“You’re not the kind of girl anyone forgets,” I murmur, more to myself than to her.But she hears me.
Her mouth quirks.“Damn right I’m not.But still, it is better to wonder than to regret.”
Something about the way she says it hits too close, that sharp edge of honesty that sinks below my ribs.
Her words “Better to wonder than to regret,” loop endlessly in my mind as Lola kicks her socked feet up and yawns.Liz shoves popcorn into her mouth.
I lean forward, pick up my drink from the edge of the coffee table, and take a sip.
“So… apparently someone fucked in the library today,” Lola says casually, like she didn’t just light a fuse.
I choke.Full-body cough.Sounding like a dying cat with a nicotine habit.“What?”
“Dead serious.”Lola grins, absolutely thrilled.
Liz perks up, wide-eyed and eager for drama.“Oh, my god.Who?”
“That’s the thing,” Lola says, voice dropping low, eyes gleaming as if she’s about to leak state secrets.“Shayleen told me someone got really loud in the library bathroom.You know, the ones no one uses behind the archive shelves.Apparently, it got loud.Like, full-on moaning and everything.But–”
She drags the word out, milking it for effect.
“She hasn’t a clue who it is.Yet.”
My stomach hits the floor.“Yet?”
“Yeah, apparently someone saw.”Lola leans in, eyes gleaming.“Shayleen said a girl walked right past as someone was leaving.She saw who it was.But she won’t say.Yet.”
The word hits me hard.My grip tightens on the silly flamingo straw until it bends slightly.I loosen it before anyone notices.
Liz lets out a gleeful cackle.“Oh my God, I hope it was that sleazy student who keeps snapping girls’ bras in the hallway.That boy deserves a public scandal.”
“Anyway,” Lola continues, “Shayleen’s on it.The girl’s got better instincts than a drug dog.She’d track your orgasm calendar if it meant breaking a story.”
I force a laugh, brittle and too quick.My heart’s still trying to climb out of my throat, and all I can think is: fuck.
Lola grabs a handful of popcorn and throws a few kernels at Liz.“I swear, though, if it turns out to be someone boring, I’m gonna be so pissed.This kind of gossip deserves a proper scandal.Give me a cheerleader and teacher.Or rivals from debate club hate-fucking between rounds.”
Liz cackles again.“Honestly, I’d believe it.That debate captain has big “let me dominate you in the archives” energy.”
They keep going, tossing theories and laughing like it’s nothing more than juicy entertainment.
But my pulse keeps racing, and the back of my neck prickles every time I picture Shayleen cornering the girl who saw.
“Did Shayleen say who the mystery witness is?”I ask.
“No.But she said the girl who saw it talks to her when her brother plays soccer.She has to come to games to cheer him on or whatever.Shayleen’s gonna corner her next match and drag it out of her.”
My heart stutters.
I know exactly who that is.
Tara Evans.
Always there on the bleachers with a coffee and a bad attitude, pretending to care about her little brother’s midfield skills.She’s quiet.Observant.The kind of girl who notices everything and says nothing.The girl who makes eye contact and holds it too long, as if she’s seeing all your dirty thoughts on a projector screen.
Fuck.
I glance at Aubrey.She’s gone still, eyes narrowed, like she is thinking.
