Chapter 28 WHAT'S A FRIEND FOR?
MERRIELYNN.
Emorie closed the door behind her, her expression hard.
I could see the fire in her eyes as she stared at me, and I felt my heart sink. This wasn’t going to be easy.
“What’s going on, Mere?” she asked, her voice sharp and full of frustration. She took a step closer. “You’re hiding something from me. I wasn't imaging walking in on you and Chaos. Let alone him asking for you to give you guys privacy! Tell me what’s happening.”
My mind went blank for a second, like my thoughts had frozen solid.
What could I even say? There was so much tangled up between Cormac and me that it was hard to know where to start. I rubbed my forehead, feeling like I could barely breathe.
“Earth to Merrielynn!” Emorie snapped, her fingers clicking in front of my face, pulling me back to reality.
I looked at her, still feeling the pressure in my chest.
Cormac had only just left, leaving my emotions in chaos. He always did this—showed up, spun my life around, and then disappeared like he was never there.
And as much as I hated him for it, I hated myself for letting him get to me.
“Emorie,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “I’m… I’m going to tell you. But you have to promise not to freak out.”
She narrowed her eyes, her lips pressed into a thin line, but finally, she nodded. “Fine,” she said. “But tell me the truth. Is he the one who hurt you?”
I shook my head quickly, feeling my throat tighten. “No. Cormac isn’t the one who...gave me the black eye,” I said, my voice shaking. “It was Juniper.”
Her eyes went wide, a mix of shock and anger flashing across her face. “Juniper?” she whispered, as if she could barely believe it.
"Cormac came here to apologize on her behalf."
She eyed me warily. "Why would Chaos care what his girlfriend does to you? He does worse to others."
I took a deep breath, feeling a heavy weight settle over me. This was the hardest part. But I couldn’t keep it from her anymore. She deserved to know. I looked her in the eye and swallowed.
“Because Cormac…we're...mates.”
For a moment, it was like Emorie had turned to stone.
Her eyes went blank, her face pale.
She didn’t move, didn’t breathe. Then, slowly, she whispered, “Swear it.”
I nodded, feeling the pain that truth brought. “I didn’t want to keep it from you,” I said softly. “I just didn’t know how to tell you. It’s been hard enough for me to wrap my head around it.”
She turned her gaze away, staring off into space as she processed what I’d said. I could see her mind working, putting pieces together, even if they didn’t fit perfectly. Then she looked back at me, her eyes heavy with questions.
“So…” She paused, frowning. “Are you and Cormac going to be a… couple?”
The thought made me want to laugh, but it came out more like a pained grimace. “No, Emorie. It’s not like that,” I said quickly.
"He... he's a monster." I breathed out, "On my fist day, when I forgot something in the auditorium after lunch, I walked in on him and Ms Elizabeth... making out."
Emorie’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes widening with shock. “But… she's his father’s woman.” She whispered, almost as if she couldn’t believe her own words.
I nodded slowly, feeling a mix of emotions just thinking about it. “Yeah. And that was only the beginning.” I swallowed, feeling my heart race as I tried to explain what came next. “That night, Cormac had my room broken into. He had me brought to him in some warehouse.”
She stared at me, horrified. “He kidnapped you?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
I let out a bitter laugh. “He’d beg to differ."
"He threatened me to keep his secret, and I was so mad, Emorie, that I went and ruined his car after that.”
Emorie’s shoulders slumped, and she muttered lowly, "To every rumor, there's a little bit of truth."
I nodded, my heart heavy. “Yeah. And after that, there was the whole assembly stripper fiasco… and.. he's been... It’s been a mess, Emorie. My life’s been chaos because of him.”
I bit the bullet and told her the truth about the photos, and the the blackmail, all in one rush.
When I finished, Emorie sat there in silence, looking just as stunned and overwhelmed as I felt. She shook her head slowly, her mouth opening and closing as if she was trying to find the right words.
“I can’t believe I was in the dark for so long,” she finally whispered, looking up at me with a mixture of hurt and disbelief.
My heart sank, guilt swirling in my chest. “I’m sorry, Em,” I said, my voice soft. “I didn’t want to pull you into all of this. I thought I could handle it on my own.”
She looked at me, and I saw the flash of frustration in her eyes. “Bullshit, Mere. We’re friends. What’s the point of being friends if you can’t share things like this? The good, the bad, the… the in-between.”
Her words hit me like a punch.
For a moment, I felt my throat close up, my eyes burning with unshed tears.
I hadn’t had many friends, especially ones like Emorie.
I wasn’t used to having someone who would stand by me, no matter what. But she was here, reaching out to me when I’d tried so hard to shut her out.
She took my hand, her grip firm and comforting. “Promise me, Mere. Promise you won’t keep secrets from me like this again.”
I nodded, managing a weak smile. “I promise.”