Because really, what was I thinking?
Police Chief Billingsley harrumphs before shuffling away from the cell, which I hope means he won’t disclose our identities. My shoulders slump as India comes back to the bench, sitting next to me again.
“We should have done Mindy’s place too,” she mutters under her breath.
“Oh, stop it,” I say. “This is bad enough already.”
“If a guy had cheated on one of us, you’d have done the same thing,” Juliet says in a voice that’s far too reasonable, and India nods in agreement. “With more eggs, probably. Or a paintball gun.”
I clench my jaw. “That’s different.” I’m not sure how it’s different, but it definitely is.
The three of us startle at a sound from behind us; we whip our heads around as one, but it’s just the guy in the corner rolling over to his side. He still looks to be asleep, except…
There might be the tiniest curl at the corners of his lips?
We face forward again. “All right. We need to get out of here,” I say, my voice sharp. “Let’s see if Chief Billingsley will let us go. We need someone to pick us up.”
“It’s one in the morning,” India says. “Who’s going to come get us?”
“Someone who won’t be happy about it,” I say grimly. “Our choices are Mom, Cy, Poppy?—”
“Felix,” Juliet cuts in, and India nods.
“Definitely Felix,” she says, although she doesn’t look thrilled about calling her boyfriend in the middle of the night to come pick us up from the police station. “He’s the one who would be the least annoyed.”
Now Jules nods. “I would get a telling-off from Luca. And can you imagine Cyrus’s lecture?”
“We kind of deserve a lecture,” I point out, even though lectures from my older brother are one of my least favorite things. “But…”
They’re right. Out of all our choices—parents, siblings, significant others—Felix is easily the best option. Poppy would be cool about it, but she’s Cyrus’s best friend. She would tell him what happened, and then we’d get a lecture from Cyrus anyway.
Felix might be groggy, but if anything, he’ll find this situation amusing.
“Okay. You’re right, Jules—not Luca either. Let’s do Felix,” I say with another sigh.
Goodness knows I don’t have a boyfriend to call.
I stand and move to the bars, clearing my throat. “Bert?” I say. Then, because this is probably a good time to show respect, I correct myself. “Chief Billingsley?”
Bert’s head pokes out of his small office, his eyes narrowed. When he grunts but doesn’t speak, I take it as permission to continue.
“Could we call someone to come pick us up?” I force myself to stand up as straight as possible, and the posture comes easily. I’m used to holding my head high, remaining poised even when I don’t feel like it.
Bert grunts again and shuffles out of his office. His gaze is still disapproving. “I don’t want to see this kind of behavior ever again, girls,” he says. “Understood?”
“Yes,” I say, and I mean it. My voice is firm as I add, “Absolutely.”
He must be able to tell that I’m being serious, because he finally nods, his shoulders slumping. “All right,” he says with a sigh. “Let’s get you out of there, then.”
The jingling of keys and clanging of metal are the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard as we step out of the cell. The man lying in the corner doesn’t move or open his eyes; he just stays where he is, and no one seems to care, so I don’t ask.
“You call, Indy,” Juliet says anxiously as Bert passes us our phones and points to the bench by the entry doors.
“Yeah,” India says, looking resigned. “I will.” She taps around on her phone, hesitates, and then holds it to her ear.
Jules and I both lean closer, waiting with bated breath until India speaks again.
“Hi,” she says. “It’s me.” She glances around at us. “I know it’s the middle of the night, but if you’re able”—she bites her lip and then goes on—“me and Juliet and Aurora kind of need a ride.”
