Page 56 of The Rebel
“Yes. I guess he’s having a good night,” Dani said with a laugh, but not giving me the details I craved. “And hey, I’m sure Paris will be just fine. You’ll see.” She gave me an affectionate squeeze on my shoulder and I almost leaned into it, missing Mom and Dad for a moment.
Back in my room, I checked the group chat, my heart relieved to see no plans had been made without my input. Probably we’d organize it all tomorrow. In the meantime, I set out my clothes and lay in bed. I was thinking about a lot of things, like Paris and whether he’d win his next match and Dani getting sad about her husband—Alex—and my ears were on high alert listening for Jade to come home.
The last time I remembered checking my phone was 11:25, but there was still no sign of him, meaning he must have been having an amazingly fabulous time with his friends.
Chapter 15
VALENCIA
Upon awaking, I grabbed at my phone, keen to catch up on the overnight news from France. But I deflated seeing the messages from Mom and Dad that Paris and Phillippe had lost their doubles match. They would be flying to Germany that evening and Paris would try to qualify for the main singles draw.
I messaged Paris, but wasn’t surprised that he didn’t respond. I had to imagine that he was doing extra training, working hard so he’d do better in the next tournament.
I was devastated to see no messages in the group chat but I showered, dressed and packed a bag and hoped that by the time I fed Volley, the plans would be put in place. But as time ticked by and no messages or texts appeared, I realized I was going to have to be brave and initiate contact. It was silly that I was nervous to call my best friend, my stomach churning at the thought of rejection. Yes, my gut instinct was that my friendship was teetering on the brink.
To my surprise, it was Scott who answered Gabby’s phone, in a less than friendly tone. “What is it Valencia?”
“I, I...haven’t heard from Gabby,” I stuttered. “I was wondering what’s happening with Chestnut Ridge?”
“Haven’t you heard? The road’s closed due to bad weather. We’re going to Snow Park instead.”
“No, I hadn’t.”
“We’re heading there now,” Scott said.
“What, already?”
“Yeah. No one had heard from you so we thought you weren’t coming.”
“But I was waiting for the group chat,” I said, my heart rate rising rapidly.
There was a muffled noise and Gabby’s voice came on, short and blunt. “You didn’t come to the lunch time meeting Valencia, so I’m sorry, but we assumed you weren’t interested in coming.” She didn’t sound sorry in the slightest.
“What! Of course I wanted to come, I just couldn’t make it,” I said.
“We waved to you, and you ignored us,” Gabby said, her tone verging on vicious.
I needed a second to process, to comprehend that she wasangryat me for not showing. “But I had other stuff going on,” I said, “I had to talk to Paris, I found out he just lost his match and he was pretty cut up.”
Gabby clicked her tongue, apparently not interested in Paris’s plight. “Well, we’re already on our way. I guess you could see if Aaron or Jazmyn left yet.”
My chin wobbled as it occurred to me that my friend was not turning back for me, that I really was on the outer. My chest heaved and my heart thundered. It was my worst nightmare—not being left behind—but Gabby’s dumping of me. I could no longer pretend/hope/believe that our friendship could be saved. In my mind, Scott had sabotaged it and Gabby was totally along for the ride.
My life was falling apart.
I ended the call without another word, tossing my phone onto the couch, Gabby’s betrayal heavy in my heart.
“Volley?” I rasped, “Volley?” He came trotting in, surveyed the situation and settled on my lap. But when I sniffed back a flood of tears, he spooked and jumped away. My mind whirled but I knew I only had one option. I grabbed at my phone again, dialing Jazmyn’s number.
“I’ve been left behind,” I said, keeping my tone neutral and non-accusatory in case she was in on the conspiracy against me too. “Is there any chance I can get a ride with you?”
There was a dreaded silence, and I envisioned a huge discussion but she came back loud and clear and sympathetic. “Sure. Yeah, we’re just filling up with gas. We can come back.”
“Oh great, thanks guys,” I said. I immediately ran down the driveway, not willing to risk losing my ride, even if it meant waiting outside in the cold.
“Was it a misunderstanding?” Jazmyn asked as I squeezed into the middle seat of the SUV between her and Reina. “I thought Gabby said she was going to bring you.”
“She said to me that you probably had better things to do,” Reina chimed in.
