One More Time

“Go ahead, explain,” I said.

Evelyn took a deep breath. “I wasn’t exactly popular, like I said earlier. But for some reason, Connie and I had hit it off. I got to go to some of the senior parties and hang around some of the ‘in crowd’. It made me feel important, like I wasn’t just a dork with braces that no one paid any attention to.”

“And you thought pretending to sleep with me and break Chanel’s heart was the way to go about feeling important?” I asked.

At least she had the decency to look ashamed. “When I look back at it now, I see how stupid and destructive it was. I honestly just wanted people to like me.”

“You mentioned earlier that someone paid you to do it. Was it Connie? I know she was always jealous of Chanel,” I said.

“No, it wasn’t Connie. You’re right that she was jealous of Chanel. She never quite understood why someone like you would like someone like her. Someone who wasn’t all that popular. You could have had any girl you wanted,” Evelyn said.

“And I had the girl I wanted. Until you screwed that all up. And as for why I was with her? Because she’s amazing. She’s smart, talented, driven, and sweet. She would have never done anything close to what you did to her, to us. No matter who paid her.”

Evelyn dropped her gaze and looked down. “I know. I see you two together now and I see just how much love there still is between you two, even after all these years.”

Hearing someone else say that they could see the love between Chanel and I made my heart beat just a little bit faster. “So, if it wasn’t Connie that paid you, who was it?”

“Luke Thomas,” she answered, and my blood ran cold.

“I know he had a crush on her.”

“No, no. Not a crush. An obsession.”

She had my attention, especially with the way she began looking around like someone was going to be listening in on our conversation that didn’t need to be. My gut kicked in again, churning with curiosity and telling me to listen.

So, I listened.

“I was Luke’s date that night,” she said.

“Lucky you.”

“But he didn’t ask me to go to prom. He paid me.”

“How much did he pay you to be his date?” I asked.

“Two hundred and fifty dollars. When we got there, he told me he wanted to dance with Chanel, so I needed to pull you from her somehow. I tried flirting a bit. I tried catching your stare, but you were all over Chanel and you barely even noticed me.”

“Because I loved her,” I said.

“Anyway, when the two of you parted ways, Luke told me to go after you and keep you distracted. He wanted me to follow you to see where you went and if I could get you to kiss me, even better.”

“You said you drugged me?” I asked.

“Yes. A few minutes before you left, I slipped a pill that Luke had given me into your punch. I followed you out of the venue and saw you get into your car. So, I went in after you. By that point, the drug had kicked in and you barely knew where you were or what was happening.”

“Was it worth two hundred and fifty dollars to ruin my relationship with her?” I asked.

“Look, at the time I didn’t realize that you two would break up. I thought you would work things out, and even if you didn’t, it was only high school. I see now that it ran much deeper than that, and I am sorry. For whatever that’s worth to you.”

I studied her for a long moment before I responded. “It’s worth my peace of mind to know that I never cheated on Chanel,” I finally said.

Evelyn nodded. “Look, Luke was obsessed with her then, and with Chanel hiding in the shadows and him being hauled onto the ship in handcuffs, something tells me he’s still obsessed with her, but he’s got money now, so you need to be careful.”

“Thanks for the advice, but I’ve got this. That little prick won’t ever get close to Chanel again. Not with me around,” I said.

I pulled out my wallet and threw a twenty-dollar bill down on the table. I threw back the rest of my drink and bid Evelyn farewell. Then I left the casino. I couldn’t believe it. Luke had orchestrated that bullshit in high school. I had to track her down and explain what Evelyn had told me. Chanel needed to know just how dangerous Luke really was, and just how deep his obsession went.

CHAPTER 31