They Left Me Out of Their Group So I'll Leave Them Out of My Life novel · Chapter 10 of 24

Chapter 10: After Hours

Colby came to my apartment at seven the next morning, straight off his shift.

He still had the yellow vest on under his jacket, and he smelled of cardboard and cold air.

I put a mug of coffee in front of him and slid my phone across the table.

"Read it," I said. "All eleven pictures."

He read.

I watched his face go through every one of them.

When he reached the credit union letter he stopped and put the phone down.

"That's Dad's shop."

"Yes."

"Mom's been paying the shop with your money."

"Yes."

"And I was the cover." He said it slowly. "Me and the school and the grades. I was how she explained it."

"You were the reason I didn't ask."

Colby put both hands over his face.

I let him sit there.

When he took his hands away his eyes were red.

"What do I do?"

"You tell Dad."

"Corina, I can't."

"You can, and you will, and I'll tell you how."

I had thought about it all night.

"You tell him everything. That you left school. That Mom knew. That the screenshot was fake. I'll send you the pictures to show him the rest. You do it before the party, by Friday the sixteenth. In person, not by text."

"He'll kill me."

"He won't."

"He'll kill her."

"That's between them."

Colby stared at the table.

"And if I don't?"

"Then I do it for you," I said. "At the Harbor Room, in front of everyone, with you standing next to me."

He took a long breath.

"You'd really do that."

"I did say I'd come to the graduation."

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