Lying Hearts (Small Town Lies 1)

Would no one believe the truth? I lifted my arm back to slam into his jaw, but Thomas, one of the other firefighters, grabbed it just in time before I busted his face in two. “Don’t. Chief will suspend you if you do that.” I ripped my arm from Thomas and sneered at Vincent as I dropped him to the floor. His shirt was stretched from my hold and wrinkled. His face was red, and a few beads of sweat had gathered on his temple. He was nervous.

Good.

I pointed my finger so close to Vincent’s face that I pushed it against his cheek. “Believe what you want to believe because I let it go on for so long. I didn’t touch her, never even kissed her, I threw her under the bus for my own fame and glory. She was never pregnant. She never had an abortion. And I’ve regretted what I said ever since that day. Don’t ever speak to me about Luna again.” I turned around to see the rest of the crew staring at me with open mouths that could catch flies. “None of you fucking talk about Luna Nightingale to me. Ever.” I shoved Vincent against the wall again and headed toward the room where I dropped my stuff and slammed the door to keep everyone out.

I was furious at no one but myself.

I deserved the anger I felt for having to convince someone to believe me because I made sure the lie was so solid that no person would second guess me. It would take a lot of twisting to get the truth set free.

The bed creaked as I sat down. My fists clenched at my sides. Why did I let this go on for so long? Why didn’t I squash the lie after graduation?

Because I had gone too far. It was too late to turn around.

This was the fall out of keeping a dirty secret.

This was the fall out of being a liar.

And this was just the beginning.

Chapter Seven

Luna

“You’ve been quiet since we have gotten back,” my dad said, rolling the paint roller up the wall for the priming paint. It took hours to get rid of everything Zac Efron, and then he had to fill all the holes in the wall and wait for them to dry. While we waited, we moved all of the furniture out into the living room.

I threw away the metal frame of the bed and bought a new one. A plain headboard that had a chic farm look to it with a worn white finish. It was simple and a definite upgrade.

“Yeah, I guess I have been. I’m sorry.” The last thing I wanted was to make my dad feel like I didn’t want to talk to him. Easton had a habit of making me feel like the worst version of myself. That hadn’t always been the case, but it was now.

“Do you want to talk about Easton more?” he asked and then coughed under his mask he wore to protect himself from the fumes. “It doesn’t matter how long ago it was, Star. If the pain was so bad that it was memorable; it doesn’t matter how much time passes, pain doesn’t just go away.”

“I’m just… you know, I’m mad. I’m so damn mad at him for thinking he could just think that confronting me would be enough to just erase everything and go back to the way things used to be. He has a lot of nerve.”

“Of course he does, he’s trying to get you back in his life. Maybe he isn’t as dumb as I thought he was. You’re my shining star, anyone who wouldn’t want you in their lives is a fucking idiot if you ask me,” he grumped, like the older protective dad that he was.

And I loved him for it.

I smiled as I rolled the paint roller on the wall with him. Even with the entire Easton situation, I was glad to be home.

A knock at the door made us turn around. I saw Oliver and London standing there, and Oliver had on white overalls that were almost too short, but I knew he planned on getting color on them. Everything was a fashion statement with him. London, on the other hand, looked like she just rolled out of bed. Her hair was still in a bun from yesterday by how frizzy it was, and she had on sweatpants and a hoody that said ‘basic’ on it. She held a Starbucks coffee in her hand to prove the statement.

“Hey London.” My dad got up and walked over to give her a hug. “Oliver,” he chuckled as he gave my other best friend a hug.

“Mr. N. May I say you are looking very handsome. Mrs. N is a lucky lady.”

My dad rolled his eyes and made a beeline to leave the room. “I’m going to go up and get a few drinks and make us some lunch. I’ll be back.”

“Alright dad,” I replied, never looking away from the job at hand. I had my tongue out as I focused. I made sure to keep the roller in a straight line and made sure the light pink color was fully covered by the blanket of white.

“Want to tell us anything?” London said, and at the same time, she and Oliver crossed their arms across their chest and gave me the evil eye. They hung around each other too much if they were taking on each other’s quirks.

I shook my head as I dipped the roller in the paint tray, then slapped it back on the wall. “Nope.”

“Nothing? Not even… anything?” Oliver prodded, taking a step forward to crowd my space.

I couldn’t think of anything. “No, what are you guys going on about?” I asked.

“Um, that Easton talked to you at Lowe’s, and you whooped his ass with words! That! Does that ring a bell, missy?” Oliver snapped his fingers and rested his palm on his hip as he glared at me.