Her normally rosy cheeks were bright pink, from the wine coolers she’d been sipping all night or from the situation, I didn’t know.
“I just want to talk, babe. That’s all. Let’s just talk, okay?”
Sloane looked around quickly, and maybe it was all of us staring at her, but something inside her seemed to snap.
“Everyone needs to get the hell out of here,” she said.
When no one moved, she got louder. “Did you losers hear me? Get the fuck out!” She was bordering on hysterical, and even though she sounded mad as hell, there were tears in her eyes. Layla had her hand on Sloane’s shoulder, and I could tell it was meant to be a comfort, but Sloane shrugged her off.
Some people yelled “Booooo,” or “Worst party ever.” Sloane disappeared into one of the bedrooms with Todd in tow.
I went looking for my jacket and found it on the floor near the chair I’d thrown it on when we first arrived, then went looking for Layla. She was in the kitchen stacking used cups to throw them away, and waving goodbye to people as they left.
“That was so crazy,” I said. “But I guess we should go?”
“I’m g-g-going to stay here,” Layla said. She didn’t stop picking up empty cups or balling up napkins or dumping chips from bowls back into their bags.
“You’re…staying?” I asked, like I hadn’t heard her.
Layla nodded.
“But it seems under control, right? They went to go talk.” Jase nudged me as he and Mason headed toward the door, and I reached up to hug him goodbye. Mason leaned forward and kissed Layla on the cheek.
“Sloane’s…upset,” Layla said to me as the guys left. Her mouth flopped open but no sound came out. I waited as she took a deep breath and started again. “I d-doubt she’s g-g-going to want to be alone once T-Todd is finally gone.”
“Of course she’s upset. But why do you need to stay? Won’t Valeria and Cadence and Melody and Sage be here?”
I listed them off on my fingers. Sloane had plenty of friends, but Layla was my only person.
Layla looked around at the emptying apartment. She took a deep breath and sighed before saying, “I just do, okay?”
“Is it because I forgot to lock the door? Are you pissed?” I felt my chin wobble a little bit. Yep, I was definitely drunk. “I told you. I think I’m kind of drunk.”
Layla grabbed my hand and pulled me into the bathroom. She closed and locked the door and slipped off her mask before she said anything.
“Yes, okay? I’m p-p-pissed that you forgot to lock the d-door, but that’s not the only reason. Some b-bad shit went d-d-down at Sloane’s old school.”
“Bad how?” I asked.
Layla hopped up on the sink and I sat on the toilet. She pulled out her phone, which she sometimes did when she had a long story to tell. She hated her stuttering even more when she had a lot to say. Layla typed for a long while, texting me detailed secrets about Sloane and Todd, and all that had happened at Sloane’s old school. Things I had to swear I wouldn’t tell anyone…ever. Things, Layla told me, no one knew except her and Valeria.
Layla took a few deep breaths as I read and read, letting all the information wash over me.
“Whoa,” I said. “That’s really messed up.”
“Yeah,” Layla agreed. “And she still loves him, C-Cleo. Even after everything.”
Her nostrils flared, and she looked away from me. “I probably shouldn’t have t-t-told you any of that. Swear it, C-C-Cleo. Swear you really won’t t-tell anyone.”
I swallowed around a sudden lump in my throat because I didn’t know how long she’d known Sloane’s history, but I did know we never used to have secrets. She was still the keeper of mine, but it seemed she’d become the keeper of someone else’s too.
“I swear, Lay. I’m so sorry. I wish you’d said something sooner. I had no idea.”
I wasn’t used to sharing Layla, but after that story, even I could admit that Sloane needed her more right now than I did.
Layla reached out and touched my shoulder. “I know. My mom thinks I’m st-st-staying over with you, though, so if she calls, c-c-c-can you like, c-cover for me?”
I hated lying to Mrs. Hassan, and if my mom picked up the phone it would be all over. But I sighed and agreed. Layla smiled sadly, and hugged me.
“Thanks. I’ll t-t-t-text you later.”
EMPTY THREATS
“So it was you?”
Sloane stormed up to my locker on Monday, right before homeroom. I had no idea what she was talking about or why she was even talking to me at all. She had barely ever spoken to me directly since the day we’d met.
“Uh, hi?” I said. “What are you talking about?”
Sloane looked behind her and stepped a little closer to me.
“Layla just told me she told you to lock the door at my party, and you didn’t. That you were the one who let him in,” Sloane whispered. She was standing so close to me that when she said the word “party” she spit on my face a little. I reached up to wipe it away.
“Oh,” I said.
Sloane crossed her arms. Her cheeks had gone ruddier than they usually were under her freckles, so I could tell she was really mad. “Are you stupid? Were you really so wasted after one drink that you couldn’t even figure out a lock?”
There was danger in the way she was looking at me. A little too much intensity for me to brush her off.
“Sloane,” I said seriously, “Look. I’m really sorry. But if you didn’t want him there, why didn’t you just kick him out?”
She didn’t look away from me, and her pear-green eyes felt almost sharp. I took a step back from her and hooked my thumbs under the straps of my backpack. I tried to look around her, to see if Layla was at her locker, but Sloane stepped into my line of sight.
“Are you really that dumb?” she said. She smirked and looked evil as hell. “You know what? You must be. Can’t even lock a fucking door. Dumbass bitch.”
The words landed like a punch. I was so shocked that I didn’t say anything back right away. I stared at Sloane and she stared right back at me. She looked fierce, like a bird of prey or a big cat. Vicious.
“This isn’t over,” she said. I felt my mouth drop open, but before I found my voice, Sloane stormed away from me.
I stood there for a long time, stunned at her reaction. I knew I was officially on Sloane Sorenson’s shit list, and I felt terrified, embarrassed, and so mad I could barely stand it.