"Oh." Relief washed over me. Adam's fight with Logan over Tanya made more sense, didn't it? "Yeah, I mean, Logan wasn't nice at the dinner. He rubbed it in Adam's face."
"Rubbed it in?" A hollow laugh came from behind me. Jessica gripped her books tight and glared at me. "We heard he was practically having sex with Tanya at the dinner. No wonder Adam popped his cherry and went after Mason today." She eyed me up and down and curled her lip in a sneer. "We also heard that Emily Connsway laughed in your face. Way to go, Sam."
The theatre door was open and a small group had congregated behind us.
"Give it a rest, Jess." Lydia sidled up beside her and leveled her with a piercing look. "Stop making up lies, stop being a bitch, and apologize to Sam for what you did."
Jessica's back straightened. "Me? Apologize? What did I do to her? She stood there and let Logan Kade humiliate me. He used to like me and she ruined that. You ruined my life, Sam. Thanks a lot."
Jill pushed forward to stand beside them and chewed on her lip. Then she burst out, "I'm sorry for being a bitch, Sam. I was threatened because of Jeff." She waved towards Jessica and Lydia. "And I didn't want them to do to me what they did to you so I tried to be friends with them. You know, get closer with your enemies and all…that…" She hung her head and trailed off.
Jessica whirled towards her. "You're such a whore, Jill. Sam's not going to be your friend. She hates you and me. She hates Lydia too."
Lydia gasped. "I don't think she hates me. I'm trying to be her friend." She looked at me with pleading eyes. "I'm really sorry. I really am. And I don't care if Jessica hates me after this. I should never have covered for her and Jeff and lied to you. I should've apologized to you right away too." She edged closer and shoved Jessica back a few steps in the process. "I really miss you and I'll do anything to be your friend again."
"Lydia!"
She ignored Jessica and gave me a shaky smile. "I don't care if the Elite don't like you. I'll support you and stand by you the whole time. They don't scare me."
Jill sighed. "Yes, they do. They scare everybody…well, except for maybe Sam, but still."
"Hey…?" Jeff stood at the back of the crowd, and they opened for him. His face was twisted in confusion. "What's…what's going on here…? Do I even want to know?"
Jessica turned her glare off and went to his side. She gave him a seductive smile as her hand traveled up his arm. "Hi, Jeff."
"Hey!" Jill removed her hand from his arm. "I'm not going to let you sleep with him."
Jessica's eyes didn't blink. "Can you give me a ride home, Jeff? My car's in the shop for an oil change."
He blinked at her. "Uh…sure…yeah, okay."
"Jeff!" Jill seethed.
He met my gaze for a second, but shrugged at his girlfriend. "It's just a ride home. I'm not going to sleep with her or anything." Then he motioned for Jessica to follow and the two left.
Becky's mouth hung open. "I—" She blinked. "I can't believe that happened."
"Lydia, do you think they're going to…?" Jill blinked back some tears. Her voice hitched on a sob.
"Yes." Lydia didn't waste a second. "They are. I'd dump him in a heartbeat if I were you."
My eyebrow rose. This was a different side to Lydia that I'd never seen before. When she gave me a small smile, I almost gave her one back. Almost.
Jill's mouth fell open and tears started to fall down her cheeks. She wiped them away, but turned and darted down the hallway.
Lydia shook her head. "I don't feel bad for her. She knew what they did to you."
I shrugged. "I don't care anymore." I never had. "So you and Jessica aren't friends anymore? She's going to think you betrayed her for me."
"I know."
"She's not going to let that go."
"I know." Lydia gave me a sad look. "I miss being your friend. I'd like to earn that back and that's what I'm going to do from now on."
"Hey!" Becky grabbed my arm. A smile spread from ear to ear. "She can give you a ride home."
"You need a ride home?"
"Uh, no. I'm okay." Nightmares flashed in my head. I wasn't sure who knew that I was staying at the Kade mansion and I wasn't going to let Lydia be the first one to know for certain. "I'll find—or call—someone else."
"Are you sure? I can give you a ride home. It's on my way, you know."
"I'm okay. Really." Every cell inside of me relaxed. She still thought I was at David's.
"Wait. Are you still at your dad's house or…?"
I gave her a bright smile. "Speaking of my dad, he wanted me to talk to him so I'll see you guys later." I pushed through the crowd and hurried away before either of them formed more questions. People would figure it out, if they hadn't already, but I wasn't going to help it.
As I got to my locker, I grabbed my bag and phone. When I went to the parking lot, I started to call my mom, and I couldn't believe she was my last resort, but stopped abruptly. I blinked a few times, but then I put my phone away. My mom was already there. She was waiting in her convertible.
"Hi, honey." She waved her fingers at me. "I got you a coffee."
"Mom," I started as I got inside. "I really can't handle much right now so if you've got any more bombs to lay on me, can you leave them for another day?"
Her smile slipped a bit. "Are you okay, honey?"
I stared at her. Had she not been there when I stormed out of the classroom? "I'm perfect."
She laughed. "Well, I don't know about that, but you're pretty good."
My mouth wanted to fall to the ground. Where had the mom from this morning gone? She professed she wanted to change and now I got the Barbie fake mom again.
At a stoplight, she let out a deep breath. Her voice dropped to a normal tone. "Well, I'm sorry about those bombs, but I do have one to drop on you." She paused for a beat. "Your father's in town."
I closed my eyes.
"And he wants to meet you."
"Rubbed it in?" A hollow laugh came from behind me. Jessica gripped her books tight and glared at me. "We heard he was practically having sex with Tanya at the dinner. No wonder Adam popped his cherry and went after Mason today." She eyed me up and down and curled her lip in a sneer. "We also heard that Emily Connsway laughed in your face. Way to go, Sam."
The theatre door was open and a small group had congregated behind us.
"Give it a rest, Jess." Lydia sidled up beside her and leveled her with a piercing look. "Stop making up lies, stop being a bitch, and apologize to Sam for what you did."
Jessica's back straightened. "Me? Apologize? What did I do to her? She stood there and let Logan Kade humiliate me. He used to like me and she ruined that. You ruined my life, Sam. Thanks a lot."
Jill pushed forward to stand beside them and chewed on her lip. Then she burst out, "I'm sorry for being a bitch, Sam. I was threatened because of Jeff." She waved towards Jessica and Lydia. "And I didn't want them to do to me what they did to you so I tried to be friends with them. You know, get closer with your enemies and all…that…" She hung her head and trailed off.
Jessica whirled towards her. "You're such a whore, Jill. Sam's not going to be your friend. She hates you and me. She hates Lydia too."
Lydia gasped. "I don't think she hates me. I'm trying to be her friend." She looked at me with pleading eyes. "I'm really sorry. I really am. And I don't care if Jessica hates me after this. I should never have covered for her and Jeff and lied to you. I should've apologized to you right away too." She edged closer and shoved Jessica back a few steps in the process. "I really miss you and I'll do anything to be your friend again."
"Lydia!"
She ignored Jessica and gave me a shaky smile. "I don't care if the Elite don't like you. I'll support you and stand by you the whole time. They don't scare me."
Jill sighed. "Yes, they do. They scare everybody…well, except for maybe Sam, but still."
"Hey…?" Jeff stood at the back of the crowd, and they opened for him. His face was twisted in confusion. "What's…what's going on here…? Do I even want to know?"
Jessica turned her glare off and went to his side. She gave him a seductive smile as her hand traveled up his arm. "Hi, Jeff."
"Hey!" Jill removed her hand from his arm. "I'm not going to let you sleep with him."
Jessica's eyes didn't blink. "Can you give me a ride home, Jeff? My car's in the shop for an oil change."
He blinked at her. "Uh…sure…yeah, okay."
"Jeff!" Jill seethed.
He met my gaze for a second, but shrugged at his girlfriend. "It's just a ride home. I'm not going to sleep with her or anything." Then he motioned for Jessica to follow and the two left.
Becky's mouth hung open. "I—" She blinked. "I can't believe that happened."
"Lydia, do you think they're going to…?" Jill blinked back some tears. Her voice hitched on a sob.
"Yes." Lydia didn't waste a second. "They are. I'd dump him in a heartbeat if I were you."
My eyebrow rose. This was a different side to Lydia that I'd never seen before. When she gave me a small smile, I almost gave her one back. Almost.
Jill's mouth fell open and tears started to fall down her cheeks. She wiped them away, but turned and darted down the hallway.
Lydia shook her head. "I don't feel bad for her. She knew what they did to you."
I shrugged. "I don't care anymore." I never had. "So you and Jessica aren't friends anymore? She's going to think you betrayed her for me."
"I know."
"She's not going to let that go."
"I know." Lydia gave me a sad look. "I miss being your friend. I'd like to earn that back and that's what I'm going to do from now on."
"Hey!" Becky grabbed my arm. A smile spread from ear to ear. "She can give you a ride home."
"You need a ride home?"
"Uh, no. I'm okay." Nightmares flashed in my head. I wasn't sure who knew that I was staying at the Kade mansion and I wasn't going to let Lydia be the first one to know for certain. "I'll find—or call—someone else."
"Are you sure? I can give you a ride home. It's on my way, you know."
"I'm okay. Really." Every cell inside of me relaxed. She still thought I was at David's.
"Wait. Are you still at your dad's house or…?"
I gave her a bright smile. "Speaking of my dad, he wanted me to talk to him so I'll see you guys later." I pushed through the crowd and hurried away before either of them formed more questions. People would figure it out, if they hadn't already, but I wasn't going to help it.
As I got to my locker, I grabbed my bag and phone. When I went to the parking lot, I started to call my mom, and I couldn't believe she was my last resort, but stopped abruptly. I blinked a few times, but then I put my phone away. My mom was already there. She was waiting in her convertible.
"Hi, honey." She waved her fingers at me. "I got you a coffee."
"Mom," I started as I got inside. "I really can't handle much right now so if you've got any more bombs to lay on me, can you leave them for another day?"
Her smile slipped a bit. "Are you okay, honey?"
I stared at her. Had she not been there when I stormed out of the classroom? "I'm perfect."
She laughed. "Well, I don't know about that, but you're pretty good."
My mouth wanted to fall to the ground. Where had the mom from this morning gone? She professed she wanted to change and now I got the Barbie fake mom again.
At a stoplight, she let out a deep breath. Her voice dropped to a normal tone. "Well, I'm sorry about those bombs, but I do have one to drop on you." She paused for a beat. "Your father's in town."
I closed my eyes.
"And he wants to meet you."
