Read Online Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by Julie Anne Peters - Free Book Online

car is mine, and so is everything else of hers. She was my sister. Mine.” Joss’s voice cracks and she ends the call.
    Damn. I didn’t call to upset her. I just needed to ask more questions about Liana.
    My cell chirps. Same number. I answer and Joss says, “Check Jewell’s red leather hobo bag for the cell and keys. She had it with her at the hospital.”
    Joss’s voice is steady and demanding. I don’t want to get into it with her again, but I’m not going to scrounge through Jewell’s purses.
    “Can I ask you a couple more questions about Liana?”
    Joss goes, “God. Can’t you just drop it?”
    “How long did they go together?”
    Joss says, “I suck at math.”
    I grit my teeth. “I don’t. Tell me when they met and I’ll do the math.”
    “I don’t know the exact date.”
    “Approximately.”
    She expels an exasperated breath. “Approximately August fifteenth.”
    “Of this year?”
    “No. Nineteen eighty-four.”
    I ignore that. “How do you know?”
    “I was there. It was during freshman orientation, and Swan volunteered to be my senior escort. We had this overnight camping trip in Estes Park, and Greeley West was having a cheerleading camp there at the same time. I guess their gaydars crossed.”
    August fifteenth was two weeks before school started. “Wasn’t Swanee going with Rachel the first month of school or so?”
    “Swan dumped her in October,” Joss says.
    I hate that expression. “So Swanee and Liana didn’t start going out until after?”
    Joss lets out a short laugh.
    “What?”
    “You might be good at math, but you suck at logic. Why do you think Swan gave Liana a fake name?”
    I’m… stunned.
    “Does that answer all your questions?” Joss says. “Aren’t you glad you asked?” She ends the call.
    Mom opens my door and says, “What are your plans for the day?”
    Sleep. I didn’t sleep all night, processing what Joss had told me. If Liana was the reason Swanee broke up with Rachel, does that make me “the other woman,” too? Joss said Swan and Liana were over, but were they? Liana’s text messages suggest otherwise.
    “Alix?”
    I’m still speechless.
    “Your dad and I would like to go to a movie and were wondering if you’d mind babysitting.”
    That word jolts me back to reality. “I can’t. Betheny asked me to help her with this… um… project.”
    Mom looks at me—through me—and smiles. “Tell Betheny she’s welcome to come over and work on it here. I miss her. I’ve been wondering what happened between the two of you.”
    “Nothing happened.” Swanee happened. I add, “We have to do it at her house because it’s on her desktop.” Where do I come up with this crap? Who uses a desktop anymore?
    “Do you think Betheny would mind if you took Ethan with you?”
    “Mom, we wouldn’t get anything done. He’s a total distraction.”
    Her smile dissipates. “Fine. We won’t go.”
    A knot of guilt forms in my stomach because they never go out together. “Can’t you call Jennifer?” She’s the owner of the day care where Ethan goes.
    “I did. She’s busy. We’ll just go to the children’s museum. Again.”
    Guilt-trip overload.
    I can’t babysit. The last time I did, I almost killed my baby brother. It was that day Mom and Dad left me and Swanee alone with Ethan. Swan was watching Pirates of the Caribbean for, like, the fifth time, and I was bored, so I had all my jewelry makings spread all over the floor.
    It seems Swanee wasn’t as into the movie as I thought because as soon as Mom and Dad left, she pushed me over and started kissing me. She had her hand up my shirt, tracing the outline of my bra and sticking fingers inside, and it felt so good, and I was losing control and just about to push her off when Ethan started choking.
    His lips were turning blue and he was gasping for air and I freaked. I dug in his mouth but couldn’t feel anything, so I bent him forward over my arm and began to pound his back. Hard enough to crack a