9781250209153

She stares at me, unamused. “I can’t imagine your girlfriend is happy to
know you’re here with Tally Gibson.”
It suddenly occurs to me how dangerous it is for Charlotte to see me
here with Tally. She could spin this any way she wants. How did I think I
could justify this?
“Irene knows I’m here,” I lie. “I agreed to be Tally’s designated driver.”
Charlotte snorts. “That girl needs more than a designated driver.”
“Who are you to judge?” I say pointedly, alluding to the DUI she and
Prescott nearly got last year.
Charlotte’s cheeks tinge with color. Her nostrils flare. “Why are you
really here?”
“I just told you.”
“Oh, don’t be cute, Scottie,” she hisses. She throws a contemptuous
glance in Tally’s direction. “You’re here with the biggest wannabe I’ve ever
seen, and you’re telling me the queen bee doesn’t care? Tell me, why are
you ‘dating’ her anyway, especially after she pulled that shit with the tow
truck last year? Or are you also so desperate for a ride to the top that you’ve
blocked it out?”
My cheeks burn. I can’t think of anything to say.
Charlotte gives me a haughty smirk. She dumps my water in the sink
and slinks away.
Tally is drinking hard in a way that suggests she does this regularly. She’s
chatting with some girls I recognize from her team, but their eyes don’t
shine on her the way they used to. They seem to be looking for a way out of
the conversation. When one of them changes the subject to her ski vacation,
Tally goes quiet and steps closer to me.
“Why were you talking to Charlotte?” she asks. I can hear that yearning
in her voice, that desperate need to be worthy. A combination of resenting
me and living vicariously through me. Is that what I’ve been doing to her,
too?
“She was talking to me. Listen, can we get out of here?”