“Oh, you will,” I say. “But I highly doubt it will be great.”
I spend the next hour packing for the reunion. Everything I would or could need, including a set of knuckledusters my friend Sarah made for me. They’re made of purple plastic and disguised as an artsy necklace. It’s not much of a defensive weapon, but it’s better than nothing.
My alarm buzzes, telling me it’s time to go see Jake. I throw on jeans and a hoodie and yank my hair into a ponytail. I’m not interested in selling him some fantasy version of Ada Renaldo. Let him see everything. Let him be grossed out by me. I fold his jersey into a neat square and head downstairs. Cece, Davis, and Krissy are all huddled around the bar register, whispering.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
They jolt, turning to gape at me like they’ve just been caught banging my dad.
“What?” I repeat, looking around for Jake. Him coming here instead of meeting me at a cafe is the only thing that could have inspired this reaction. But I’m wrong. Cece grips my arm. “She’sin the bathroom. She’shere.”
I immediately think of my mum, but that’s crazy. “Who’s ‘she’?”
No one says anything. I look around, but there’s only the usual huddles of elderly day-drinkers and uni students. “Seriously, what’s?—”
A blonde in a sundress and heels struts out of the women’sbathroom, we lock eyes, and her face breaks into a dazzling smile. “Hi, Adalasia! You look tired.”
I blink, half-convinced my brain is lying to me, but no. It’s Jenny Wallis, swanning up to the bar, her cunty pink dress perfectly matching her cunty pink manicure and her cunty pink purse. “Are you fully fucked in the head, Jennifer?”
Jenny beams at me. “I don’t think so.”
We stare at one another, and it occurs to me that the last time we were this close, I was slamming her skull into the ground.
Maybe Jenny remembers that, too, because her freakish smile dims. “How’s the flute, Ada? Still your secret boyfriend?”
I dump Jake’s jersey and my tote bag on the bar, so I have full use of both hands.
“Mall Pig?” I say to Davis. “Throw this bitch out before I glass her.”
Jenny’s big blue eyes narrow. “You need to calm down, or I’ll call the police.”
“Call them. You’ll be talking through a broken jaw, but.”
Jenny gives a big fake laugh. “Whatever, psycho. I’m not here for you. I came to congratulate Cecelia on herwonderful bar.”
I glance back at Cece. She’s pale as paper, eyes hard, and her teeth are bared. I’ve never seen her so angry. It looks good on her. She’s like Joan of Arc on meth. I hope Davis is paying attention.
“Get out,” Cece snarls. “Now.”
Jenny pouts at her. “Cecelia.”
“Shut up.”
Davis looks taken aback. “Cece?”
Jenny’s eyes flick toward him, and she gives him her big showgirl smile. “Hi. Who are?—”
“None of your business,” Cece says, through gritted teeth.
“Thanks for stopping by,” I add. “Your congratulations have been acknowledged and promptly rejected. Also, you look like one of those munted fake Barbies they sell at the dollar store. Now, fuck off before I reintroduce your head to the ground.”
“Temper,” Jenny sayslightly. “Ooh, did you know when Jake found out I was engaged, he said he wished he’d asked me out sooner? And we’ve been sending each other pictures since school?”
The words scrape against me like a dull blade. I think of the toddler crying on the street and wonder why anyone bothers. The world is so fucking awful…
“Great,” I say. “You dogs deserve each other.”
“We do,” Jenny sighs. “Shame I can’t touch him ever again. Cross-contamination, and all that…”
