Page 58 of Distortion
I cover it with a napkin and push the plate away, and I hear my stepbrother snigger.
Mav doesn’t seem to notice I’m not eating as he tackles his burger, but he has moved his water over toward me, so I drink that, sating my thirst and feeling a teeny bit better.
At least I seem to have an ally in him for the moment. I just hope his price isn’t too steep when he comes to collect.
But then his phone rings. He answers it, but doesn’t say anything, which strikes me as odd. Then, he puts it away and stands.
‘There’s something weird going on with ...’ He glances at me. ‘That project.’
‘Go,’ Shade says immediately.
Mav gives me a look I can’t decipher. ‘I’ll be back at the house before nine.’
Blake shrugs, barely looking up from his food. ‘Whatever, bro.’
That was for my benefit, I guess.
I drink the rest of the water and wait for the others to finish, hoping that we can leave after that and I can go backto the house and get warm and dry. I’m freezing and every time the door to outside opens, a draft tears through the bar and makes my teeth chatter.
‘Oh my gosh! Shade. What are you doing here?’
The saccharine voice makes me cringe, and I look up to find two girls coming over to our table.
One’s blonde. Her hair is straight and her makeup is perfect. She’s accessorized and matching. And she looks familiar. It’s the girl from Grinder. Jolie, the Blake-sucker who didn’t like her drink. I glance again at the girl next to her with the even blonder hair. The queen bee.
‘Laurie,’ Shade mutters, glancing up at the blonder girl. ‘Just grabbing a bite. You?’
‘Came to watch the game,of course!’ Her eyes drift to me and then away, and then back and she titters. ‘Oh my gosh, what happened toyou? You look like a drowned rat!’
‘Shefellout of the boat, didn’t you, Daisy?’
Shade is smiling slightly and I manage a nod, taking another sip of my water.
Jolie giggles at this, but Laurie elbows her and her eyes turn to Shade. She isn’t smiling.
‘You took her on the river?’
There’s a long pause.
‘Yeah,’ Shade finally says.
‘You’ve never invitedme.’
‘Nope.’ Shade puts a piece of streak in his mouth.
She looks at me again, her eyes narrowing.
‘Feeling better after last night?’ she asks sweetly.
So she was at the party.
I shake my head and keep sipping at the water, trying to cut through the drunken haze of last night. I saw her at the party but it’s all so ... She was with Shade. I remember a glass breaking and her grating voice.
Lu said these girls hang with the KIPs. Maybe they’re Shade and Blake’s girlfriends.
Her friend is looking at Blake and edging nearer to him. He doesn’t even raise his eyes to look at her, though.
Neither of them seem to treat their girlfriends very nicely, I muse, glad I have something to take my mind off how miserable and upset I’m feeling.
