CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: SUSPECTS

Adam's POV

"Explain," was all Fiona ordered as soon as she answered her phone. It was Saturday morning, and I'd spent most of Friday night trying to get a hold of Fiona after I saw the text messages I'd been left with while I was busy with Bianca.

"I will as soon as you promise you'll believe what I say."

Fiona was silent for a moment too long. I swallowed hard. What if she didn't believe me when I lied about Bianca and I only being friends? I wouldn't blame her if she did. It wasn't like I'd really believed her when she'd said that Jeffrey was just an old friend.

Finally Fiona said, "Hurry up with it, Adam. It's Saturday, and I have plans."

"Bianca and I are just friends."

I could see her furrowed expression on the other end of the phone. I could taste the poisoned tone of her voice. She wasn't buying it.

"Well I remember you two going for each other's neck every moment you got. What happened to hating Bianca with all of your heart? Are you best friends with her now or something? I need answers, Adam!"

I stopped pacing my bedroom and sat down at the edge of my bed. "Fiona," I interrupted shakily, "slow down so that I can explain this."

I swallowed again. My mouth was salivating like crazy. The thought of lying to Fiona made my stomach churn in ways like never before. I could just feel her blue eyes seeing through every lie I was about to tell her.

I rubbed my lips together and wetted them anxiously. A breath caught in my throat, and I heard Fiona sigh on the other end of the line. She was probably examining her French manicure right now.

"Bianca and I are friends now," I lied in a cracking voice. Well it was only half of a lie, so it wasn't really that bad. No, the worse was still to come.

"I know I used to hate her and was pretty sure that she was the spawn of Satan, but she's changed a lot ever since last year. She's nicer and doesn't live just to ruin my day anymore," I explained further.

"Wow, that's sweet. Do you file each other's nails too?" I could taste the bitter sarcasm in Fiona's usually light tone. Now it was heavy.

"Fiona, you're not funny. I know you think she's evil, but you of all people should know how people can change."

"Are you cheating on me, Adam?" she asked without warning. I was taken aback by her sudden question. One minute we're on the subject of Bianca changing. Next we're talking about whether I'm cheating or not.

I silently wished that we'd stayed on the earlier subject of Bianca.

"Of course not," I answered with a cracking voice. I hoped that Fiona would just think that was me getting emotional or something.

I could hear that she was crying by the tone in her voice. "Adam, I really don't need this. Please, please tell me you're not cheating. Swear it to me."

I closed my eyelids over my blue irises, and my eyebrows met over my nose. The only choice I had was to lie. I couldn't hurt Fiona like that and just say that I had been cheating on her since before December.

"I would never do something like that to you, Fiona. I love you. Please don't cry. I swear I'm not cheating." It was breaking my heart to lie to her like this.

But I would rather it be my heart breaking than hers. She didn't deserve that kind of heartache. After everything that Fiona had been through with the drinking and with Bobby, she didn't deserve any kind of pain. She didn't deserve me. After all, I was the one who was truly causing her all of this insufferable pain.

It was my fault. All of this was my fault. It was always my fault.

"Adam, are you still there?" she asked after minutes of silence. I must've been too quiet while I'd been thinking to myself.

"I'm here."

"I believe you," she choked out. "I'm hanging up now. I'll see you next month. I love you."

I was in the middle of replying when I heard the dial tone. She'd already hung up on me. I hit the red button on my phone before lying down on my backside and staring up at the ceiling.

I counted the tiny dots on my ceiling while I though about everything. How had Fiona even known that I was hanging out with Bianca in the first place? Clare wouldn't have told her would she?

I'd always seen Clare as the girls who fought for everyone's peace. So if it meant that Fiona and I were stable, she wouldn't even think about telling her about me and Bianca. And Clare still thought that I hated Bianca, so she wasn't being suspicious anymore.

So who else besides me or Bianca knew that we were hanging out? Maybe Fitz had told her? No, Fitz didn't even have Fiona's number. Plus he could care less about what Bianca and I were doing behind everyone's back.

And Eli wasn't on the list because he would be the one to make sure that no one found out. He would be on my side. Eli was my friend. He would never turn on me like that. So I could definitely scratch his name off of my list.

Maybe Bianca had sent Fiona a text message from an anonymous number saying that I was hanging out with her. No, Bianca didn't give a damn about what Fiona knew.

So the only people left on my list of suspects were Holly J…and Drew. Was I really right to suspect my brother like that?

Maybe he'd known about Bianca and I having an affair this whole time. Perhaps he'd gotten angry and jealous when Bianca had chosen me and had called Fiona to tell her that he'd seen us hanging out.

Fiona couldn't really question him if he did. He would only be looking out for her as a friend. And Drew would make it look like he was worried about Bianca hurting me just to make it more believable.

I couldn't believe this. It had been my own brother all along. He was the one hiding the weapon behind his back.

A/N: I know I dropped off the face of the earth. Sorry. I'm trying to update everything this week, so chill out.