She didn’t look tired. “What about your big news?”
“It’ll keep.”
It had barely kept the other night when I’d had to beg her to hold off. I was getting a bad feeling. “Are you okay?” I asked. “Because the cult comment was supposed to be a joke.”
Selena smiled, but it looked a little sad to me.
“Hey.” I pulled my door shut again. “You’d tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes, Dana,” she said, in a tone that implied an eye roll even without one. “I was just thinking about old stuff that I don’t have to anymore.” She grinned. “I get to think about new stuff, really awesome new stuff. Stuff that will blow your cap off.” She leaned over and flicked my ball cap up. “Now get out so I can get back to my dorm. Tell Mom and Dad I’ll see them on Tuesday for your game, and then I’ll spill.”
CHAPTER 14
Jessalyn was right behind me as we reentered the locker room after practice on Monday afternoon. We both lifted off our sweat-drenched T-shirts and let them hit the ground with a wet smack. We grinned together.
“We are beasts,” she said, slapping the hand I raised.
“Super-hot lady beasts.” I flexed in my sports bra. Then I collapsed onto the bench. “And I’m done.”
“Oh, get this.” Jessalyn opened her locker. “Ryan asked me out during fourth period.”
I opened my own locker. “What a tool.”
She scoffed, nodding. “He broke up with Sadie, what, a week ago?”
“Not even. So what did you do?”
“I told him to blow me.”
“Did you really?”
Jessalyn and I both turned to see Sadie standing behind us. Their breakup had blindsided her. Most days her eyes were still red from crying, but she almost looked like she could smile as she waited for Jessalyn’s answer.
“I have the detention slip to prove it.”
Sadie did smile.
“He’s a turd of a human being,” I said. We’d all told her the same thing over and over again, but she said it helped each time she heard it. I had no problem reminding her as often as I could.
“Thanks, guys.”
“Hey, why don’t you come over?” Jessalyn said to Sadie. “We can all swing by Mostly Bread and grab food, say hi to Nick, then binge-watch something at my house.”
“Yeah, okay.”
I slipped on my flip-flops, avoiding eye contact. “I can’t this time.”
“Why not?” Jessalyn frowned at me. “I know you were sick yesterday, but you said you felt better.”
I’d claimed another headache as an excuse to hide in my room Sunday and avoid my parents. “I feel fine. I just can’t, okay?” I turned to Sadie. “Ryan never deserved you. Never. Not for one tiny second. He’s a skid mark.”
“Skid mark,” Jessalyn echoed, but she was still frowning at me as I pulled on a clean shirt and grabbed my bag.
“I’ll catch you guys tomorrow.”
* * *
At home, I tried to slip in unnoticed, but Mom had bat ears. She probably heard me walking up the driveway. She came around the corner just as I was closing the front door behind me.
