Curse of the Wickeds (The Cinderella Society, Episode 2) by Kay Cassidy Page B

do that.”
    By sticking up for her, obviously. Was I really the only one who saw that? “If we let them use Heather, they’ll keep blackmailing other girls because they’ll know they can. How many Reggies do they have to hurt before you step up?”
    Sarah Jane tried to calm me down in her peace-and-light way, but Paige simply studied me like I was an experiment gone awry. Which maybe I was.
    When Paige spoke again, there was a hint of admiration in her voice laced with caution. “Don’t get in deeper than you can get out of, Jess. There’s only so much we can do to protect you.”
    Given Lexy’s fascination with torturing me, that wasn’t a news flash. “I’m not turning my back on Heather. If she needs me, I’m there.”
    “As long as you understand the consequences.”
    “Crystal clear.”
    Paige gave me a stiff nod and picked up her stuff to go to the lounge. Space was a good thing for both of us right then. If they gave me a mission, they needed to trust me to see it through and not run away at the first sign of trouble. And if they wanted me as their leader, they needed to know I wasn’t going to back down from doing the right thing just because Paige wanted me to keep my nose clean.
    Yes, I worried a little that I’d made her mad. I liked Paige. Respected her just like everyone else did. But I had to think she’d have been disappointed if I’d let an innocent Reggie get hung out to dry. She would’ve taken the same stand, wouldn’t she? Because if she wouldn’t have . . .
    I didn’t even want to go down that road.

Chapter Twenty

    Sarah Jane set down the last of the paint buckets on a tarp covering the gym floor. We’d set up shop for the banner party there, and the other cheerleaders were starting to stream in. I dropped the box of paintbrushes with an echoing thud. “How exactly does this work?”
    She had me unroll the giant paper, stopping every fifteen feet or so to let her cut the banners. Nichele, the awesome alternate, put the rocks we’d collected on the corners to keep them from rolling back up, and Kyra started outlining the slogans with a thick black marker.
    “We can start painting as soon as Kee’s done sketching the letters,” SJ said. “We try to knock out as many banners as we can before the guys get here. Things usually get a little crazy after that.”
    The door burst open as Lexy dragged in a heavy tarp and positioned it along the far wall. It was the most work I’d seen her do since I’d moved to Georgia.
    “We’ll do a massive banner on that tarp.” SJ gestured toward Lexy. “The football players put their handprints and signatures on it, and we fill in around it with markers.”
    A shiver ran down my spine in anticipation of seeing Ryan again. I had dreamed about the lake, the jerk. Not once, but twice. Talk about not wanting to wake up.
    Kyra made quick work of the slogans, and we started painting in groups of three or four on different banners. SJ, Kyra, and I huddled together to paint Mt. Sterling ROCKS! in a glossy rainbow of colors.
    “So,” Kyra said, way too casually. “Ben and I saw you and Ryan at the lake.”
    “Why didn’t you say hi?” My voice gave nothing away. “I didn’t see you.”
    Her auburn curls hung down, half hiding her grin, as she painted the exclamation point. “I’m not surprised.”
    My face flushed, and I shushed SJ and Kyra’s laughter before they drew attention to us. Fortunately, everyone else was involved in their own chat fests and didn’t notice my flaming glow.
    I gave them the abbreviated version of our date. Very abbreviated.
    “As long as he gave you a good-night kiss this time,” SJ teased.
    “Ryan’s a great guy.” Kyra dipped a brush into a container of vivid purple. “It’s been a tough couple of years for him. I’m glad to see him happy.”
    ”What was he like? After it happened?”
    SJ’s brush slicked a red ribbon of paint inside the M . “He never talked about the accident. Not to us, anyway.