Sherri was sure. They didn’t get much mail yet: she would have noticed an invitation. “Don’t give it a second thought,” she said. She was cringing from embarrassment for herself, but also for her friend. “I promise, Rebecca, I don’t care at all. I don’t even go to parties!” (In reality she cared a lot. She felt the sting strongly. If Sherri was out, was Katie out too? This now made at least three exclusions between the two of them. What about the lunch table? The lockers? They couldn’t start over again, anywhere else. They had to make it work here.)
“How dare she!” Rebecca’s face was tight with righteous indignation. “I mean. You’ve been to Brooke’s house. You were at Esther’s birthday dinner, back in the beginning of the summer! You were on the pontoon!”
“I was only on the pontoon as your plus one,” Sherri reminded her.
“But you live here now, and Katie is friends with all their daughters. This is just so stupid. I swear, sometimes I just don’t understand these people.”
“Really, I promise, it doesn’t matter. I don’t care about that kind of stuff. I don’t have anything to wear to a party anyway.”
Rebecca was leaning on the railing of the boardwalk, thinking. Sherri watched as a little white terrier licked at a forgotten piece of ice cream cone. “You know what, though?” Rebecca said, suddenly and conspiratorially. “You should come anyway. That’ll show them. They’re far too polite to say anything if you just show up!”
“Oh, I could never do that,” said Sherri. “I’d feel so awkward.” She made a face to demonstrate the awkwardness she’d feel, showing up uninvited. Desperate.
“Well, in case you change your mind,” said Rebecca, winking like an emoji. “You’ve been to Brooke’s house, so you know where it is. And it starts at seven. Honestly, there’ll be so many people there that I doubt anyone’s checking the guest list. And they’ll all be wasted by seven forty-five anyway. This party is insane. Legendary. You should come just to see the scene, if for no other reason.”
“By seven o’clock I’ll be in my pajamas, watching Netflix,” said Sherri. “You can bank on that. I heard Russian Doll is good. Have you seen it?”
Rebecca hadn’t.
But even as Sherri asked the question, something was licking up at her: a little flame of her former self. She wasn’t going to stay home and watch Russian Doll. No way. Not this time. She’d had enough.
64.
The Squad
Gina to Tammy: Who is Rebecca bringing?
Tammy to Gina: Sherri? She brought her on the boat.
Gina to Tammy: Isn’t Sherri invited already?
Tammy to Gina:
Two Truths and a Lie Page 26