Page 37 of Enemy Crush
“You hesitated.” She smirked at me. “Like you were thinking about someone just now.”
“I was thinking about how you might drive us into a ditch,” I said, lightly reaching out to help guide the steering wheel.
“I’m in total control,” Blanche said calmly. “Unlike your cheeks which are turning red.”
“That’s because the AC button must be faulty,” I said, madly pressing at the screen. “You should tell Ronan to get it checked.”
“Of course,” she said, the smug grin on her face one I wanted to wipe off.
“It is,” I protested. “The fan isn’t fanning!” I pushed another button, a shot of cool air blasting right into our faces.
“Oooh, looks like you fixed it,” Blanche said.
I faked a smile, baring all my teeth; she returned it, teeth bigger than mine. We laughed and whooped it up...like friends. But I remembered I didn’t need any Snow Ridge High friends.
I told Blanche I wouldn’t need a ride back to Snow Ridge because I was staying overnight with my besties. She didn’t know Celeste or Naomi, but she’d skied with Freya Anisimova who was part of our friend group.
“But you do have time for a coffee, right?” Blanche asked. “I need a caffeine fix. Where are you meeting them?”
I hadn’t called Celeste or Naomi yet, but knew where I’d arrange to meet up. I directed Blanche to a cute quirky cafe off Main Street. The Karma Cafe was our favorite hangout in town, which besides having divine chai lattes and the best avo sourdough toast, stocked a range of scented candles and jewelry. The turquoise necklace I was wearing was from here.
Blanche insisted on paying as a way to thank me for coming along. Usually I would protest but on this occasion I accepted her kindness, knowing the balance on my debit card was diminishing. Which was why getting the potato farm job was so important.
The misunderstanding over Ronan seemed to unite us, and Blanche and I talked easily. She had an established group of friends and I wasn’t looking for friends, so our connection happened naturally. Our mutual lack of artistic talent, shared love for lattes and our similar gripes over Mr. Lennox’s lectures meant we were never short of conversation. After finishing her drink, Blanche headed off, checking again to make sure I’d get a ride home.
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “I’m going to call Celeste now.”
“Well, have fun with your friends,” she said. “See you at Art Club.”
“Sure, thanks for the ride.”
“You’re welcome.”
I pulled out my phone and sent a chat to our friend group:Surprise guys!!! Guess where I am???I waited a few seconds before sending through a photo of the Karma counter.
And I waited....and I waited, a morbid feeling seeping into me with every passing second. Celeste or Naomi never used to take so long to respond to a message, well, not since I’d left Brizendine.
I watched my phone like a hawk, my chest fluttering as I saw they’d read it. Three dots appeared on my screen, then disappeared.
My lower lip quivered as I dared believe they would ignore me, but then hope resurged—I bet that Celeste and Naomi were just going to show up. That’s totally what they’d do. Come barging through the door any minute now!
In anticipation of ordering food together, I looked up at the blackboard, my mouth watering at the all-day brunch menu. Avocado sourdough toast with chilli cream cheese was Celeste’s favorite. But my face flushed hot as I remembered Miller Trask’s comment about avocado toast, like it was a rich person’s food. I did mental math, calculating the cost of three avo toasts and coffees. Wow. It was a lot. Twice the price of a grilled cheese. Miller Trask seemed like the kind of person who’d order a grilled cheese.
I willed my phone to ping or the cafe door to burst wide open because who knows why I was thinking about Miller and whether he liked grilled cheese. And then, with the familiar notification alert, I inhaled a full breath.
For a second I was joyous—and then I wasn’t: Naomi’s text read:That’s great. But sorry I’m tutoring. Next time for sure.A row of emojis followed.
It was immediately followed by Celeste’s message:Sorry, I’m at soccer, extra training. Catch up next time xoxo.
I stared at my phone, a stark emptiness engulfing me. Tutoring? Soccer practice? Practically identical messages sent at the same time. Was that a coincidence? Or was my worst fear manifesting—were Celeste and Naomi ghosting me?
I blinked fast and furious in a bid to hold back my tears. I couldn’t cry in the cafe. I sat frozen in my chair, numb, squeezing Bluby, my purse Squishmallow, clueless as to my next move. I was in Pine Ridge with my overnight bag and no way of getting home.
“Hey, can I get you something else?” The server came by the table, clearing away the empty coffee cups.
With no plan and no idea of what to do, words tumbled out of my mouth in a panic. “Um, a grilled cheese?”
“Sure,” the girl said with a smile. “And another latte?”
