9781250209153

My body burns so hot I think I might pass out. Irene’s cheeks have
turned a patchy dark color. We lock eyes for a splintering second.
Charlotte pulls out her phone. “Lord knows we’ve had our differences,
Ireenie,” she says, “but for old times’ sake, I’ll do you a solid. It’s only fair
for you to know.”
She drops the basketball carelessly and walks toward Irene with her
phone. My pulse is hammering; I’m sweating like I’m in a nightmare. I
have no idea what’s on that phone, but I know it’s bad.
Charlotte leans in toward Irene so no one else can see what they’re
looking at. It’s easy to tell the exact moment Irene sees whatever the bad
thing is, because her jaw locks and her mouth sets into a thin, firm line.
She looks up at me for a quick, searing second. Then she clears her
throat.
“Practice is over,” she says in a shaky voice. “Everyone go home.”
She turns on her heel and walks off with her head held high.
I chase her down in the parking lot. She’s completely alone, without even
Honey-Belle to fuss over her. I catch up to her as she’s slamming her duffel
bag into her car.
“Irene! Wait!”
She turns to me with those dark, expressive eyes. My heart drops when I
see they’re full of tears.
“What, Scottie?” Her nose is dripping, but she doesn’t bother wiping it
away.
“What did she show you?” I ask in a small voice.
She stares at me as if deciding whether I’m even worth talking to. “A
picture of you kissing Tally.”
I go completely numb. Charlotte must have snuck up on us in the loft
while I was trying to take care of Tally. What did she do, follow us up the
stairs? Army crawl her way toward us in the dark? The thought makes me
sick.
“Irene, it’s not what it looks like. She was wasted and I was trying to
help—”