Truth

Jade sighs and nods. She had a feeling that there was a whole lot to her brother's story that she wouldn't want to hear - but she would love him no matter what. "I'm glad he called you - from what I can see, you're one of the few people he trusts. He probably figured I would have told Dad... and maybe he would have been right."

Glancing again towards the bunkhouses, her fingers absentmindedly toy with Dan's shirt. "I just wanna run over and hug him and tell him I missed him and I'm glad he's back but..." She looks back up at Dan. "He probably wouldn't want that right now, huh?"


Hearing Beth answer her phone, Justin was just a little bit relieved. He wasn't sure why, but he wasn't going to try and figure it out. "Hey there. Glad you had a good day. Mine was... okay." He'd tell her later about his visit to see Jared.

"Had a good time with Zach, I assume?"


Ariel smiles and nods. "Yeah, well, sometimes the parties are too loud."

Accepting the invitation to come in, she eases down in a free chair. Folding her hands, she takes a deep breath. "I just... wanted to talk to you about something."

Looking down at the table for a moment she finally lifts her gaze again to study Trey's face. She' grown serious, though still held a soft smile. "Remember when Pete introduced us that night at the lake? It... wasn't a coincidence. I knew you were going to be there that night - Pete had told me."

Cocking her head, she tries to remember everything she'd wanted to say. "I like you, Trey... a lot, actually." A bit of color comes to her cheeks. "You're a nice guy and I've really enjoyed hanging out with you. And... because that's true, I need to be completely honest with you."

Ariel pauses again, doing her very best to be serious yet not scare him away. "I was... supposed to ensure you weren't a threat to the Elite. Pete and I have been friends for a long time, I've been aware of his position here, so he came to me when Reese wanted him to keep an eye on you." She sighs. "I did it for Pete. Whenever we hung out, I would tell him that nothing you'd done or said had roused any suspicions. The only problem was... I actually did grow fond of you. I discovered you weren't a threat at all, and I told Pete so. I... told him today that I'm not going to report to him anymore. I want to be your friend just to be your friend... not for any other reasons... if you'll still have me."

She wasn't sure if he would or not. She knew she was risking him being very upset with her for not being completely honest. She was also risking him being mad at Pete... though even if Trey figured out from this that Pete hadn't told him everything, there was a lot he still didn't know - and that was left for Pete to tell him himself. That part wasn't Ariel's job - this was.

Her eyes remain steadily on Trey, watching him carefully and waiting for his response.