Page 21 of The Perfect Play

“You’ll be fine,” the blonde said, rolling her eyes. “I’ve got to run to Trig. See you after school.”

Kate and the other girl took off in different directions, leaving Penny with her head tipped back, looking like she was dreading life.

“What’s got you so annoyed, Davis?” I asked, making sure she heard me before I moved into her line of sight.

She looked at me and shook her head. “You. What do you want now, White?”

“Just didn’t want to see a friend looking like the world was ending. Anything I can do?” I stuffed my hands into my pants pockets, hoping to pull off the appearance that I hadn’t been listening.

Penny folded her arms, her eyebrows shooting up. “Friends, huh? You’ll claim me as a friend now?”

A bitter taste took over my tongue, and I swallowed several times, hoping to get it to disappear. “Can’t you forgive a guy already for being a jerk? I’m sorry, and I really am. I shouldn’t have pushed you away when I did.”

She took a few steps forward, and I fell into step with her. “It’s hard to forgive when you don’t know the reason the person dumped you like a sack of garbage on the curb.”

Fair point. “I know I hurt you, and I’ve never been more sorry about anything in my life. If I could go back and change it, I would. But I need just a little more time before I can completely confess why I did it. Is that okay?”

“Whatever. Just don’t expect the same title from me until I know what happened. I’ve had enough people walk out of my life. I don’t need it to happen twice from the same person.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but for the first time in a while, I had nothing. My mind was blank.

She jutted her thumb down the hall. “I’ve got to get to class. I’ll see you at the diner, I guess.”

There was a sadness to her tone, and I wanted to reach out and grab her hand and tell her everything right then. But something held me back. Probably the fact that she was like the light, and my life had been in darkness for so long.

I watched her walk away until she moved into the classroom and the bell rang. So much for changing when it came to school. I was still going to have to work off those tardies and soon.

* * *

“What are we doing tonight?”Colt asked as we all got dressed in the locker room after the last bell.

“My dad is taking us camping, so I won’t be around for the weekend,” Logan said, looking less than enthused about the idea.

Dax turned to look at me, and I shook my head. “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

“I heard there’s a party tonight. We should go and see,” Dax said, a wide grin showing off his teeth.

I’d nearly forgotten about the party Penny’s friends had mentioned as my thoughts had been consumed with telling her about past pain.

“I’d be down for that. I heard someone say it’s at the Jeffersons’ house, right?”

Colt and Dax nodded at the same time. “I’m in,” they said simultaneously.

I could do with another chance to see Penny outside of softball and the diner. Maybe I’d be able to tell her everything soon enough. That is, if she trusted me enough to believe it.

Chapter 18

Penny

“Idon’t need more makeup, you guys,” I said, pushing Brynn’s hand away. They’d deemed tonight to be about a makeover for me, but what I really felt like was a floozy. I’d already nixed the clothing combinations they’d picked out for me.

“There is no way you’re going to a party in jeans and a t-shirt.” Kate’s face had that no-nonsense look on it. I knew not to argue with that.

I stood from the edge of my bed and walked to the small walk-in closet. I pulled two of my “nice blouses” from the rack and held them up for the girls to see. “What about these?”

“That one looks like my grandmother’s wallpaper,” Serena said, going back to studying her nails.

Shooting her a glare, I hung up the one she’d been referring to and looked down at the one in my hand. It was a black three-quarter-sleeve boho-type shirt with gems and sequins throughout.

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