The car ride felt like an endless tunnel, each mile deepening the knot in my stomach.
I don't usually see myself as a liar, but today, I was. A big one. At first, I tried to tell myself it wasn't even my secret to tell. It belonged to Alice. But then, when the moment came, and Alice stayed silent, I chose to stay silent too.
She must have been lying because she didn't say a word to Astor, not even as we drove away. I expected her to claim victory because she won, but she didn't. And that made everything so much worse, because now, the secret felt like mine. It felt heavy, a stone lodged in my throat.
Forget it. I remind myself.
But I can't do it.
Astor kept glancing at me, his eyes soft.
"Are you okay?" He'd ask, his voice a low rumble. And every time, I'd lie straight to his face.
