Why Livy would confide in that venomous vixen was the question. She’d already confessed to me that she accidentally, regretfully, went all the way with John Dearing our junior year. She had sworn me to secrecy. Even made me place my hand on their family Bible. It wasn’t necessary. Never in a million years would I have told anyone. It would be locked inside my vault forever.
But the word got out, and it spread like wildfire.
“You’ve got to believe me,” I’d pleaded, the day Livy confronted me. “It wasn’t me.”
She was stretched out on her bed, frantically flipping through the latest copy ofTiger Beat. She would hardly look at me.
“Livy, please. Look at me,” I said. “I’d never betray you. You know that.”
She slapped the magazine down on her lap and peered at me. “Marianne swore to God, up and down, on the Bible that she didn’t start the rumor. You two are the only ones I told.”
“She’s a big liar!”
“She’s never done anything like this before.”
Hot lava spewed from my lips. “Neither have I! Can’t you see she’s jealous? All she wants is to have you to herself. She’s a black widow, Livy.”
“I guess it was an accident,” she said with her eyes on the magazine. Not me.
Now, all these years later, Livy was calling her words an accident. I almost asked if it was anaccidentthat she’d believed Marianne over me. But it wasn’t the right time. Certainly not here, in front of Leon and Johnny.
At some point, though, we were going to have to talk about it. Not discussing it in the first place had put a strain on our friendship.
The rumpus from another helicopter made me reasonably sure the boys couldn’t overhear; nevertheless, I kept my voice as low as possible. “Don’t ever. Embarrass me. Again.” It came out like a command. Like I was Dad.
“I won’t. Forgive me?” Livy’s remorse seemed genuine. It helped but didn’t mend it completely.
I gave her a slight nod, followed by a weak smile. I was still angry.
“Leon is beautiful, by the way,” she said, her way of diffusing the damage.
“He’s even nicer than he is beautiful,” I whispered. “I like him, Livy. A lot.”
Johnny strolled up behind us and stuck his head in between our faces. “We better get to the information booth, ladies.”
Livy whipped around. “You’re coming with us?”
“If you want.”
“Yes, we want,” she said.
Leon, who had also joined the conversation, folded his arms across his chest. “I have a better idea. Let’s scope out our spot first. If we don’t claim it now, we’ll be watching from the top of the hill.”
There were no open spots, none that I could see. It seemed we’d have to sit pretty far back.
Seconds later, some random clean-cut strolled up to us with his eyes fixated on Livy. He wore a blue button-down shirt rolled at the sleeves. “Hey, guys, wanna sit with us?” He pointed to his friend, twenty feet back, who gave us a friendly wave.
“Are you serious?” Livy asked.
“I wouldn’t lie,” he answered.
It was quite an offer. We’d be able to see moles on the performers’ faces if we said yes. We wouldn’t be smack-dab in the middle—we’d be off to the side—but so what? We’d have some of the best seats in the pasture.
Livy’s eyes danced at the chance. “Thank you, man. What’s your name?”
“Dave.”
By the smile she gave him, you’d never know she’d been crying a few minutes earlier. Or that herboyfriendhad seats for us elsewhere.
