Chapter 18

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His tone sent chills down my spine. My mind reeled as I suddenly recalled the crazy three-way between Zac, Brit, and the unidentified redhead from Aleah's housewarming party. "Wait, is Lily the same girl you were with that night at the lake house?"

"Yes."

With contempt in my eyes, I said accusingly, "How could you sleep with someone like that? Knowing what you know about your classmate?"

"We made out, yes, but I never said I slept with her. Or Brittany, for that matter."

"But I literally saw the three of you go into that bedroom after the fight!"

"Yeah, we were inside a room together, but all I did was ask them to make out with each other for a few minutes. Then, I left. My fucking pants stayed on the whole time."

I frowned in disblief. "No way."

Zac shot me a dirty look, "C'mon now, Cate. There's no way in hell I'd ever let Brittany come near my dick. Not after the shit she pulled on me. And Lily just scares me."

My temples began to pulsate, and it had nothing to do with my hangover. I had never felt so lost and confused in a conversation before. In a tired voice, I tried to wrap my head around the fuckery of it all. "Tell me, then, why do you even wanna date Lily if you think she's kinda crazy?"

Zac's jaw set as his expression turned bleak. "You're finally starting to ask the right questions. I don't want anything to do with Lily, but she may be able to help with something very important to me."

I met his gaze with unease.

Zac needed Lily's help?

What the heck was he talking about?

I developed a sinking suspicion that Zac and his motives behind everything had never been as simple or straightforward as I'd thought. Up until now, I believed that he had come back to Ashton Wellesley with revenge on his mind. That he wanted to get with Lily because she was hot. Neither theory seemed valid anymore.

What was Zac really after?

I didn't really know at the moment, but, whatever it was, Lily seemed to be at the crux of the matter. A question popped into my mind. "Be honest with me. Did you approach Brit and Lily on purpose that night at Aleah's?"

"With Lily, yes," he said, "but what happened later with Brit and Trick just kinda happened. Brit came up to us about fifteen minutes after I'd just introduced myself to Lily. I didn't tell Brit my name and tried to get rid of her. That's when she suggested a threesome. I didn't say 'no' because she still hadn't recognized me, and a fucked up part of me wanted to mess with her. Then, Trick came along, and I wasn't gonna just sit there and let him beat my ass for old time's sake."

"Are you telling me that you hacked Brit's phone just for shits and giggles? And then posted those texts on Sassy for more shits and giggles?"

Zac didn't answer right away. He looked ashamed. "I guess you could put it that way. I'd just managed to break into the school system, and I also had Brit's number from the party. To be fucking honest, the hacker in me couldn't resist the low-hanging fruit, but I regret it now. No matter how shitty Brit once treated me, I shouldn't have done it. The last thing I want is to end up like her."

I tried to piece together what I could from details that were left unsaid. It appeared Trick and Brit had never been part of Zac's plan, but he went after them, anyway, because they'd been monsters to him, and he had the ability to fight back now.

So, why not give them a taste of their own meds?

Hacking into the school system, however, had probably been intentional.

I pressed him for more info, "Did you find what you were looking for in the Ashton Wellesley database?"

He answered a little too quickly, "I really wasn't looking for anything in particular. Like you said, I was just doing it for shits and giggles."

"Bullshit. Were you trying to get at some files or records on Lily?"

He sidestepped my question. "Seriously, Cate, you need to know that girl has done some truly horrendous shit. She sent suicide notes to Tariq for him to sign."

My stomach felt queasy. If Zac's claims were true, then Lily sounded deranged as fuck, but I refused to be deterred.

"And you know this because you saw her academic records? Does she have a juvie record or something?"

Zac dodged me again. "I think you know enough now to understand why you need to be cautious and keep your distance. Somebody from the Halloween party might've seen us leaving together, and I'm worried that Lily will start asking questions about you. I'll try to defuse the situation as much as I can, but I felt like I needed to give you a warning so you could prepare yourself."

"That bitch doesn't scare me," I bluffed, "and you still have a lot of explaining to do, Mazur. Why do you need Lily's help? Does it have to do with Tariq?"

"That's none of your business."

I was ready to tear my hair out with Zac's tight-lipped responses. I continued to hound him for a few more minutes, but he wouldn't budge. I blew out my cheeks in frustration. My mind began to stretch and strain, seeking a solution. That's when I realized something kind of paramount: Zac spent a hell of a lot of time defending his character to me. This wasn't necessary if his only intention was to warn me about Lily. He also took a risk in taking off with me last night right in front of her. A lightbbulb clicked on.

Maybe the boy had meant what he said to me in the library, after all?

It was time to change tactics.

"Fine, then, we can finish this conversation later," I said in the most agreeable way I could manage while pasting on an innocent smile. "Do you mind if I take a quick rinse in your shower? I feel so gross from last night."

Zac's brow rose. He coughed. "Oh, uh... yeah, sure, let me grab you a towel."

"Thank you, Zac, you're so sweet."

He eyed me suspiciously but stood up to retrieve the towel. He was only wearing a pair of gray sweatpants. I found myself admiring his form as he walked away. Chiseled back. Tapered waist. Hard ass. And those fucking tattoos. I sighed softly. That boy drove me crazy, but he was fine as hell to look at.

Zac re-emerged from his closet and handed me a clean towel. I took it from him and headed for the bathroom. Very intentionally, I paused in front of the doorway to pull the T-shirt over my head and dropped it on the floor, leaving Zac with a clear view of my black bra and underwear. I heard him suck in a breath. Then, with a smile as old as Eve's, I disappeared inside.


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