“Cool.”
I let out the slowest sigh of relief.
“So, what’s the story with that Aria girl, anyway?” Mandy asks.
“I don’t know, but she’s weird.”
My stomach clenches.
“Right? And she joined cross-country because of him?”
“And made up some story about winning provincials or something. I’m telling you, I’ve seen her run at our practices and there is no way. She’s so slow.”
My teeth grit together.
“Why did Emmett bring her to Zach’s?”
“He felt sorry for her. She has, like, no friends. She and her mom moved in with that old, grouchy man next door. Emmett said her parents divorced. They probably have no money.”
We have loads of money! I want to yell, my eyes burning with the cutting words. My mom’s been a lawyer for twenty years. All she ever did was work.
And did Emmett say that? That he felt sorry for me?
“Do you think she has a thing for him?”
“Oh my God, for sure she does. Who doesn’t though, right? He’s, like, the hottest guy here. And he’s all mine.” Holly cackles. “She can have his sister. They’re perfect for each other. Both weirdos.”
“And Jen Ricci.”
“Ugh! Did you see what that loser is wearing today?” Their laughter is grating.
It’s a moment before I realize the bathroom is empty once again.
My hands are shaking with anger as I shut off the recording and tuck my phone away. I knew Holly was too perfect to be real. I knew there had to be an ugly side. Everyone has an ugly side. It’s only ever a matter of how well they keep it hidden, and what makes it appear.
Has Emmett seen this side of her? Does he know that she used his sister to get to him?
Does she know how she talks about Cassie?
I wait another five minutes to make sure there’s no chance Holly and Mandy are in the halls before I collect my things and head to the cafeteria.
I find Jen and Josie in our usual area. “That took a while,” Jen says, already working on the second half of her sandwich.
I slide into my seat. “Yeah. Sorry.”
She pauses midbite and frowns. “You feeling okay? You look pale.”
“I’m fine. It’s just … it’s nothing.” It’s just that Emmett’s girlfriend is a full-fledged Regina George posing as Miss Congeniality. And she’s got everyone fooled.
“Hey, Aria!” That saccharine voice calls out from behind me.
Tension ripples through my body as I look up to find none other than Holly and Mandy standing over our table. I swallow against the lump in my throat. “Hey. What’s up?” Did she somehow figure out that I was in the bathroom, recording her as she exposed her toxic underbelly?
She shrugs. “Just wanted to say hi. You looked great at practice today, by the way. We’re so happy to have you on the team.” The way her eyes crinkle, the way her smile takes up her whole face … it’s like she’s practiced her deception in the mirror for months, she’s that good at appearing genuine.
But I know better now.
I offer her a tight smile. “Thanks.”
“See you later. Bye, Jennifer!” They don’t even acknowledge Josie before strolling away to the other side of the cafeteria, their heads dipped toward each other conspiratorially, laughing about something. I no longer have to guess at what.
“Why don’t you tell her that you go by Jen? That you don’t like being called Jennifer,” I mimic, unable to hold the accusation from my tone. Someone needs to confront Holly about something. Anything.
Jen chews slowly—much slower than usual—which tells me she’s stalling to answer. “She knows,” she finally says, gulping down her Pepsi. She hesitates, then glances over at their table. “I’ve known Holly since I was six. We both used to live in Klemptville.” Those owlish, gray eyes regard me for moment before she shifts her attention to her sandwich in her hands. “Holly is really good at pretending to be nice. But she’s not. She’s mean and competitive, and jealous of anyone who does better in school or sports than her. She made kids cry. She made me cry, and I’m a year older than she is. Called me fat and ugly. She started rumors about me—that I still wet the bed, that I kissed my cousin, Rob.” She shakes her head, her face twisted with dismay. “I was miserable. It got so bad, I didn’t want to go to school.” Jen’s head dips lower as she admits softly, “Some days I wished I wouldn’t wake up.”
My stomach tightens.
Jen has been bullied before.
By Holly.
“We moved to Eastmonte when I was twelve and life got better. I mean, sure, there’s still jerks around here, but nothing like her. No one that mean.” Her lips twist. “And then last year, who comes strolling down the hall but Holly Webber. I nearly puked.” Her eyes flitter to me. “But when she saw me in the hall, she came up and hugged me, and told me how happy she was to see me.”
“Did she apologize?”
Jen shakes her head. “She never acknowledged the things she said to me. But she was acting different. Like, over-the-top nice. So, I figured either she grew out of her mean stage, or she’s taking some serious anti-bitch pills.”
I snort. Even Josie, who has said nothing until now, smiles.
Jen’s gaze sits on Holly’s table for a moment. “She got a lot of attention right away. I mean, look at her. Miss Popularity almost from day one. She’s smart, too. So, I think she figured out that a guy like Emmett wouldn’t look at her twice if he knew she was a bitch.”
“Do you think Emmett would want to be with her if he knew what she used to be like?”
“You kidding? See that guy sitting on the table over there?” With a covert finger, she points to a boy with spiky blond hair and a black T-shirt, sitting three rows over. “That’s Adam Levic. Last year he said something mean to Cassie—I can’t remember what—and Emmett knocked him on his ass. He got suspended for fighting. There was a rumor of him losing his big hockey scholarship because of it. I don’t know if that was ever true but it was serious.”
“I can’t picture Emmett fighting anyone.” I can’t see him ever getting that angry.
“He’s not the type,” she agrees. “Not like Adam.”
I watch as the caf monitor comes by and ushers Adam off the dining table, pointing at the chair. Adam rolls his eyes but drags himself off. Now that he’s standing, I see he’s at least a few inches shorter than Emmett, but he’s stocky, with broad shoulders and thick forearms.
“Emmett is super-protective of his sister, if you haven’t noticed yet. And Cassie’s the kind of kid that Holly would torment.” Jen’s thin lips purse. “If Holly acted half the way she did in Klemptville, I can’t see how he’d give her a shot, no matter how perfect her boobs are. At least, I have to think so, or it crushes every fantasy I’ve ever had about him.”
You and me both.
“Me too,” Josie chirps in a whisper.
I study that perfect, blonde head attached to that perfect body and that perfect smile for the rest of our lunch period.
What would Emmett do if he knew it was all a façade?
“The plumber is at Uncle Merv’s,” Cassie announces as we round the bend of our street, toward our cul-de-sac. Sure enough, the battered red pickup truck sits in the driveway. “I wonder what he’s doing.”
“Fixing something.”
“Yeah … he’s fixing something,” she echoes, and it sounds like she’s trying to match my tone. “Maybe we could watch a movie tonight? Emmett has a hockey game. I’m not going.”
Which probably means it’s out of town.
She says this like it’s a bonus that Emmett won’t be around the house. Meanwhile, it would be motivation for me to go. Normally. But now I have this recording of his girlfriend burning a hole in my pocket and I don’t know what to do with it.
“I have a lot of homework to do this weekend. But definitely next weekend,” I promise.
Her head bobs furtively, and I know she’s logging that into her mind. It’s a commitment that she won’t forget.