“Does Ike know?” Zac asked.

I looked at him, confused. “Know what?”

“About Evie,” he clarified. “How she’s the one who made you two break up?”

I gave a small smile. “We were never going out,” I corrected. “And, yes. I told him about how Eve thought I was breaking the pact and that she had made me choose. He knows.”

“What’s he think?”

I shrugged. “He understood what I had to do. I don’t think he’s way too happy about it, though,” I told him.

Zac smiled. “Can you blame him?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Not really,” I agreed. My nose began to sting. I closed my eyes. “Zac?” I asked quietly. “Could I get a hug, please?”

“Sure,” he replied. Almost unsurely, he placed his arms around my midsection. “How’s that?”

I smiled to myself, putting my arms around his neck. “It’s nice, Zac. Thank you.”

“I aim to please,” he told me, keeping his voice light. However, I could tell by the way he began holding me tighter that something was bothering him.

“Zac?” I asked quietly into his hair. “What’s wrong?”

There was no reply for a moment. Then, finally, in a strained voice, Zac said, “It’s just not right. Best friends shouldn’t make you choose like this. It’s just not fair.”

I felt a pang. I was touched; genuinely, deeply touched. Zac truly had a heart of gold. “I know,” I whispered. “Evie shouldn’t’ve done this, but she did. And I can’t do anything about it. Everything’s said and done.” I took in a deep breath. “It’s all better this way -” I stopped short. Who was I trying to comfort? Zac or myself?

Myself, I decided. My eyes filled.

“I’ve got to go,” I whispered, releasing Zac and standing up.

“Where?” Zac asked, rising as well. When I didn’t reply he added, “Jaye-Jae, where?”

I started out of the room. “I have to leave. I have to think. I have to . . .” I let the sentence fall, unfinished. I headed straight through the house and out the back door.

Nobody came after me.

I hadn’t even noticed anyone in the kitchen. Not that I’d been looking. I could see nothing but what was directly before me. My sight was closing off like it did when I was upset. Blind rage, whispered the back of my mind. And really, it was. Anger closed off my senses instead of sharpening them.

I walked through the back yard seemingly aimlessly. However, some distant part of my brain seemed to know where I was going. I ended up at the tree house. I looked up at it, taking in all the planks that formed the house and the strong branches that formed the tree. It was strong, sturdy, dependable.

I sighed. “That’s what I need to be. Strong, anyway. I have to be strong.”

Slowly, Evie emerged from Walker and Diana’s bedroom. She wiped her eyes.

After sending Jaye to “call it off” with Isaac, Evie had ventured out into the hallway. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, it had just kind of happened. When she had started listening, Jaye had been talking about the mall.

“Remember how I told you about me and Evie’s pact - that nothing would come between us? Well, it seems something has. And, Evie’s just so important to me, y’know? She’s my best friend and I’d do anything for her -”

“I know,” Isaac had whispered.

“This is so hard,” Jaye had continued. “I mean, you mean a lot to me now, too.”

“I know. And you mean a lot to me.”

“It’s just, I’ve known Evie so much longer. I’m so sorry, Isaac.”

That was one of the things that had gotten to her. Jaye was actually sticking up for her! She was doing, hands down, the toughest thing she’d ever had to do in her life, and she was sticking up for her! Not blaming her; not even sounding mad at her.

However, what had really been a kick in the stomach for Evie had been what had been said next:

“She’s just my best friend,” Jaye had said.

And then, Isaac dropped the kicker. “A best friend wouldn’t make you choose like this.”

He was right. What kind of best friend was she, anyway? Jaye had been right - she should be happy for her! Jaye had never had a lot of boyfriends growing up. Evie, on the other hand, had always had a boy on her arm. And, nine times out of ten, that boy was one that Jaye had a crush on. However, she had never said a thing. When Evie bagged on trips to the mall or the movies and opted to spend time with her new beau, Jaye had never been upset. She’d never made her choose.

“Jaye always had to put up with this - me leaving her behind. She must’ve been so jealous! But she never ever did this to me,” Evie whispered to herself. “She’s a true friend.

“What does that make me?”

Sniffing hard, Evie took another step forward. She knocked on the guys’ bedroom door.

“Yeah,” came Ike’s voice.

Evie pushed the door open and walked in. “We have to talk.”

continue
The Index
The Window Seat