Michelle howls with laughter. “West Paragon bitches live to cheer anotherday!”
Chloe scowls at both the birthday princess and me. “Bree and I still cheer, you idiot.” She sheds a dark smile my way. “Thanks to you, myliege.”
“And don’t you forget it.” Tobie squirms uncomfortably at the sight of her mother, and I set her down a moment. “Chloe.” I point down to the pint-sized princess. “We’ve got a future West cheerleader right here, and it happens to be herbirthday.”
“God, don’t remind me.” She shivers. “My junk still hurts from evictingher.”
“Chloe.” I pick Tobie up and take a step toward her mother. “At least wish her a happybirthday.”
Chloe bares her fangs a moment before snapping her teeth at the little one, and Tobie starts in on a wailingcry.
Em takes her from my arms. “Don’t be such a shit, Chloe. Evenyouhave a mother that lovesyou.”
Michelle snorts. “Come on, we all knew Chloe wouldn’t be up for mother of the year. Serpent of the year maybe.” She and Em share a laugh, but Chloe looks as if she’s plotting a couple of homicides forlater.
Bree hops over in her West Uniform and screams at the sight of us. “I knew it! We got the band back together, girls!” She rings her arm around Chloe’s neck, and Tobie laughs and claps as Bree smothers her mother. “Let’s put on a littleshow!”
“I don’t know about that.” For one, my safety pin is already warping under the strain of my belly. One good flip could render both this skirt and my back useless. Face it, I’m in no condition to jump and thump the way I used to. At least notyet.
Gage comes up with both of our little skunks in tow, and as if on cue, my little white-tailed stinkers extend their arms, cooing a choir ofMama!Mama!”
“It’s the Backseat Boys!” I edge in to collect a couple of sloppy wet kisses, and Tobie intercepts by slapping my face with a hungry kiss of her own. She pulls back those fat little hands still pressed to my cheeks. “Mama!” Her entire face lights up, and the smile quickly dissipates from myface.
“Oh!” I force the smile to come again. My heart just shattered into a million little pieces for this precious baby girl. Life had given her Chloe as a mother, Wesley as a father. As the parent lottery goes, she didn’t exactly hit it big in either category. Yes, Wes loves her—but he’s stillWes.
“Yes.” I nod, my heart and mind loosening to the idea. “Mama.” I take her tiny hand and place it over my heart, sealing myself to this tiny little beingforever.
“Mama,” she says it once again, far more docile. Her head rests over my chest as if memorizing the beat of myheart.
“Well, well”—Chloe snarks—“this means war, Messenger.” She bursts out laughing, her pearly teeth glittering under the duress of the moon. “Kidding! I don’t give a rat’s ass. In fifteen years, she’ll be calling us bothbitch.”
“Chloe!” I place my hand over Tobie’s little ear. Although—if Mia’s fifteenth year of life was any indication, Chloe might beright.
Wes comes up and gathers the masses to a large frilly pink confection, and everyone sings “Happy Birthday” while Tobie claps herself silly. Thankfully, Lex catalogs the entire event with that baseball bat lens she carriesaround.
Logan comes up with Ellis and Giselle, both dressed as condiments, ketchup and mustard bottles—Giselle’s idea, no doubt. She’s started her freshman year at Host and is living in a dorm on campus—or so Emma thinks. I happen to know that both Ellis and Giselle are shacking up in one of those rodent-infested dumps his father owns. Probably the same scabies-infested ball box Gage and I lived in once upon a haunted time. It was a nightmare. The hellhole of an apartment—not living with Gage, ofcourse.
“You know”—Logan stands between Gage and me, slinking an arm over each of our shoulders—“I do believe this is the first Halloween on Paragon where things haven’t fallen tocrap.”
Instinctually, I glance over my shoulder at Chloe who’s working on a cheer routine withBree.
“I think you’re right.” Just as I’m about to exhale in peace, I spot Melody Winters making her way toward them at a decent clip. She pulls Chloe out of formation by the elbow as if she were about to scold her and is quick to whisper something into herear.
Chloe turns slowly until her eyes are locked with mine, hard, serious, angry as allhell.
“What’s going on?” Gage follows my gaze, as doesLogan.
“I don’tknow.”
Bree jogs over. “Get that smelly monkey off your back, girl. You’re coming with me.” She plucks Barron from me and dumps him into Logan’s arms. “It’s time to show these kids that us old girls still gotit.”
“I don’t know who you’re calling old, Bree, but it sure as hell isn’t me,” I say, tripping over my feet, just trying to keep up with her. Nat, Lex, Michelle, and Em all gather around Chloe like chicks to their menacingmama.
“Here we are.” Chloe steps up with that familiar I’m-going-to-filet-you-in-your-sleep look in her eye. “Yes, Messenger. How about one more cheer for old times’ sake.” Those dark eyes of hers pin to mine withvenom.
“What’s going on?” I whisper as Michelle barks for the crowd to gather around. “What lie did Melody Winters spill at yourfeet?”
Chloe leans in, and I can see the rage percolating within her like a nuclear holocaust just waiting to find a home. Why do I suddenly suspect that home isme?
