Two Truths and One Liar by Deirdre Riordan Hall

Author:Deirdre Riordan Hall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Golden Publishing

Chapter 30

GEORGE

* * *

Watching Caroline unravel in the ballroom pierced something inside me. Her situation is complicated and I want to simplify it, one piece at a time, replacing her desire for perfection with the beautiful and messy truths of reality.

Feeling helpless, I waited for her by the stairs while a bunch of girls followed her up to the bathroom. All of them trickled back, except Harper, her roommate, who I imagine talked her off the edge.

Paloma stalks over and I tell her good night, which seems fine by her. We arrived together and perhaps that’s all she wanted. Way to make me feel like a trophy date.

As Caroline exits, I fight the urge to run after her versus giving her space.

I scan the room for Johnny Danger. If he didn’t personally kill Groff—perhaps he’s really a mob boss’s son—he could’ve put a hit on the professor. He would’ve erased any evidence linking himself to the crime along with the possibility of us having proof to turn him in.

Have I watched too many movies? Maybe. Nonetheless, what’s he playing at? Blackmail? Or something else?

Then a dark thought seizes me. What if he’s after Caroline now? I hurry outside.

She stands a few paces away, alone, in the rain. Her bare shoulders thrust back as she wails into the night. It’s a dare, a lament, a howl so ferocious she may have even surprised herself.

She doesn’t see me and rushes down the path toward the campus chapel. I follow her inside in case Johnny lurks around. Once inside, she sniffles as she lowers onto the oak pew. Little footlights along the aisle carpet feebly direct me as I try to avoid tripping. As I near the silhouette of her bowed head, I see she’s resting it on her folded hands, praying, I think.

I slide along the smooth wood. The clock she gave me reminds me of patience and lessons in love. I wait until she releases her hands, crosses herself, and sits back on the wooden seat.

“Hey, it’s me, George,” I say.

She’s quiet. The rain pattering on the old shingle roof plays staccato to the sound of us breathing. She shifts and then something glints in her lap in the dim light. It’s her Royal Lady tiara.

“I don’t deserve this anymore.” She turns it over in her hands. “I’m not a special snowflake. Just an ordinary person. I just realized it, like, right now. All my life I thought I was someone important. Caroline Goldfeather, heiress, Daddy’s princess, honor student, daughter of the supermodel Istar Goldfeather…”

“You’re special to me,” I say softly.

She snorts. “George, I’m really full of myself. Arrogant. Probably a b—”. She gazes skyward like she’s been defeated, dethroned.

“No, you’re—”

Caroline’s head snaps in my direction, sending a sprinkle of rainwater between us. “I walk around entitled as if I own this place. Treat people like crap, make the Queenies and Brookes hate me and a lot of other people too. I totally tormented this woman, Gwen, today. I’m like a character on reality TV.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.