Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 157308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 787(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 787(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
“Wow.” I tossed my head in disbelief. “Yeah, I would burst into tears too.”
“It’s such bullshit. Sleeping with her boyfriend, tossing her off a cliff, then twisting everything to make herself the victim? Ugh! Who does that?”
I watched her close. “Hold on. Does that mean you don’t believe Gabriella? One of your best friends.”
“It’s because she’s one of my best friends that I don’t believe her. I know Gabriella Montana. I’m not saying she some sociopath who goes around throwing people off cliffs, but whenever she’s in trouble, the only ass she’s looking to cover is her own. Her parents busted us for drinking when we were fifteen. Gabriella turned on the waterworks so fast, sobbing that she didn’t want to do it but I pressured her.
“Her mom still looks at me like I’m a snake that wandered in from outside. She’s always telling Gabby to stay away from that bad influence. Worst part is she wasn’t sorry then, or now. Nothing ruins her image of the shining heiress princess—not even her own actions. I can see Gabriella doing everything Annika said.”
I saw Katie in a new light. She didn’t have the nicest or cuddliest of personalities, but she saw people for who they were.
Sighing, Katie pilfered my last potsticker, stretching out on the sheets. “Saylor, Piper, and Everleigh know it too, but when I called Gabby out, they came down on me, saying I’ve been a terrible friend lately and how dare I call Gabby a liar. Whose side was I on?”
Wow. They made Katie out to be the bad guy when she was right up, down, and sideways. Gabriella’s story about how Annika went over that cliff and what she did after was pure fiction.
Fiction she’ll get away with because I can hardly come forward and say I was the one who called the ambulance after watching the fight I orchestrated and blowing up their cars.
“I’m sorry, Katie.”
“It’s whatever.” Katie flipped over, facing the television. From the stiffness of her back and shoulders, it wasn’t whatever. “I just need a break from them for a while, and since those bitches are convinced I’m a terrible friend, they can do with a break from me. So no, they’re not coming to my party.”
All of a sudden, it made sense why she was throwing this last-minute blowout bash. They gaslit and snubbed her. Katie would snub their asses right back... and I needed to be a part of it.
“Let’s plan this party, my friend.” I tipped off the bed, picked up a fallen notepad, and got to work. “Let that man back in here with my food, then tell me what you think of a carnival theme?”
A ghost of a smile tickled her lips. “I hate it. You predictably suck at this.”
I laughed. “You’re predictably ungrateful. How about roaring twenties?”
“How about we call it the basic bitch party and be done with it?”
I crossed that off as quickly as I wrote it down. “Alice in Wonderland?”
“Ugh.”
“Slumber party?”
Katie halted with the denial on her list. “Slumber party?”
“Maybe even like a super summer slumber party,” I said, smirking.
“Hmm. Tell me more.”
“Everyone dresses up in their finest, silkiest, sexiest pajamas.”
Katie snapped her fingers. “Loving that.”
“You could hand out personalized sleep masks and pillowcases— Oooh! We can build a giant blanket fort over the dance floor and decorate it with fairy lights.”
“Inspired.”
“We can serve fruity, yummy cocktails, and the food can be sleepover food. Popcorn, cupcakes, banana pops, and nachos.”
“Yes, but whatever the high-class version is that my chef whips up. Music?”
I wiggled. “Fun, dancing-in-your-pajamas music. Oh my gosh, you know what we should do?” I cried. “You have a pool. What if we laid a platform from end to end, and people had pillow-fight battles to knock their opponent in first? Winner gets a prize. Loser has a penalty. They do a shot or have to strip an article of clothing. What do you think? Sounds like the best damn super slumber party there is.”
A slow smile curved her cheeks. “Luna Sinclair, I knew there was a reason I let you hang around me.”
I decided to let that slide. We spent the rest of the night planning every detail, assigning jobs, sourcing where we’d get the party favors, and deciding the guest list. Katie didn’t blink twice at me scratching out Iris, Rose, and everyone who messed with me since the semester started. She was serious about me coming and having a good time.
Her driver drove me back to campus the next morning on two hours of sleep. I went upstairs, closed my door, and passed out on my rumpled sheets. It wasn’t until I woke hours later that it hit me. Wilder put my door back.
He trusted me. Or he was starting to.
Chapter Thirteen
“Jack called this morning.” I bounced on the balls of my feet, fists up and panting hard. “They’ve got a meeting with the dean scheduled for next week, Wednesday. He said there’s nothing he can say or do to change my mother’s mind. I should start packing my bags—”