least, I tell him things frommyperspective. I leave out the parts of the story that aren’t mine to tell. Not because I want to protect Addie, but because they’rehersecrets. Not mine. All I tell him is that she had her reasons for starting shit with me. Reasons I now know and understand. Reasons compelling enough to earn my forgiveness. Which she has.

For the most part.

Lincoln stays silent, intently listening to every word, and by the time I’m done, we’re pulling into the driveway of the studio. The first thing I notice is Addie’s skateboard, leaning against the porch rails. It’s a familiar sight, one that always made my heart skip a beat—both good and bad—knowing that I was seconds away from seeing her.

I hadn’t planned what I was going to say or how I was going to act when I saw her again. Though the thought often crept into my mind while we were gone, I fought hard to push it aside. Avoidance was easy then. Not so much now. I sigh, cut the engine, and pull out the keys. “Time to deal with reality, I guess.”

“Wait,” Lincoln says, touching my arm.

I turn to him. “What’s up?”

He hesitates, dropping his hand, his gaze falling to the space between us. “I have to show you something.”

“Okay…”

“Just—before I do, know that I waited until now because…” he trails off.

“Becausewhat?”

He pulls out his phone, taps it a few times before handing it to me. On the screen is a video ready to be played.

“What is this?” I ask, reluctant.

“Just watch it.”

Slowly, I trail my eyes from his, down to the phone, my thumb hovering over the triangle before tapping once. The video starts off blurry, but I can tell it’s a parking lot. It takes a second for the audio to kick in, then the camera pans over to an old truck and a girl with a baseball bat. My shoulders tense the moment recognition hits. Breath caught in my chest, I watch intently as Addie takes swings at the truck, aiming first at the rear lights, then the side mirror. I wince at the sound of glass shattering, then at the yells of the bystanders. OfRoman. The person recording moves closer just as Addie takes out the headlights. Then she climbs the hood, raises the bat above her head, and strikes down directly on the windshield. “Addie!” Roman yells, standing beside the truck, trying to grasp her legs. Whoever’s recording is next to him now, and the speakers crackle when Roman shouts, “That’senough!”

The camera zooms in on Addie’s face. It’s almost like her body was there, but her mind wasn’t—not until she heard Roman’s voice. She turns to him, her eyes wide… as if surprised by her own actions. Then her shoulders shake, and she lets out a heart-wrenching sob—the single sound shattering my soul to pieces. She collapses, first onto the hood, then into Roman’s arms. “I didn’t know,” she cries.

Roman holds her tighter, stroking her messy braid. “It’s okay.”

The video ends, the screen going dark, and there’s a visceral ache in my chest. A knot in my gut so painful it has me breathless. A part of me wants to hit play again, just to catch any details I may have missed. But… I don’t think I can bear it—watching her like that… seeing her fall apart, completely unhinged and detached from reality.

I hand Linc back his phone and speak through the ache in my throat. “When did that happen?”

“The day before we left.”

The same day I screamed at her, told her how badly she’d ruined me.

“The truck?”

“It’s Helmet’s.”

I try to put the pieces together, one by one.

“You okay?” Linc asks, his hand landing on my shoulder.

I stare ahead, but everything’s a blur. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I face him. “Is that why you wanted to leave, so I wouldn’t see it?”

He shakes his head. “I didn’t tell you because I know you, and I wanted to give you time to process it, andno. Isuggestedwe leave town because I knew you would, with or without me, and I wanted to be there.” He lets out a weighted breath. “You don’t go closet-dark for nothing, Liam.”

---