I finished telling them everything. Every messed up detail…from the rooftop, the hooded guy, to Liam falling, Ian's bully, the cops, Dominic blaming me in front of everyone, the station, the footage, the release... all of it.
My throat felt dry just saying it all again. I could see the way June's eyes widened with every word.
June's hand flew over her mouth halfway through. "What the hell, Ash?" she gasped. "You didn't even tell us you were going through all that alone!"
"I couldn't," I muttered, rubbing the back of my head. "It all happened so fast. I didn't even know how to process it."
Marcus leaned forward, raising an eyebrow. "Okay but…wait…what do you think the secret is? Like, what's Liam hiding that's got some psycho threatening him on a rooftop? That whole party felt….weird."
June's eyes were lit up. "Yeah, exactly. Who was that guy? And why was he saying stuff like 'do you want me to tell him your secret?' That's straight-up movie stuff, Ash."
"I don't know," I said honestly. "But Liam was terrified. Like… really terrified. And you've seen him…he's not the kind of guy who scares easy. I should've left it alone."
"No," June cut in. "You did the right thing. You tried to help. This is something bigger. Family secrets, money, whatever. We need to figure out what Liam was into."
Marcus nodded. "Yeah man. There's definitely more to this. A fall like that? A masked guy fleeing? Come on. No way that's random."
June leaned closer. "You think it's blackmail? Drugs? Oh my god…wait…could it be something deeper? Like… something huge?"
"Ugh, now I need to know. We're not sleeping until we find out what's going on," she said crossing her arms.
Marcus nodded, just as locked in. "If I were you, I'd be writing everything down like a detective. I mean, someone tried to frame you, bro."
I gave a tired smile, but deep down, I was grateful for how invested they were. Even after everything, they were here. Still listening. Still on my side.
"Okay, well," I sighed, "You guys wanted drama. Congratulations, you got it."
"Yeah, well we didn't want it in real life," June muttered. "I still can't believe you were arrested."
"Okay, enough waiting around," June said, popping up. "We're going to see Liam."
I hesitated. "He's in the VVIP wing. They won't let just anyone in."
She waved her hand like that meant nothing. "We'll pretend we belong there. Confidence is key."
"Yes. Let's try," Marcus said, already standing. "We're good at being nosy."
We made our way to the elevator and took it to the top floor. The air was colder up there. Cleaner. There were white orchids in expensive glass vases, and nurses wore sleek navy scrubs that screamed private healthcare.
As we walked down the hallway, June clenched her jaw, and tightened her fists. "And Dominic blamed you in front of everyone? After all the crap he and Ian have put you through?"
"June—" I started, but she cut me off.
"No, I'm serious," she snapped. "That guy has been a walking red flag since the day you met him. He acts all perfect. I've never liked him, and now—"
"Calm down," Marcus said, though even he looked pissed. "Still... she's kinda right. That dude and his circle humiliated you last night. And now he's all buddy-buddy with the cops? Nah."
I gave a small laugh…more out of exhaustion than anything. "You guys always want every single detail, huh?"
"We're your best friends," Marcus said. "And we live for drama. We have to know everything."
June nodded, crossing her arms. "We're not letting you go through this alone. Not again."
The second we reached Liam's room, two security officers stopped us.
"Sorry. Family and authorized personnel only," one of them said, without even glancing up.
June blinked, "Seriously? We just want to check if he's okay—"
I tried. "We're classmates. Just wanted to…."
"No exceptions, rules are rules," the guard cut in.
Marcus stepped in. "Hey man, we're not here to cause trouble. Just wanted to see if he's okay."
I sighed and stepped back. "Let's not cause a scene. Let's just go."
June crossed her arms, disappointed. "Of course the rich kid gets an entire floor."
As we walked back down the hallway, I saw it hit them…the reality. Liam came from a world we didn't belong to. He was a golden boy from a rich family. I was… well, the scholarship kid who almost got blamed for his fall.
"It's not fair," June whispered as we left the ward.
It was sunset by the time we got back downstairs. I checked the time. 6:05 PM. Monday. The world outside kept moving.
I walked them to the hospital entrance.
"I should head back in," I said. "You guys have school in the morning. I'll stay back with Mom and Alia."
June groaned. "Right. Reality."
"We'll come by again later," June said. "And… we want updates. Full updates."
I chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. I'll text."
Marcus crossed his arms. "We'll keep digging, okay?"
June nodded. "You call us if anything happens. I don't care if it's 3AM ish."
She smiled and gave me a quick hug. Marcus bumped my fist. They walked off, still whispering to each other, probably already coming up with wild conspiracy theories.
As I turned to head back in, I saw someone leaning against the entrance.
Dominic.
He stood there in a hoodie and jeans. He looked up when he saw me. "Hey."
"Hey," I said, as my voice cracked a little. I wasn't sure how to act around him now.
"Thanks… for yesterday," I added. "You didn't have to help, but you did."
He shrugged. "My pleasure."
There was a beat of silence between us. Not exactly tension...but something close to it. We weren't friends. Not enemies either. We were both figuring out what the hell to do with everything that had happened.
His hands were in his jacket pockets, and his eyes lingered on mine for a second too long.
"You doing okay?" he asked eventually.