Free Saying Goodbye, Part One (Passports and Promises Book 1) by Abigail Drake Page B

jealous. The thought of anyone being with Max made me jealous. Even though I slept with Dylan, I still felt an odd tug of possessiveness about Max. He was a toy I’d tossed to the side, just like a bored child. And as soon as someone else showed interest, I liked my toy again and wanted it back.
    I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t help it. And Max felt it, too. It may have been even worse for him since I’d moved on first, with his fraternity brother. We played a dangerous game, but the more involved I got with Dylan, the more I enjoyed Max’s flirty banter, and the less inclined I was to give it up.
    I had one more call to make. I skimmed through my contacts until I found the number, knowing it was a mistake, but I couldn’t stop myself.
    Zach answered almost immediately. “Talk to me.”
    “I’d rather not.”
    He paused. “This sounds a lot like Samantha Barnes. What a pleasant surprise. How’d you get my number, Samantha?”
    “Greek Week. Last year. We were on the same committee. You’re in big trouble, Zach.”
    He laughed. “Not likely. You missed quite the party last night.”
    My hands shook. “I’ll make you pay for what you did. I promise you that. You aren’t going to get away with this.”
    He had the audacity to laugh. “Stupid, Sam. I already did.”
    I hung up on him, unable to listen to the sound of his voice another second. I thought about calling Dylan, but decided against it. I couldn’t tell him about Gabriela, and I didn’t want to talk about anything else at the moment.
    Suddenly, I was full of secrets. Gabriela. Dylan. The medicine cabinet. Max. The thought made me shiver. I’d never had secrets before. I never needed them.
    As I opened the door to the pizza shop, and felt the blast of warm air from the ovens on my face, I didn’t draw back. I let it pull me in; breathing in the humid air and feeling my tense body begin to relax.
    I could only focus on one secret at a time. Gabriela needed me most. I had to face this the way I faced cleaning my room. Just begin at one point and work my way through it in a clockwise motion. The trouble was, I had no direction to follow, but at least I knew where to begin. I grabbed her pizza, and carried it home.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    “W ould you like to come home with me this weekend?”
    Dylan and I sat under a tree on a bench watching students mill about in the autumn sunshine as I leaned against him. The trees had just started to change to brilliant fall hues, and a crisp coolness to the air made me snuggle deeper into my long wool sweater. I sat up and stared at him.
    “Home?”
    A lock of hair came loose from my bun and trailed across my face. He tucked it behind my ear.
    “My parents want to meet you.”
    “Really?”
    I talked to my mom every single day, and I told her about Dylan, but didn’t feel any incredible urgency for my parents to meet him. I knew exactly what would happen if I did. Mom would love him instantly and talk about his good points over and over again until I couldn’t stand it anymore, and Dad would dislike him on sight and refuse to talk about him. He only started liking Max once I’d broken up with him. He never liked Will at all.
    Mom and Dad were nice, ordinary middle-class people. We lived in a house in the suburbs just down the street from where my parents had both grown up. There was nothing terribly interesting about any of us, but I had a feeling Dylan’s family would be a little different. He must have seen the worry in my eyes.
    “It’ll be fine. It’s my brother’s birthday, and he wants me to come home. It’s just for one night.”
    “I guess I can come.”
    I still hadn’t talked with him about Gabriela, and three days had already passed. The longer I waited, the harder it became. I felt guilty leaving her, but couldn’t tell Dylan that without telling him about what had happened. He misread my feelings and frowned.
    “You sound thrilled.”
    I reached up