“Sorry, I didn’t mean to spy.” She swiveled her four-inch heel into the wood floor. “Your phone was just sitting there, buzzing away. I didn’t mean to look. I put it right back.”
I punched the delete button until my index finger turned white. Paige couldn’t be that stupid, could she? “Not you, my sister. She obviously gave Jake my new number. That’s the last thing I wanted. I just wanted to be free of that jerk.”
I cratered my face into the pillow.
“That was your ex? What a creep.” She eased down beside me on the bed. “Okay, I’ve waited long enough. Time to spill it. What happened between the two of you?”
“If you must know…” I let my words trail off. I couldn’t look at her, so I rolled over and examined the ceiling. Plastic stars stuck to the drywall in some sort of constellation probably leftover from the last girl.
Shanda huffed next to me. Better just rip off the band-aid and be done with it.
“Fine, not like it’s something original anyway. Same old sad story. I’d been with Jake since freshman year. When his dad bailed on the family, he got crazy jealous all of a sudden. Like any guy who said hi to me wanted to steal me away, even my guy friends. So I confided in my best friend, Becca, that I wanted to break up with him. Since he was a junior and I was a sophomore, she told me to wait till after prom.”
I glued my eyes to the plastic stars above, not daring even to take a peek at her. She didn’t say a word. “Okay, lame excuse, I should’ve broken it off then. A week after that, I caught him going to second base with Becca. I ended it. Then I drove my mom’s Mercedes into a tree.”
“You what?” Her screech filled the room. Probably echoed down the hall, too, then around the world. Yikes, some reaction.
I tilted my head just in time to catch that same expression I always saw when the truth came out. A mixture of pity and sadness in her eyes, her jaw dangling open like a horror-movie poster child.
“Sorry, but dang, girl, that sounds really bad.” She made a valiant effort to close her gaping mouth. “Can I see?”
“You mean the freak show. Why not?” The numbness crept in as I parted my hair and bent down. “I was out for six hours. Had eleven stitches.”
Her fingers grazed the bumpy scar. “Ouch, that looks bad. How long ago was this?”
“Six months.” My eyes welled up. I wiped the mist away and fingered the jagged path in my hairline.
Then a strange thing happened. The numbness released me as if it wasn’t so bad somehow, now that someone at Montrose knew the whole truth.
I flipped my hair back into place. “That’s not even the worst of it. Becca spread awful rumors about me all over school that I was crazy and psychotic. All my friends avoided me like the plague. It was a nightmare.”
She inhaled a sharp whistle. “Does that mean you chose to come to boarding school?”
Her question caught me off guard. “I never really looked at it like that. My Dad always wanted me to come here and go to Yale like he did. After two years trying it my way, I stopped fighting so hard to stay home.”
“Wow, I thought I had it bad, being shipped here because Daddy’s too busy working.” Her hand smacked her lips, as if she hadn’t meant to say that. She picked up my phone and shook her head. “Man, so he’s a cheater, with your best friend? That’s rough. I can’t believe he texted you now like you’re still with him. Sounds like he’s the psycho.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “Thank you! Tell me about it.”
She leveled her gaze at me. “How long are you gonna let some loser keep you from dating?”
The full weight of her question hit me. My neck throbbed and I rubbed the kink away. “Jake can’t keep me from anything. I’m just not ready.”
“Seriously?” She arched back, eyes wide as I’d ever seen. Why was that the most shocking part of my story? “Personally, I believe in the rebound guy. It’s worked for me on several occasions. Who wants to be tied down by a guy in high school anyway? This is the time to be free and have fun.”
“That’s my plan, just without a guy.” I retreated back to my spot in the windowsill.
The clouds still colored the world as gray and moody as I felt. I pressed my forehead against the cool glass. Outside, the raindrops wept along with my insides.
“Okay, I’ll stop grilling you.” She smoothed out the wrinkles on my bedspread, like nothing ever happened. If only I could smooth out the mess of my life so easily.
I couldn’t stand the gloom any more. I darted across the rug, pulling her into a big hug. “Thanks for listening, even though you made me tell.”
“How else are we gonna be best buds? Dishing about guys brings girls together.” She wriggled away and curled up with her laptop again. “Speaking of guys, I hope you won’t get mad at this. I kinda booked a double date tomorrow with Kevin and Bryan.”
“You what?” I inhaled sharply, but couldn’t keep the smile off my face.
“You knew already.” She peered at me over her laptop screen. “Was it Bryan? I knew he had it bad for you.”
“You really think so?”
“It’s so obvious.”
“Well, it wasn’t him.” I twirled a stray lock of hair around my fingertip. “It was Will, and he kinda asked me out for next weekend.”
“No way.” Her laptop slid off her legs, and she lunged to catch it. “I was trying to get him to come with us instead of Bryan. Apparently Kevin’s not Bryan’s biggest fan. But Will bailed at the last second. Glad he made his own date with you.”
“I don’t know if Will really asked me out, like on a date.” I nibbled on my bottom lip. “It could be more of a hangout kind of thing.”
“Hang out? Will? Yeah, right,” she said. “He gets points for boldness in my book. Does that mean you want to call off the double date?”
I stared at her, not saying a word.
“That settles it, then.” She snapped her laptop shut with a flourish. “You’re taking my advice whether you want to or not. You’ll go out with us and Bryan tomorrow, and Will next week.”
“Hang out, really, and tomorrow’s more of a group date.”
“Whatever you want to call it, you’re playing the field. Which field I don’t know, but it’s still my best advice. You’ve got to see what’s out there.”
“Even if it has awkward written all over it?” I kicked a pillow from my bed at her.
“Don’t I know it? I couldn’t let you loose in my city with two hicks like Bryan and Kevin. What if something happened? I couldn’t live with myself. What would I tell your parents?” She flashed a smile at me and padded toward the bathroom.
As she turned on the shower, I flopped across my bed. So Montrose wasn’t quite the fresh start I wanted. It was just like any other high school, except now I had a new friend.
Maybe Shanda had a point. Was I really running away from Jake? Obviously that plan had backfired because my past found me again, at least in text form. Why did even the mention of my ex get to me so much? If Montrose could protect me from the big bad world, now was its chance to prove it.
Time to forget about Jake and focus on something positive, like what disasters prep-school boys and Shanda could find in New York City on a Saturday night. Finally, something worth looking forward to.
Chapter 8
“Wow, it reeks in here. Smells like a homeless guy’s cardboard box. Glad I wore perfume.” As the car rumbled down the track, Shanda elbowed closer to me in the jam-packed tin can. She pinched her nose with one hand, gripping the subway rail with the other. “Who knew you could cram so many people into one car? I can’t believe we had to take a train for this. I haven’t been on the subway in years.”
“Poor spoiled rich girl.” Kevin slung his arm around her shoulder. “I hope you can survive one night of roughing it on the subway.”
“I doubt it.” She smiled up at him like she’d forgotten all about the twenty-plus people surrounding her.
“Gross.” The car lurched to a stop and
I bounced into Bryan’s rock-solid chest. Probably a six-pack under there. My mouth dried up.
Maybe he’d think I was talking about him. Why didn’t Shanda pull me aside and shake some sense into me? This guy was too gorgeous, not to mention way out of my league.
People rushed out as the doors opened, the perfect opportunity to put some much-needed space between me and Bryan.
The silver peep-toes I thought were oh-so-cute only an hour ago now dug into my feet as I scooched away from Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome. But they perfectly accessorized my flowy purple dress, which matched the three-stone amethyst ring on my left hand. Plus, those extra few inches of height might pay off later.
We piled off the train at the next stop and Shanda yanked me up the cement subway steps. My heels pinched with each step. At the top, I walked out into the most breathtaking scene ever.
Neon lights lit up the darkness. Storefront signs, billboards, marquees, all colored the night sky as bright as a runway. I twirled to take it all in, my skirt ruffling around me. “Times Square, how fabulous is this? Look, it’s a life-sized Hello Kitty doll.”
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Bryan’s eyes flashed at me. Was he talking about me or Times Square? Certainly not Hello Kitty.
Heat rose to my cheeks. I stopped spinning and smoothed down my dress. “Yeah, that Hello Kitty is a real bombshell.”
“Wait till you see the restaurant I picked out.” Kevin sauntered to the curb, his spiky hair blocking the fuzzy feline face.
I pulled my phone out of my clutch and tilted to the left to see around him. “Great, now she’s gone.”
“Shush, you’re ruining this beautiful moment for Lucy.” Shanda looped her arm through mine. “This is one of my favorite spots in the city. I’ll always love Times Square. It’s always bright, always loud, always changing.”
“Always commercial.”
“Bite your tongue.” She kicked Kevin’s shin.
“Hey, I was just kidding.” He hobbled into the crosswalk. “C’mon.”
“Fine.” She huffed and we followed Kevin across the street, then down the dirty sidewalk.
The whole time I drank in every color, every flash. Until I face-planted into Shanda’s braids.
“The Hard Rock Café?” She halted in front of the glittering two-story guitar, her nose wrinkled like we stood in front of a truck stop or something. She punched his arm, shoving him against Bryan.
“Give it a chance, I’ve got connections.” Kevin pulled out his cell, speaking in rapid-fire Spanish.
The crowd parted and a hostess appeared with menus. He dragged Shanda through the maze of tourists milling around the entrance. Bryan and I pushed people aside to catch up.
The hostess led us up a curvy staircase to a booth by the window. “Your server will be out in a sec. Later, Kev.”
“See you, Carmen.” He waved as she scurried off.
Shanda glared at Carmen’s back. “How did you do that?” Her question held a brittle edge.
“My best friend from Cali’s girl. We all grew up together, yet somehow she ended up in New York, too.” Kevin shrugged and slid into a giant U-shaped booth right in front of the immense bank of windows. He patted the seat beside him. “What’s the big deal? I come here a lot.”
“Whatever it takes to get this view.” She scooted next to him, bouncing on the red leather bench and turning her face to the window. “Times Square is amazing from up here.”
She pressed her nose to the glass. I slid in next to her, gazing out the window. The lights twinkled back at me through the tinted pane.
“Stop that. Who knows what’s on that window.” Kevin tugged her arm until she sat down. “At least wait till after we eat to get all germy.”
“You guys ready to order?” A waiter hovered over our table.
“It’s not rocket science. Everything’s good here, right, Jeremy?” He nodded at the waiter and started us off, then we all gave our orders.
As the waiter stalked off, Kevin put his arm around Shanda and said something in a low tone. She giggled like a middle-schooler.
“Gag me.” I veered away, right into Bryan’s stare, like a tractor beam reeling me in.
He bent down, his voice low. “I had no idea they’d hit it off so well.”
“Funny how opposites attract.” A shiver crawled down my neck and I backed up. “Where are you from?”
I did not just do that. Now who’s dishing out pick-up lines?
His eyes wrinkled in the corners, like he knew every silly schoolgirl thought running around in my head. “Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It’s a couple hours outside Philly. I go back when I can for breaks and holidays. I still miss it.”
“Close to your family?” Great job, number two on the first date list of obvious questions. That could be construed as a general, friend-type question right? I wish. Proof positive that I had no idea how to just be friends with this guy. I sipped my water, smoothing the napkin over my dress.
“Pretty much.” That intense blue-eyed stare fixed itself on me. “My mom is a high-profile psychologist. She’s been on TV shows like Good Morning America. Dad sort of manages her career because she travels around the country giving lectures and stuff, so that’s why we go to Montrose. It’s because of her I’m thinking about psychology as a career. She really loves her job, but it’s difficult to not bring it home.”
“You mean she analyzes you a lot?” I pictured him lying on the couch, his mom perched in a recliner with a pen and paper. So how’s your relationship with your me—me? Poor guy.
“All of us really.” He shook his head, draping his arm around the back of the booth. At least my side of it. “Poor Brooke, she still hasn’t figured out the tricks, but Abby taught me years ago.”
I curled my lips at the mental image—him in the middle of a sister fight, whistle in his mouth, ref’s jersey. “Bet that was fun growing up with two sisters.”
“We had some interesting moments.” His eyes sparked like there was so much more to tell. “But Abby pretty much ruled the roost with an iron fist.”
“Sounds like you’re as close to Abby as I was to my brother.” I let my eyes fall to the tabletop. I wish I still had a great relationship with my brother like Bryan did with his sisters. I scratched a chip in the wood with my fingernail, anything to avoid those eyes.
His fingers brushed mine, sending a shockwave through me. I gazed up at him, then caught a glimpse of someone standing over our table.
Jake.
My heart thudded in my chest, loud as a thunderstorm. It was all I could hear. A dark shadow hovered next to him, bringing a damp smell with it.
“No way.” I blinked, but he still stood there, the shadow too. Something curdled in my throat. I could practically taste the fear, and it was coming from the wisps of dark smoke emanating from the scary-movie-like creature next to my ex. This couldn’t be happening.
“That’s not Jeremy.” Shanda eyed the stranger. When she glanced over at me her expression died. “Do you know that guy?”
“Lucy, you okay?” Bryan grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Who is this guy?”
Did he use a stun gun on me or something? I couldn’t move, couldn’t form a coherent sentence. Maybe it was the weird shadow. It had feathery tendrils that curled around the jerk’s throat.
I rubbed my eyes again, but it didn’t go away like my other vision. Was this a nightmare? The lump in my throat dropped like a bomb, exploding fireflies in my stomach.
“Sorry to interrupt like this.” He pulled up a chair and parked himself at our table. Typical Jake. And the shadow stayed put. “I had to see Lucy. She and I go way back.”
He shook Kevin’s hand, then Bryan’s. “I’m Jake, her boyfriend.”
Disgust gurgled in my stomach, mixed with Jake-rage. Who did he think he was? Showing up here like this? Suddenly the shadow’s tendril drifted from Jake’s side of the table toward me. Before I knew it, an icy grip encircled my throat. I clawed at my throat to get more air. My fingers froze l
ike they’d wrestled a Popsicle, the cold shivering down to my feet.
Words were impossible, breathing difficult.
He reached over to shake Shanda’s hand. She didn’t budge, just blinked at me. “You mean ex-boyfriend, right, Lucy?”
I tried to nod, but I couldn’t move. Like I’d suddenly turned to stone. The panic welled up with a fire, burning in the corners of my eyes.
Then the waiter came over with our food, nodding at the new guy. “Did I miss someone?”
“I’ll have the Hard Rock bacon burger and a chocolate shake.” Jake shot me his I’m-so-charming face. Yeah right. “You don’t mind if I join you, do you?”
“Not at all.” Kevin popped a fry in his mouth.
Shanda and Bryan just stared at me.
With a surge of strength I shook my head hard, too hard. The shadow tightened its grip around me.
“You feeling okay? You don’t look so good.” Bryan brushed my hair back. His touch sparked the shadow and made it slither back to Jake’s side.
Panting like I’d run a mile, I gulped lungfuls of air. No way could I meet Bryan’s stare, full of questions. I had to think. What could I possibly say that would make any sense of my antics?
“Jake, what brings you to New York?” Kevin asked.
“That’s a funny story.” His eyes roamed over me like a piece of meat.
The anger swirled inside me, mixing with the fear and sheer panic until I couldn’t take it any more. Acid burned in my throat. I clutched my stomach.
“I could lie and say I was in the area. But it’s not true.” He reached for my hand. His touch burned my fingers and I jerked back.
“How’s Becca?” I spat out the words like they were a disease. As far as I was concerned that’s what he was, too. Biting into my lip, I glared my worst evil-eye at him.
“It’s over now,” he snapped. “That’s why I’m here.”
Shanda’s face scrunched up and she rubbed my forearm. “How can you come here and say these things to Lucy? In front of her friends that you don’t even know?” She threw down her napkin.
Bryan slid his arm around my shoulders. Even Kevin tensed up.
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