Page 88 of Yearning Difficulties

Sterling had a smug and satisfied look on her pretty face.

And that made me nervous.

‘We have the broom,’ Sterling said, handing said item to Ashley. ‘We have the ace of spades. We have a bedsheet. And also, we caught a spider from outside. Genuinely terrifying to many.’

‘Well done!’ boomed the woman by the microphone. ‘That still leaves “something unwanted”!’

‘Sterling,’ Ashley suddenly said, her voice quivering a little. ‘Maybe we—’

‘Almost forgot,’ Sterling said, ignoring her friend. She clapped her hands together girlishly and gave Logan Minola a knowing look before crossing the ballroom floor. The whole audience of onlookers watched, and for a horrible moment, I thought she was heading for Killian and me.

But she wasn’t. She crossed right by us.

And I watched in disbelief and horror as she grabbed Cherry’s elbow pulling the other girl back towards the stage. Cherry followed her, somewhat dazedly. She was clearly baffled by Sterling’s actions. This wasn’t something they’d cooked up together.

‘Oh shit,’ whispered Killian.

I put it together right before Cherry did. But it still wasn’t soon enough.

‘Here,’ Sterling declared to the whole Halloween Ball. ‘Cherry Petrucci. Something unwanted.’

There were gasps. I think one of them was mine. There were uncomfortable chuckles. But mostly, there was silence. People were trying to work out if it was some big inside joke. The cruelty of it seemed too impossible to be true.

‘Sterling,’ Logan said, his voice deep and full of something cold, ‘what’re you doing?’

‘Doesn’t she count?’ Sterling said loudly, wearing a mask of fake innocence. ‘Cherry’s unwanted here. In our school. In our town. In our lives. Unwanted by everyone in Lake Pristine. Does this not count towards the scavenger hunt?’

I felt Killian tense and I was about to move towards the scene. I didn’t know what I’d do. Hit Sterling, maybe kick Logan. I wasn’t sure. But I had to do something.

‘No,’ Killian whispered. ‘Let Cherry handle it. She’s tough. She’ll be okay.’

‘No one should have to be that tough,’ I whispered back as his arms banded around me.

Sterling was still gripping Cherry’s wrist, her long nails visibly digging into the other girl’s skin. But her gaze was fixed on Logan’s face.

‘How do you like her little singing voice now?’ she asked him.

It was only loud enough for the people nearest to hear. Logan’s face gave no reaction. His cold, impassive look was impossible to read. His eyes dragged up and down Sterling’s body, making her pull back from him, shock emanating from her whole aura.

But then something extraordinary happened. If I were in Cherry’s position, I know I’d have broken down. I’d start spiralling. The feeling of everyone’s eyes on me would be like a physical burn and I wouldn’t be able to heal it by myself.

But I wasn’t Cherry.

And Cherry started to smile. It was unbelievable.

She smiled, widely and brightly. As though this was all a magnificent game and she’d suddenly been granted a moment to shine in front of everyone.

‘Thank you, Sterling,’ she said, her voice carrying around the whole room. ‘Thank you for that introduction.’

I was both in awe and afraid of her at the same time. Judging by the way Sterling’s confidence slipped, she was as well. Cherry, still wearing nothing but a flimsy silk slip, unpinned her long strawberry blonde hair and moved smoothly towards Logan Minola. His eyes widened as she stood in front of him but he didn’t move away when she laced her hands around his neck. He seemed to lean into Cherry, like she had a magnetic force.

‘I’m unwanted apparently,’ Cherry said to him, in a low and seductive voice. ‘Isn’t that awful?’

He looked like he was under some kind of hypnosis, staring into her eyes and then, as if under some spell, he lowered his mouth to hers.

But right before their lips touched, Cherry jumped back.

‘No, no,’ she said in a bored voice. ‘Too easy. And I know where you’ve been, after all.’