Jen cackled. “That’s a lot of exclamation marks, Slick. What have you been smoking?”
“Wolf Creek,” Freddy mumbled.
Patrick let out a long-suffering sigh. Tiffany was glad to see she wasn’t the only one carrying regrets. “Come on, buddy,” he said, throwing an arm around Freddy and guiding him to the veranda steps like a lost puppy. “You’re safe with us. Let’s get you inside. I brought those veggie chips you like so much.”
“Iamkinda hungry,” Freddy said.
Patrick patted him on the back as they went inside. “We’ll get you a snack and then you can help me fire up the barbecue.”
“I brought brownies,” Freddy said in a small voice.
“Of course you did,” Patrick said.
Jen eyed the darkening woods. “I guess I better go find Carrie while Patrick calms Freddy down.”
Tiffany made a face. “Ugh, just leave her out there.”
Mikey cleared his throat. “I’d come with you, but I gotta go take a shower. I’m sweaty after chopping all that firewood.”
“Yeah, yeah, we get it. You’re so butch now, Squeaks.” Jen turned on her phone’s flashlight and marched into the brush as Mikey’s face mottled red.
“Don’t pay any attention to Jen,” Jason said to Mikey, and Tiffany’s treacherous heart softened a little. Jason had always been protective of his cousin, whose circumstances had been less fortunate than theirs. Jason’s parents had raised them together like brothers since Mikey was eleven. “We’re all impressed by how you’ve changed.”
It was true. Little Mikey was no longer that wimpy geek who’d tagged along with them in high school. Their third wheel, Tiffany used to half jokingly complain, until a stern glance from Jason had put an end to that. But she’d been right that Mikey needed space to blossom without Jason hovering over him. Three years in Boston on his own and look at him now, all grown up. He could’ve interned at a flashy tech start-up for the summer, but instead he’d chosen to work in the Cedar Lake mayor’s office doing IT support. To give back to the community, he’d told them.
“I’ll talk to her later. She can’t keep treating you like a kid,” Tiffany said.
Mikey nodded curtly and slipped into the cabin. He was probably in a hurry to clean up for Carrie, still blind to the fact that she was a two-faced bitch. Most people had seen only Carrie’s angelic side, and like Tiffany, had been shocked and betrayed to find out she was actually the devil. Jen had given them all silly nicknames, butCare Bearwas the only one the others had adopted, because on the surface Carrie was as noxiously sweet and simpering as the cartoon characters.
Onlyon the surface, however.
Jason turned off the van’s ignition and closed the driver’s-side door. Tiffany jumped at the sound of it slamming shut, and realized she was alone with him. He returned her haughty scrutiny with an unreadable gaze. The tendons in his neck stood out, as if he were straining to hold something back. It was a reminder that she didn’t know this version of him, even though they’d been more or less joined at the hip since they were sixteen.
Tense silence stretched between them like an elastic band. Tiffany held her breath, suddenly afraid it was going to snap.
“I’m going to help Patrick with the barbecue,” he said quietly and went inside.
Tiffany let out her breath and gulped a few more, waiting for her heart to stop pounding. She’d never been afraid of Jason. But she was a little afraid of the dead-eyed stranger he’d become.
Night had fallen, deep and velvety. A bird uttered a faraway cry. A twig cracked. Tiffany jumped, her heart leaping again. A female voice laughed in the distance, and Tiffany relaxed. It was only Jen, returning with Carrie. Nope, she didn’t want to stick around for that reunion.
Tiffany strode around to the back of the cabin and down to the lake. A swim would calm her fizzing blood. Capping off the night at Cedar Lake after their Rialto performances had always been a great way to wind down. Being onstage had been a rush, knowing all eyes were on her and her exposed lacy bra as she and Jason fake-groped each other in imitation of the ill-fated couple Derek and Cindy.Slut!the audience had always yelled at her. She hadn’t minded. Better a slut thanVirgin,which they would shout at Carrie, orBitch,for Jen’s bad girl Heather.
Tiffany smelled grilling hamburgers over the fresh scent of lake water. Patrick was manning the barbecue on the back deck, which was a surprise. She didn’t think he’d ever even touched a microwave when they were in high school, since his parents had employed a housekeeper. He twirled a metal spatula, wearing a frilly orange floral-print apron. God knows where he’d scroungedthat up. It had probably come with the cabin. Some cheesy eighties pop album crackled from inside, turned up as loud as the ancient speakers could handle. Freddy was supervising the operation with a giant Costco-sized bag of chips under his arm. Tiffany winced as he shoved the chips in his face with twitching hands, showering the front of his hoodie with crumbs. Trust Freddy to jump at an imaginary bogeyman when the real threat to this weekend was Carrie.
Tiffany waved at the boys, kicked off her Keds, and then stripped off her T-shirt and shorts. The hot pink bikini she had on underneath wasn’t what she would’ve worn during her swim team days, but she wanted to make Jason aware of exactly what he was missing. And now it had the added bonus of reminding Carrie she’d never be on Tiffany’s level.
The lake was a deep indigo blue, reflecting the evening sky, layered with a gossamer shimmer from an unseen current. Tiffany pouted her lips for a selfie, making sure the lake and her bikini were visible in the shot, and then set her phone down with her clothes. Too bad she’d have to post the photo after this weekend, when she had access to the internet again. People were going to be so jealous when they saw Cedar Lake’s beauty. And her cleavage.
She ran down the dock, feeling lighter with every step, and did a perfect dive off the end. She smiled as she sliced through the surface. The lake was still warm from the day’s sun, but brisk enough to calm the tumult of her thoughts.
She surfaced with a silent laugh and cut through the water with graceful strokes, pausing occasionally to dive or somersault. A little swanning about reminded her she was a queen, and above all this bullshit. Everyone had their proper place, and hers was at the top. Screw Carrie, and above all else, screw Jason.
Tiffany’s toes touched the sandy bottom of the lake and she bounced for a few minutes, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness as she watched the shore. Jen came out of the cabin’s back door, towing Carrie by the hand behind her. Tiffany smacked the wateras if she could send a tidal wave to wash them away. It looked like Carrie was staying.
Freddy put down the bag of chips and threw his arms around Carrie. Carrie hugged him back. Was she wiping away a tear? She spoke, and the wordallergiesdrifted down to the lake. Tiffany snorted. It was just like Carrie to deploy the sweet-and-innocent act. Getting choked up about their reunion and then disingenuously pretending it was just pollen in the air.
Patrick abandoned the barbecue to hug Carrie, too. Tiffany smacked the water again. Traitors. They wouldn’t be welcoming Carrie with open arms if she’d tried to stealtheirpartners. Okay, she and Jason had been on a break at the time, but everyone at Cedar Lake High had known he was hers. And Tiffany had thought she and Carrie were friends, and girl code dictated that friends’ exes were off-limits. Yet the bookish Goody Two-shoes had dared to send himthatphoto. Served her right when it had leaked and a hundred color copies had been posted all over school like a garage sale flyer.
