boyfriend,’ ” she mimicked my voice. “And now you have him. Although I should thank you. I was looking for a way to break up with him and that made it easy.”
“Nicky, you have to believe me, I didn’t start any rumors.”
“I don’t have to do anything. And what I really don’t have to do is stand here and talk to you.”
She started walking away, then turned and looked back at me. “The sad part is, I really liked you. I thought you were cool. Now I just feel sorry for you. Don’t you ever get tired of being the pawn between those two? Their little doll, doing whatever they say?”
“That’s not how I am.”
She shook her head. “Right. One day you’ll wake up and realize how expensive this is.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll learn the true price you’ve paid for your boyfriend and your popularity.”
Someone else had said something similar to me once. But they were both wrong.
“Jealous much?” I shouted at her but also not at her, at a memory, at someone far beyond hearing. She was. She was jealous about David, about my friends.
She laughed, gave me the finger over her shoulder, and kept walking.
That was the last time Nicky and I talked.
And then at the party she’d hugged me and kissed me and said she wanted to be my friend. And she gave me a drink.
All of which was weird. But for some reason I still couldn’t imagine Nicky drugging me.
Unless she and David—
No.
But David hadn’t been on the DVD, I reminded myself. And neither had Nicky.
It didn’t make sense. Although after hallucinating the writing on the mirror, and my weird reaction to seeing Kate and Langley, I didn’t feel like I was exactly the best judge of what made sense and what didn’t.
The flowers, the bouquets and cards, those were real. Weren’t they?
I wanted to cry out in frustration. And then I wanted to do it even more when the phone started to ring.
I willed my arm to work, but I couldn’t lift it. “Help!” I shouted. “Someone—”
Loretta came in, lips pursed, shaking her head. “No one should be putting calls through to you.” She picked up the phone. “Room 403, who is speaking, please?” She started to frown, her eyes got wide with surprise, and finally she smiled. “Why, thank you, your voice isn’t too hard on the ears either. Let me see if Miss Freeman is available.”
Loretta held the phone to her chest. “A David Tisch would like to speak to you.”
Something about the way my eyes lit up told Loretta all she needed to know. She held the phone to my ear. “David!” I said, louder probably than I needed to.
“Hey, babe. How—how are you doing?”
The familiar bass of his voice sent a wave of pure joy through me. And something else unexpected that felt like—relief ? I didn’t know what I had been afraid of, but hearing his voice made it vanish.
“I’m good now. Are you coming to see me?” I didn’t want to seem too desperate, even though now that I had him on the phone, I felt like I needed him. Needed to see him.
It sounded like he exhaled. Like he felt relief too. “I can’t tonight, but I’ll be there first thing in the morning. I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you. And babe?”
“Yes?”
“Better than cupcakes. That’s 139.”
I couldn’t stop smiling, even though it hurt. “No way.”
“Yes way.”
I felt so happy. Normal. This was normal.
In the background I heard voices and I heard a siren. Or maybe it was on my end.
“Where are you? It sounds like you’re in a parking lot.”
“Something like that. Listen, I gotta run, but I’ll see you soon.”
“Promise?”
“Super-promise. Love you, babe. You take care. Stay soft.”
“Love you too.”
I heard him say, “Hey, wait up—” and then the phone clicked off. Who was he meeting? What lucky person got to see him now?
It didn’t matter. I’d see him tomorrow.
He sounds like the perfect boyfriend, I heard myself say to Nicky.
He was.
I grinned at
“Nicky, you have to believe me, I didn’t start any rumors.”
“I don’t have to do anything. And what I really don’t have to do is stand here and talk to you.”
She started walking away, then turned and looked back at me. “The sad part is, I really liked you. I thought you were cool. Now I just feel sorry for you. Don’t you ever get tired of being the pawn between those two? Their little doll, doing whatever they say?”
“That’s not how I am.”
She shook her head. “Right. One day you’ll wake up and realize how expensive this is.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll learn the true price you’ve paid for your boyfriend and your popularity.”
Someone else had said something similar to me once. But they were both wrong.
“Jealous much?” I shouted at her but also not at her, at a memory, at someone far beyond hearing. She was. She was jealous about David, about my friends.
She laughed, gave me the finger over her shoulder, and kept walking.
That was the last time Nicky and I talked.
And then at the party she’d hugged me and kissed me and said she wanted to be my friend. And she gave me a drink.
All of which was weird. But for some reason I still couldn’t imagine Nicky drugging me.
Unless she and David—
No.
But David hadn’t been on the DVD, I reminded myself. And neither had Nicky.
It didn’t make sense. Although after hallucinating the writing on the mirror, and my weird reaction to seeing Kate and Langley, I didn’t feel like I was exactly the best judge of what made sense and what didn’t.
The flowers, the bouquets and cards, those were real. Weren’t they?
I wanted to cry out in frustration. And then I wanted to do it even more when the phone started to ring.
I willed my arm to work, but I couldn’t lift it. “Help!” I shouted. “Someone—”
Loretta came in, lips pursed, shaking her head. “No one should be putting calls through to you.” She picked up the phone. “Room 403, who is speaking, please?” She started to frown, her eyes got wide with surprise, and finally she smiled. “Why, thank you, your voice isn’t too hard on the ears either. Let me see if Miss Freeman is available.”
Loretta held the phone to her chest. “A David Tisch would like to speak to you.”
Something about the way my eyes lit up told Loretta all she needed to know. She held the phone to my ear. “David!” I said, louder probably than I needed to.
“Hey, babe. How—how are you doing?”
The familiar bass of his voice sent a wave of pure joy through me. And something else unexpected that felt like—relief ? I didn’t know what I had been afraid of, but hearing his voice made it vanish.
“I’m good now. Are you coming to see me?” I didn’t want to seem too desperate, even though now that I had him on the phone, I felt like I needed him. Needed to see him.
It sounded like he exhaled. Like he felt relief too. “I can’t tonight, but I’ll be there first thing in the morning. I just wanted you to know I was thinking about you. And babe?”
“Yes?”
“Better than cupcakes. That’s 139.”
I couldn’t stop smiling, even though it hurt. “No way.”
“Yes way.”
I felt so happy. Normal. This was normal.
In the background I heard voices and I heard a siren. Or maybe it was on my end.
“Where are you? It sounds like you’re in a parking lot.”
“Something like that. Listen, I gotta run, but I’ll see you soon.”
“Promise?”
“Super-promise. Love you, babe. You take care. Stay soft.”
“Love you too.”
I heard him say, “Hey, wait up—” and then the phone clicked off. Who was he meeting? What lucky person got to see him now?
It didn’t matter. I’d see him tomorrow.
He sounds like the perfect boyfriend, I heard myself say to Nicky.
He was.
I grinned at
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