Lies I Told by Michelle Zink Page B

Selena what she was reading. Everything would be fine.
    Logan smiled down at me. “Hey.”
    Heat rushed to my stomach as his denim-clad thigh brushed against mine under the table.
    â€œHey,” I said. “Thanks for yesterday. I had fun.”
    â€œMe too. My parents like you.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œYeah.” He leaned in, so close I could smell the Mango Madness Snapple, fruity and tropical, on his breath. “So do I.”
    I smiled up at him and something warm and tremulous seemed to blossom between us.
    After that, I was surprised how easy it was, sliding into Logan’s group, sitting with them at lunch, hanging out by the BMW in the morning. Even more surprising was how much I liked them. Sure, they were spoiled and a little entitled—Rachel being one of the worse offenders—but they were nice and interesting, too. They welcomed Selena without question, and after some initial shyness, she seemed happy to have a new group of friends. Olivia teased her about her propensity for the clearance rack and Selena teased back about Olivia’s shoes costing enough to feed ten third-world children. But it was all in good fun. Selena still said hello to Ashley in the halls and still walked to and from school with Nina, so I guessed the new arrangement hadn’t impacted their less-than-wholehearted friendship.
    Even the guys seemed happy to have us around, and Raj and Liam parted ways with Logan at the first bell so we could walk to class alone together. After Parker’s intensity, it was nice to just be with someone. To be silent in someone’s company without worrying that they were slip-sliding toward the depression and self-destruction that always seemed to lurk under Parker’s surface.
    Rachel was the only one who never quite warmed up, and I got tired of the icy gaze, the surreptitious glances, the flip of red hair. Tired of Rachel acting like I would go away if only she ignored me long enough. Then, just when I was ready to tell her to bite me, I would see that thing in her eyes, that sly and knowing thing that made my heart skip a beat for no good reason. A rush of fear would flood my body and I’d have to remind myself to take it easy. To be careful.
    By the second week of October, my nerves were shot. Torn between annoyance and anxiety, I finally decided to err on the side of caution by trying one last time to win Rachel over. It might not make a difference to the con, but it would definitely make things more pleasant in the meantime.
    Drastic times call for drastic measures and all that.
    I made my move on a Friday, inviting Selena, Rachel, Harper, and Olivia over for a hangout and sleepover later that night. I half hoped they would say no—I was a little freaked about the idea of having them all in the house on Camino Jardin—but they were all over the idea. Olivia launched into a plan to give Selena a makeover (over Selena’s very public protests), and Harper suggested a clothing swap (after glancing nervously at Rachel for approval).
    Rachel just sat there.
    â€œYou’ll come, too, right, Rach?” Olivia asked.
    Rachel hesitated, glancing at me before turning her gaze on Olivia with a smile. “Definitely. Sounds like fun.”
    Later, when I was saying good-bye to Logan after making plans to get together Saturday night, he tucked a piece ofhair behind my ear and smiled.
    â€œYou don’t have to win Rachel over for me, you know. I don’t care what she thinks.”
    â€œYeah, but I do,” I said. “You’ve all been friends a long time. I don’t want to be the one who makes that awkward. I just don’t get why she hates me so much.”
    Logan laughed. “She doesn’t hate you. She’s just . . . Rachel. It takes her a while to trust people. It’s crazy, but she’ll come around.”
    I gave him a hug good-bye, his words echoing through my mind. There was no way to tell him that Rachel