Page 26 of Friend
The solid white-gray door at the top of the stairs was ajar—more evidence that Bianca—or someone else—was already on the roof. I pushed it open further, only enough to slip through, and made sure to keep it cracked behind me. It wouldn’t automatically lock behind us, but Bianca and I had learned the hard way that it was a pain in the butt to open it otherwise.
The sky had gotten darker over the last few minutes—it was probably going to rain today—and the hideaway garden at the back of the roof was beginning to show signs of new growth. The mini conservatory was Bianca’s extra credit project, which, in my opinion, made it blatantly clear that plants had an affinity for her. Since she’d taken charge, they’d flourished.
How nobody had realized who she was, I had no idea.
I ducked under short rows of potted trees as I made my way to the deepest part of the garden. I could hear her before I saw her, but even without the telltale sniffles to follow, I knew exactly where she’d hide. It was the one place that the two of us frequented when we’d wanted to be alone outside of each other.
And sure enough, Bianca was tucked away in the furthest corner, curled in a ball as she rested with her back against one of the large ceramic pots.
“It’s not fair,” she said, not even waiting for me to sit down. She wiped the back of her arm over her eyes. “I don’t get it. Everyone else can go on dates and get their driver’s license anddo thingsbut I can’t. Do they really hate me that much?”
“Your parents?” I asked. “No.”
Bianca glanced at me—her eyes were red and puffy. Guilt twisted at my insides at the look.
But it was for the best.
“Why do you want to go on a date with him anyway?” I asked, unable to keep the sneer from my voice. I’d been wondering since yesterday—I still didn’t understand. “It’sCory. Public Enemy Number One. We hate him.”
“I know,” was her low reply and she sniffled. “It’s not like Iwantto, but I must.”
“And you can’t—” I began, then paused, glancing down at her. “What do you mean?”
Wasn’t that literally the wholepointof all this? If she didn’t even want to go, then what was the problem?
“Think about it, Finn!” She narrowed her watery eyes at me, disapproval heavy in her gaze. Like I was supposed to be a mind reader or follow her unspoken reasoning. “How else are we supposed to get close enough to gather data? This was the perfect opportunity! And now we’ve lost it.”
My heart fell as a surge of annoyance swelled in my chest.
She had to be kidding me. “You’re still on about that?”
Bianca frowned, shooting me a cynical look. I knew without question that she was thinking something unflattering about me. “Why wouldn’t we do it? This was what we’d been working toward all along. That’s why you lied about us, right? You were trying to give Cory and I an excuse to go out.”
What the ever-loving hell? I thought she’d been angry.
But if that’s what she wanted to believe, then, “Sure.”
At this point, I wasn’t even sure what she thought we were, but I couldn’t bear it in my heart to correct her.
“You have to help me,” she said as she glared at the ground. “I need to sneak out of the house tomorrow. It’s the only way.”
My heart hammered as a different sort of dread came over me. Why was this ‘the only way’? What were we even trying to do?
I had no idea what was going on anymore!
“Bianca…” She glanced at me, and I rubbed my temples, trying so, so hard, to understand. I hadn’t had nearly enough sleep for this. “Whatare we doing?”
It was like she wasexpectingme to ask, and at my question, she moved to her knees, tears drying in an instant.
“Okay, so,” She began, rubbing her hands together, “here’s my idea. We’re going to take him out on a date—”
“We?” I would rather do anything else.
“Me, I mean.” She waved her hand in the air, not perturbed by my interruption. “And while we’re eating and doing date things,youare going to go through his car.”
“What makes you think I’m going to go through his car?” And while she was eating, huh? Of course, she wouldn’t give up the opportunity for a free meal. “How am I supposed to get into it?”
“You’ll hotwire it, or pick the lock.” She shrugged, unconcerned about the mechanics. “I don’t know how it works.” I could tell by her demeanor that she was just expecting me to figure it out. “But I believe in you.”
