“I have some idea. We were friends once, you know.” He walked slowly in front of me, holding the gun behind his back like he was deep in thought. “Do you think because you can’t see my scars that they don’t exist? That’s the trouble with pain, Ellie. If you’re lucky, you can wear it for all the world to see. Most people have their pain deep inside, in places no one ever goes. Not until it’s too late.”
I had nothing to say to that. In a way, he was right. I had no idea what kind of scars he had and just because they weren’t visible, it didn’t mean they weren’t there. I mean, the guy was acting a little sadistic and a little fucking nuts. He was obviously hurting, far more than I would have ever thought.
“Well,” I said slowly, licking my dry lips. “I don’t know what to say except that I’m sorry.”
He stopped in the middle of the room. “Excuse me?”
“I said I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I mean it, I’m sorry I hurt you.” I felt like a flood was opening up in my throat. “I…I didn’t mean to. I was an idiot back then. I was a bitch, I…I was weak. I wanted people to like me. No one had ever liked me and I just wanted to be normal.”
“I liked you,” he said quietly. I opened my mouth but he went on, “but I guess I wasn’t normal enough for you.”
My chest went hollow at the pain in his eyes. “It’s not that, I just didn’t know how to appreciate your friendship. You were my first friend. Ever. I had no one before you except my parents, and when the thing with my leg happened…I couldn’t trust them anymore. I wanted to trust you, Camden, I really did. But then I thought if you liked me then there was something wrong with you. And that you’d hurt me.”
“So you hurt me first.”
“Yes,” I said breathlessly.
He nodded to himself. He seemed to get it.
“So why did you try and rob me just now?”
Shit.
“Why,” he continued and started pacing again, “did you try and scam me? Why now? Why me?” He choked on his last words like he was swallowing a bone. “Why did you try and fuck with me again?!”
My hands went into fists behind my back, my body instinctively picking up on the flashes of rage that were starting to flow through him. Flee or fight. Human instinct. In the dull light of the room, with his wild tats and hair that looked like he’d been pulling on it all night, he looked like a crazy person. His eyes were darting back and forth like a metronome.
“You used me,” he said incredulously. “You pretended to like me, you went to my show. You fucking paid some drunk-ass one hundred dollars to be your scapegoat. Don’t give me that look. The guy approached me in the bathroom before we left. He told me what the note said. I remembered the opportunistic look in your eyes and I started thinking about things that I didn’t want to think about. I’ve been fucked over too many times to not see the signs. To know when a woman’s got something else up her sleeve. And you kept going. We went out on a date. I had to know, I had to see where this was going. We went on a date and you slept with me. You fucked me and fucked me good and you still went through with it. You say you were a bitch in high school. You say you were weak and you just wanted to be normal. Well guess what. You’re not normal. You’re definitely weak. And I don’t think I’ve ever met a bigger bitch than you.”
I looked down at the ground, trying to keep my cool while the arrows were flung. Some had bounced off of me. The rest stuck in deep. “Are we done?” I said with deliberation.
He sighed and leaned against the wall. Time ticked by. It felt like an eternity.
“Yeah, we’re done. I’ve said what I had to say.”
I glanced at him. “Do you feel better now?”
He cocked his head and seemed to think it over. “A little bit.”
“So what’s next? What do you plan on doing with me? Are you taking me down to the station yourself like daddy’s little hero, or are you calling the cops over here? Or are they already here waiting outside?” I could have been nicer to him. After all, he had the upper hand and I was totally at his mercy. But he wasn’t the only one who was lying. He led me on to set me up. Every nice thing he said about me, about my scars, was just a pile of bullshit used as bait. And let me tell you, shit tastes exactly like the name suggests.
“Well, what’s next depends on what you choose. I’m not a total asshole, you know.”
I almost rolled my eyes but the intensity in his gaze kept me motionless.
“All right,” I said. “What are my choices?”
“You have two. Three, technically. But I don’t think you want the third choice.”
He was trying to be dramatic. I was too tired for it.
“Then let’s hear the first two.”
“The first choice is that you go directly to jail.”
“No passing Go, huh?”
He shook his head sharply. Boy, if looks could kill, he wouldn’t need that gun in his hands.
“This isn’t a game, Ellie. I know that’s all you’re used to playing...”