Page 9 of Getting Lucky Number Seven

And maybe, just maybe, there was a part of me that wanted Beck to myself. Not the way she wanted him, but the part I could have. He was my friend—the person I relied on out here in Boston—and if he was suddenly more interested in sleeping with my roommate than hanging out with me, it’d crush me. Especially if she became the one he decided to stick with for a while.

I didn’t want to evaluate what exactly that said about me.

“Well, see you later, then,” Whitney said. Since Beck was on my mind now, I sent him a quick text checking in.

Me:Thanks again for everything. I hope that you know I’m always here for you, whatever you need.

After about a minute, I received a text back.

Beck:I know

A few seconds later, a smiley face came through, and I had to laugh. A week or so ago, I’d told him that his texts were always so short and blunt. “Couldn’t you add a smiley face or something?” I’d asked.

He actually listened!A smug sense of victory swirled through me. He could be so stubborn about things that I could hardly believe it, even as the emoticon smiled up at me.

After debating just leaving it alone, I couldn’t help myself. I went ahead and sent him back a winky smiley face with a nose. Excitement over our upcoming weekend plans sent sparks of energy dancing across my skin. A party. With Beck. The potential and hope morphed into an all-consuming anticipation that promised this weekend would be the one to change everything.

Chapter Six

Beck

I shook my head but couldn’t help smiling about as big as the face Lyla had sent me. It’d been a long, crappy day, what with having to drive over an hour to pick up my little felon sister in New Hampshire. She’d talked to me on the phone like everything was cool, and then added, “So, uh, I’m sorta in jail right now, and I need you to bail me out.”

Ever since our parents died, Megan had decided the best thing to do was get into trouble all the time and make my aunt question why she ever agreed to custody. This time it was shoplifting, which was just beyond dumb. The girl had plenty of money and a large trust fund coming to her when she turned eighteen in two years. Not to mention everything she could ever ask for at her fingertips. But she craved adventure.

Of course that made me think of Lyla and her list. I told myself her thing was harmless, but how did one go from straight A student to total mess? Apparently my sister was hell-bent on finding out.

Aunt Tessa was still yelling, but she was starting to lose her voice, so the lecture would be wrapping up soon. Megan sat on the couch, a sullen and not nearly repentant-enough expression in place. I leaned against the archway of the living room, waiting for the grand finale.

“…just don’t know what to do with you anymore. You’re grounded. And we’re talking no car, no phone, no TV, no goinganywhere, grounded.” Aunt Tessa stormed past me, shaking her head and muttering under her breath.

Megan threw her head back and gave a half-growl, half-sigh. Then she turned the pale blue eyes both she and I got from Mom on me. “Can Ipleasecome live with you?”

“What do you think?”

“Come on, I’d be good.” She batted her eyes. “And you’ve got an extra bedroom.”

I crossed the room and sat next to her on what she and I referred to as the “floral headache” couch. Aunt Tessa was so proud that it’d come from France, despite the fact that it was overly floral, so silky it practically kicked you off when you sat down, and had unforgiving trim across the top that would jab you in the skull if you tried to sit back too far. “You can’t act like this, Megan. And I don’t have time to keep driving up.”

Her shoulders slumped, every ounce of her fiery energy draining out of her. “It’s not fair. You got to escape. You don’t have to drive past the old house, or deal with people constantly asking how you’re adjusting. Or spreading rumors. At least now I’ve given them something else to talk about.”

I rubbed my forehead, trying to come up with something to say to that. People talking about her getting arrested was thelastthing our family needed. “I thought things would’ve calmed down by now.”

“Not now that everyone knows Mom was screwing Mr. Brooks—I don’t know how it got out. Not that it really matters. It’s out there, so if it’s not pity, it’s snide remarks about her affair.”

And the bombs just kept dropping and blowing up in my face. I couldn’t say I didn’t understand the need to escape, because it was what I’d done. What I’d wanted to do since I was fifteen and found out about my mom’s affair.

“Mr. Brooks is old news,” I said. “The people around here are just bored gossips reaching for scraps because they have nothing else to do. It’ll fade.”

“Whatever. It all blows and I’m over it.” Megan stood and ran her fake nails through her perfectly highlighted hair. A year ago, she was so sweet, and now she looked like the mean girls who used to pick on her. I hated it, but the one time I’d brought it up, she’d cried and told me life was harder for girls and I just didn’t get it, so I was never going there again. “Thanks for bailing me out. Just go back to college and forget about me.”

I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t realize you were taking drama classes this semester.”

“I’m not—hey.” She shoved me, but then she smiled, a hint of how things used to be breaking through. “You’re right.Youdon’t deserve the hate.” She threw her arms around me. “I’m going to go crazy here, Beckett. Are you sure you can’t take me with you?”

Yeah, the last thing I needed was to worry about my sixteen-year-old sister surrounded by college boys, getting into even more trouble. She hadn’t been nearly this upset when I’d left for freshman year. Of course, then, she hadn’t had to deal with life without Mom and Dad. “I’m sorry, but you know that’d never work. Just ignore the rumors and try to keep yourself out of trouble. Before long, you’ll be the one in college, and none of this gossip will matter anymore. And if you need me, you know I’m only a phone call away.”

“I know.” She tightened the hug. “Love ya, big brother.”

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