I’m shocked the senior quarterback hadn’t asked Courtney already. She’d been laying it on himhard, falling over him every chance she got. I was sure they’d be together before now. Last weekend, Gigi had thrown a party while her parents were working, and Courtney planted herself on Bryson’s lap until she’d gotten so drunk Emma had driven her home. Once Courtney set her sights on something, she didn’t let up until she got it.
After Courtney had left, I stumbled onto Bryson and Gigi on the front porch. He had his arm around Gigi, who was wearing his jacket. Knowing how Courtney felt about him, I’d been surprised to see Gigi cozy up to Bryson. At first, I thought Gigi and Bryson were joking around. But by the end of the night, Gigi’s head was on Bryson’s shoulder, and they looked undeniably like a couple. Gigi had to have known Courtney had gone home drunk—she wouldn’t have dared to do that in Courtney’s presence.
The bell rang for third period, but Courtney was still rattling on about homecoming. The three of us headed for chemistry, and we came around a corner to see Bryson moving toward Gigi at the other end of the hallway. With one arm tucked behind his back, he tapped Gigi on the shoulder.
“Walk faster,” Courtney barked under her breath. “He must be asking where I am.”
Beth and I picked up our pace to keep up with Courtney while Gigi whirled around from her open locker to face Bryson.
Bryson whipped the roses out from behind his back and extended them toward Gigi. He said something that I was too far away to hear.
Gigi covered her mouth with her hand. “Yes! Of course I will!” She threw her arms around Bryson’s neck as Courtney stopped in her tracks.
Mark and Chase, two of Bryson’s friends, appeared at the other end of the hall. Chase whistled.
“Bryson’s got a homecoming date!”
Mark slapped Bryson on the shoulder as they moved past. I glanced at Courtney, whose smile had gone wooden.
“Hey, Court,” Bryson called when he saw us.
At the sound of Courtney’s name, Gigi released Bryson and took a step back. She cast Courtney a sheepish look as Courtney resumed her stride, heading straight toward them. Beth and I looked on as Gigi tucked a long strand of blond hair behind her ear.
“Oh, hey, Court.” Gigi’s voice was calm, but I could tell she was bracing for Courtney’s reaction.
We all were. I recognized the look on Gigi’s face, desperately seeking Courtney’s approval—a look I’d worn many times since meeting Courtney in kindergarten.
Courtney squealed. “That’s great!” A wide smile spread across her face as she bounded toward them with a bounce in her step. “So happy for you two.”
Gigi’s shoulders sagged with relief as Courtney embraced her.
A look passed between Beth and me. Gigi seemed to accept Courtney’s reaction as genuine. But I knew better and could see that Beth did too. I saw the look in Courtney’s green eyes. For a flicker of a moment, they went cold, emitting one emotion: hatred.
And it scared the shit out of me.
Mrs. Herrera stopped in front of Courtney’s desk to lay a sheet of paper on it. “This is your work?”
The sun from the window reflected off Courtney’s carrot-red hair as she looked up from doodling a knife in her notebook. “Of course.”
Courtney didn’t even hesitate. She lied so well that even I almost believed her. It gave me chills.
Mrs. Herrera crossed her arms. “I’ve never seen you use these types of words before.”
Courtney shrugged. “I’ve been studying a lot.”
Mrs. Herrera pursed her lips. She tapped the short story that Beth had typed up over the weekend. “If that’s the case, I want to see a better score on our next exam.”
Beth waited until Mrs. Herrera moved to the back row, then whispered to Courtney. “I dumbed it down so it could pass off as yours.”
I laughed. Courtney frowned.
“You’re welcome,” Beth added.
“Thanks,” Courtney muttered.
The bell rang as Courtney unzipped her backpack and folded the paper inside. A gasp erupted from behind me. I turned to see Tiffany showing Megan a text on her phone.
“No phones in class,” Mrs. Herrera shouted.
