Total pages in book: 241
Estimated words: 234779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1174(@200wpm)___ 939(@250wpm)___ 783(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 234779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1174(@200wpm)___ 939(@250wpm)___ 783(@300wpm)
Sara shakes her head as she picks up the spork she got from the lunch line and prepares to dig into her macaroni and cheese. “Just because she had more important things to do than her homework, I’m supposed to hand mine over. The entitlement of that whole crowd, I swear.”
I nod in agreement, but movement behind Sara snags my attention and I forget to speak.
Valerie Johnson is looking straight at me and walking in this direction.
Uh oh.
“Incoming,” I say quickly, to give Sara at least a slight heads-up.
Sara’s gaze jumps to mine. “Hm?”
I don’t have time to answer.
Valerie stops behind Sara, her hateful gaze on me, but she doesn’t say a word.
I put down my spoon, applesauce forgotten. “Is there something we can help you with?”
Sara looks up, her face losing a shade of color when she sees Valerie standing at our table.
“It seems like I’m lost, doesn’t it?” Valerie says. “Over here at the reject table with people who barely even exist. I can understand your confusion.”
“I am confused,” I tell her, nodding, “but I think it’s the noxious cloud of perfume that follows you around everywhere. Do you naturally smell really bad, or…?”
Valerie’s eyes narrow, a snide little smile tugging at her lips. “You’re the one that left a smell in my bedroom after you spread your legs, you nasty slut.”
I grimace in feigned sympathy. “Do you mean to keep reminding people I fucked your boyfriend? Seems like the kind of thing you’d want everyone to forget if you’re not planning on leaving him. Makes you look kinda stupid.”
She latches onto that. “Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you? I don’t think so, Riles. This isn’t revenge of the nerds. You don’t get the hottest guy in school. That pleasure is all mine—and I’m not about to let him go, so you can give up your pathetic little fantasy of going after my scraps.” With an insulting onceover, she says, “Like he’d want you anyway.”
I can only stare at her, stunned at her apparent obliviousness. “You don’t really believe that, do you? I’m the one ignoring his texts. If I wanted Hunter, I could have him on a silver platter. I don’t; I prefer my men faithful.”
She crosses her arms and glares at me. I guess she doesn’t have a snappy comeback for that one.
As much as I loathe her, as evil as she has been to me, some part of me wonders if maybe she really doesn’t get it. I’m not even trying to be mean when I say the next thing, I just think someone should tell her in case she doesn’t already know. “He doesn’t like you, Valerie. He’s only using you to get a rise out of me.”
I can tell by the fiery glint in her eyes this is not the first time the thought has occurred to her. “Bullshit. He got drunk and made a poor decision. You. You were the poor decision.”
I cock an eyebrow. “He was stone cold sober when it happened, so I’m not sure how that defense could have possibly worked.”
“Everyone was drunk, stupid,” she snaps.
“I wasn’t.”
“That’s because you’re a fucking freak. You must have been hiding in a corner somewhere, nobody even remembers you being there.”
I don’t say anything as Valerie huffs and straightens. I get the impression that my presence baited her and she has engaged with me far more than she meant to.
Working to reclaim her composure, she pointedly straightens her shoulders and her cheerleading uniform, then pastes on a fake smile and plants a hand on Sara’s shoulder.
“Anyway, I didn’t come over here to talk to this fugly skank-whore. It was you I wanted to talk to.”
Sara stares up at her blankly. “Me?”
Valerie nods cheerfully, then leans down as if she’s sharing a secret. “I heard a rumor you liked Wally Kazinsky.”
Sara flushes. I’m certain the color reaches clear down to her toes.
“Well,” Valerie continues, her tone friendly and coaxing, “he was asking about you.”
“What?” Sara breathes.
Concern steals over me. I can tell Sara is blown away by this news, stunned, shocked, completely awestruck.
I am a little more skeptical. Not of someone liking Sara—she’s my friend and I think she’s incredible, I just don’t think Wally sees that.
Valerie nods, her pretty face so effectively portraying excitement, it would be easy to believe it was genuine.
I don’t, though. I’ve known her for too long. This girl has shown her true colors over and over again, and she hasn’t changed. The whole reason Sara and I were relegated to social Siberia pre-Hunter was because even as a child, Valerie was an asshole.
“Why don’t you come sit with us today?” Valerie asks Sara. “That way he could talk to you. He’s single right now,” she adds playfully, as if her offer wasn’t already enticing enough.
Sara can scarcely breathe as she looks at me across the table. I can see she’s conflicted.