sixth time I’d gone shopping with the girls in as many weeks. The pizza alone cost twenty-nine dollars for a measly few slices. None of my friends seemed to be the slightest bit worried about their own expenditures—their black AmEx card bills were always paid, by magic or by little elves or, more likely, by their loaded parents. But I was starting to wonder how long I’d be able to keep it up—at this pace, the safe would be empty by spring break. And by then, a whole new set of trends would be upon us.
Oh well. I’d just have to worry about it when thetime came. Carpe diem and all that. For now, it was about having fun with the girls. Which included a few more stores after this and then a trip to Cherise’s to listen to music and model our new stuff.
“So for tomorrow, I think we need to get—oh, hang on.” Kellie reached into her pocket for her phone, her eyes widening with delight as she studied the screen.
“Is that Donovan again? Can you tell him you’re spending time with your friends, please, and that your friends are going to disown you if he keeps texting you and interrupting?” Cherise said.
“No, no, no. It’s the Buzz,” she replied with amusement, a smile cratering her face. “Somebody just posted a new pic of that girl Alicia.”
“Ooh, let me see.” Nikki grabbed the phone out of her hands giddily. “Oh my God, look at her dye job! I’m sorry but Mexicans should not be blond. And what is she wearing? Is that from Forever 21? Another skanky wardrobe choice for the Busteds.”
Cherise and I locked eyes across the table, distress and anxiety pinging between us in invisible rays.
The Busteds . They were using the name on the blog, which could only mean that they were still reading the blog. Maybe writing on the blog, too. Possibly they’d even made up the name in the first place.
I wanted to throw up my last bite of pizza.
Nikki typed into the phone, her perfect teeth bared like a wild dog’s.
“What are you writing? I’m logged in under my account.” Kellie craned over to see. “I want to make sure it’s good.”
Nikki tossed her glossy amber curtain of hair. “Who cares? It’s anonymous.”
My stomach turned even more. Anonymous. Well, they’d certainly fooled me .
Mary and Sierra had been right, and like an idiot I had defended these people. These people who were supposed to be my friends. How could they? I felt betrayed by them, as if they had deliberately tried to hide this.
But had they? Maybe the fault was mine. They were who they were and I had just refused to see it. Clearly, my character judgment was way off.
I dropped my pizza and grabbed the edge of the table—dizzy suddenly in realizing that nothing was what I thought it was. I had just thanked them.
No, I’d gotten it really wrong.
They were bullies, plain and simple.
“Are you okay, Willa?” Kellie asked, frowning at me.
I could barely look at them, I was so angry. What gave them the right to post these things? Who the hell did they think they were?
“She looks like she’s having a menstrual moment,” Nikki said, laughing loudly at her own joke. “How do you spell ‘gonorrhea’?”
I looked at Cherise, pleading. On her side of the booth she seemed like she was gearing up to say something.Maybe tell them what she really thought. Good. I was ready to back her up.
We made eye contact again before she opened her mouth to speak, and she gave me a look like, I got this .
“Nikki, do you really need to do that?” she asked. “I mean, what’s the point?”
Nikki sat up straighter on the banquette. “The point is it’s hilarious. Why don’t you chill out, Cherise?”
“They’ve had a hard enough time already. I mean, everyone is repeating this stuff in the hallway.” Cherise looked back to me for support and I nodded.
“That’s not our problem,” Kellie said. “We’re making observations . It’s just our opinion. No one has to agree with us.”
I had to jump in. “But why the
Oh well. I’d just have to worry about it when thetime came. Carpe diem and all that. For now, it was about having fun with the girls. Which included a few more stores after this and then a trip to Cherise’s to listen to music and model our new stuff.
“So for tomorrow, I think we need to get—oh, hang on.” Kellie reached into her pocket for her phone, her eyes widening with delight as she studied the screen.
“Is that Donovan again? Can you tell him you’re spending time with your friends, please, and that your friends are going to disown you if he keeps texting you and interrupting?” Cherise said.
“No, no, no. It’s the Buzz,” she replied with amusement, a smile cratering her face. “Somebody just posted a new pic of that girl Alicia.”
“Ooh, let me see.” Nikki grabbed the phone out of her hands giddily. “Oh my God, look at her dye job! I’m sorry but Mexicans should not be blond. And what is she wearing? Is that from Forever 21? Another skanky wardrobe choice for the Busteds.”
Cherise and I locked eyes across the table, distress and anxiety pinging between us in invisible rays.
The Busteds . They were using the name on the blog, which could only mean that they were still reading the blog. Maybe writing on the blog, too. Possibly they’d even made up the name in the first place.
I wanted to throw up my last bite of pizza.
Nikki typed into the phone, her perfect teeth bared like a wild dog’s.
“What are you writing? I’m logged in under my account.” Kellie craned over to see. “I want to make sure it’s good.”
Nikki tossed her glossy amber curtain of hair. “Who cares? It’s anonymous.”
My stomach turned even more. Anonymous. Well, they’d certainly fooled me .
Mary and Sierra had been right, and like an idiot I had defended these people. These people who were supposed to be my friends. How could they? I felt betrayed by them, as if they had deliberately tried to hide this.
But had they? Maybe the fault was mine. They were who they were and I had just refused to see it. Clearly, my character judgment was way off.
I dropped my pizza and grabbed the edge of the table—dizzy suddenly in realizing that nothing was what I thought it was. I had just thanked them.
No, I’d gotten it really wrong.
They were bullies, plain and simple.
“Are you okay, Willa?” Kellie asked, frowning at me.
I could barely look at them, I was so angry. What gave them the right to post these things? Who the hell did they think they were?
“She looks like she’s having a menstrual moment,” Nikki said, laughing loudly at her own joke. “How do you spell ‘gonorrhea’?”
I looked at Cherise, pleading. On her side of the booth she seemed like she was gearing up to say something.Maybe tell them what she really thought. Good. I was ready to back her up.
We made eye contact again before she opened her mouth to speak, and she gave me a look like, I got this .
“Nikki, do you really need to do that?” she asked. “I mean, what’s the point?”
Nikki sat up straighter on the banquette. “The point is it’s hilarious. Why don’t you chill out, Cherise?”
“They’ve had a hard enough time already. I mean, everyone is repeating this stuff in the hallway.” Cherise looked back to me for support and I nodded.
“That’s not our problem,” Kellie said. “We’re making observations . It’s just our opinion. No one has to agree with us.”
I had to jump in. “But why the
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