“You heard her, bro. We’ve been dismissed.”
Becky pulls me toward the door. “C’mon, let’s go before I burst.”
Some of our teachers are standing by the walls and talking between each other, not giving us a backward glance when we pass by. When I look at Becky, she’s sporting the biggest smile I’ve ever seen.
“You seem to be having fun,” I comment and take a deep breath as we enter the hallway, enjoying the cool air on my heated skin.
“I am! School dances are always fun, but it’s even better because I’m here with Miguel.”
The happiness is radiating off of her, and I can’t help but smile too. It’s infectious.
“You were killing it out on the dance floor. Who’d have thought Miguel has such moves?”
They have been dancing almost since the moment they got here. I hadn’t pegged Miguel as the dancing kind, but he looked like he was born to dance. If the football thing doesn’t pan out, maybe he should try it.
“Oh, he does,” Becky laughs. “He’s a showoff and loves to be the center of attention. Kind of goes hand in hand.”
“Yeah, now that you said it, I can totally see that.” I look at her. “Does this mean you guys are finally done with all the bickering?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I might be in love with Miguel, but he still drives me batshit crazy. The fighting is messy, but I can’t complain about the make-up part. If you know what I mean.”
I shake my head, laughing. “You both are cr—”
The words die on my lips as I come to a halt before the bathroom. The door is slightly ajar, and I can hear voices coming from inside.
“What—”
“Shhh.” I lift my finger to shush her.
“I don’t know, Rose. They seemed like the real deal to me,” the first voice says. I don’t recognize it, but if she’s talking to Rose, and there is only one Rose in Bluebonnet that I know of, it has to be one of her friends.
“Oh, please.” Rose comes into my view through the little crack. She rolls her eyes, fluffing her hair a little until she’s happy with her reflection. “Emmett just feels sorry for her because her sister is blind. Emmett is a sucker for doing good deeds, and they’re a charity case through and through.”
My whole body goes rigid at her words, my hands clenching into fists by my sides.
How dare she?
“Kate?” Becky whispers behind me, but I can barely register it from all the buzzing in my ears. What I can feel are her fingers digging into my skin.
How dare she talk about Penny that way?
“I’m telling you, he’ll get over it sooner rather than later, and when that happens, who’ll be here, waiting? That’s right, me.”
Like hell you will.
Something in me snaps. I rip my hand out of Becky’s grasp—which I’m pretty sure will leave bruises—and push the door open so hard it bangs against the wall. Three heads turn my way, mouths hanging open, eyes wide.
“You say whatever the hell you want about me, but don’t you dare bring my sister into this,” I hiss, pointing my finger at Rose.
I have to give it to her, she schools her features quickly, turning into a perfect example of serenity and the poise of a southern belle.
What a load of bullshit that is.
“You shouldn’t be listening in on other people’s conversations, Katherine. It’s not nice.”
I take a step toward her, but somebody—Becky—grabs my hand and pulls me back. Doesn’t stop me from getting in her face, though.
“What’s not nice, Rose,” I spit, “is you talking shit behind other people’s backs. Didn’t your momma teach you that?”
She crosses her arms across her chest, her chin tilting up a little. “I’m just saying the truth.”
“The truth? By talking shit about my sister?”
I want to lunge at her, and Becky must sense it somehow because she puts all her strength into holding me back.
“Don’t be a sore loser, Rose.” Becky glares at her. “Not that you had anything to lose in the first place. Emmett never gave you a backward glance.”
Rose’s cheeks turn red. Embarrassment or anger? Probably a little bit of both.
“At least I wasn’t pining after my best friend my whole life.” Rose flips her hair behind her shoulder and starts walking toward us. Becky stops next to me as we come face to face with Rose.
“No, you haven’t. You’ve been pining all your life after a guy who doesn’t want you. That’s the difference between the two of us.”
Rose huffs angrily and pushes between us, her posse following after her.
The door falls shut as they leave, and only when we can’t hear the sound of their footsteps echoing in the hallway does Becky let go of me.
“I seriously hate that girl, she can be such a bitch sometimes, ugh!” Becky turns around to look at me worriedly. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. My whole body is trembling with suppressed anger, and my fingers are clenched so tightly, I can feel my nails dig into the skin of my palms.
“That was some nasty shit she said.”
“Yup.” Avoiding Becky’s stare, I walk around her to the sink, turn on the cold water, and put my hands under the spray. I have to consciously force myself to unclench my hands, and when I do, I see the half-moon marks on my skin.
“You don’t believe her, do you?” Becky asks from behind me. “About Emmett? He’s crazy about you.”
“I’m not worried about Emmett,” I whisper, my head hanging low.
“Then?”
“Penny. I—” I gulp, my tongue sliding out to wet my dry lips. “She’s been through a lot, and hearing Rose say something like that…”
I shake my head, unable to finish. How do you explain something without saying too much? It’s not that I don’t trust Becky, I do, but this isn’t the time nor the place to unload all my worries on her.
“That was a low blow.” Becky wraps her arms around me from behind and places her chin on my shoulder. “I seriously can’t believe she’d actually go there.”
“I can take anything she’s willing to throw at me, but Penny… she’s off-limits.”
The memories of what happened a few months back come rushing back. If she were to hear just a whisper—just one. Damn. Whisper—I don’t think she’d be able to take it. She has just started to heal, and although I can see the improvement in her, I don’t want to see it all fall down like a house of cards because of the pettiness of one girl.
Pettiness that’s directed at me, no less.
I won’t let Penelope become collateral damage.
Becky leans forward and turns off the tap. “After this, Rose’ll probably think twice before bringing her up.”
Looking up, I meet her reflection in the mirror. “She better because next time nobody will stand in my way.”
“I hear ya.” She brushes my hair behind my ears. “C’mon, let’s get you all dolled up before we get back out there.”
I nod my agreement, not really caring one way or the other. Becky hands me some paper towels to wipe my hands while she fusses with my hair. Once she’s happy, she takes a couple of towels and runs them under cool water before patting my neck with them.