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“I’m glad Ian gets locked up again after today,” Emily breathed out. “We can all relax at the benefit tomorrow.”
“I’m not going to feel calm until he’s gone for good,” Spencer answered, her throat thick with tears. Her voice carried up beyond the gnarled tree branches, high into the turquoise blue winter sky. She twisted a lock of hair around her finger until it almost snapped. Only a few more hours, she repeated. But those few hours suddenly seemed like an eternity.
22
DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN
Hanna shrugged out of her red Chloé leather jacket and tossed it into her locker as Dvorak’s New World Symphony played loudly over the Rosewood Day hallway speakers. Naomi, Riley, and Kate were next to her, chattering about all the boys who had gotten instant crushes on Kate.
“Maybe you should keep your options open,” Naomi was saying, draining the last little bit of her hazelnut cappuccino. “Eric Kahn is really sexy, but Mason Byers is the catch of Rosewood Day. Whenever he opens his mouth I want to tear off his clothes.” Mason’s family had lived in Sydney for ten years, so he spoke with a slight Australian accent. He sounded like he’d spent his whole life on a sun-soaked beach.
“Mason’s on the volleyball team.” Riley’s eyes lit up. “I saw a yearbook proof of him at a recent tournament—he had his shirt off. Gor-geous.”
“Doesn’t the volleyball team practice after school?” Naomi rubbed her hands together excitedly. “Maybe we all should make a special appearance as Mason’s personal cheering section.” She looked at Kate for approval.
Kate gave her a high five. “I’m game.” She turned to Hanna. “What do you think, Han? You in?”
Hanna looked back and forth between them, flustered. “I have to leave school early today…. I have that trial thing.”
“Oh.” Kate’s face clouded. “Right.”
Hanna waited, expecting Kate to say something more, but she, Naomi, and Riley just went back to gossiping about Mason. Hanna pressed her nails into her palm, feeling the teensiest bit hurt. Part of her had figured they’d come with her to Ian’s trial as a show of moral support. Naomi was in the middle of cracking a joke about the size of Mason Byers’s didgeridoo when Hanna felt someone tapping her shoulder.
“Hanna?” Lucas’s face swam in front of her. As usual, he was carrying various paraphernalia from the clubs he took part in—a schedule for future chemistry club meetings, a list of names for the Stop Putting Sugary Drinks in the Vending Machine petition he was trying to get passed, and a blazer lapel pin that said Future Politicians of America. “What’s up?”
Hanna wearily pushed a lock of hair over her shoulder. Kate, Naomi, and Riley glanced at them and moved a few feet away. “Not much,” she mumbled.
There was an awkward pause. Out of the corner of her eye, Hanna noticed Jenna Cavanaugh slipping into an empty classroom, her dog in tow. Every time Hanna saw Jenna around Rosewood Day, an uncomfortable sensation surged through her.
“I missed you yesterday,” Lucas was saying. “I ended up not going to the mall—I wanted to wait to go with you.”
“Uh-huh,” Hanna murmured, only half listening. Her gaze moved to Kate and the others. They were now at the end of the hall near the Watercolor II class exhibit, whispering and chuckling. Hanna wondered what was so funny.
When she looked back at Lucas, he was frowning. “What’s going on with you?” he asked. “Are you mad at me?”
“No.” Hanna fiddled with her blazer’s cuff. “I’ve just been…busy.”
Lucas touched her wrist. “Are you nervous about Ian’s trial? Do you need a ride?”
Hanna’s sudden irritation was palpable, like a hot poker shoved into her thigh. “Don’t go to the trial,” she snapped.
Lucas jumped back like she’d slapped him. “But…I thought you wanted me to go.”
Hanna turned away. “It’s not going to be that interesting,” she muttered, deflated. “It’s just opening statements. You’ll be bored out of your mind.”
Lucas stared at her, ignoring the rush of students drifting past them. A bunch of them were kids heading to drivers’ ed, their Pennsylvania driving rules booklets in their hands. “But I want to be there for you.”
Hanna clenched her jaw and looked away. “Seriously. I’ll be fine.”
“Is there a reason you don’t want me to go?”
“Just drop it, okay?” Hanna waved her arms in front of her, putting up a barrier between them. “I have to get to class. I’ll see you at the benefit tomorrow.”
With that, she slammed her locker shut and brushed past Lucas. She couldn’t quite explain why she didn’t just turn around, take his hand, and apologize for being bitchy. Why did she want Kate, Naomi, and Riley to accompany her to Ian’s trial, but when Lucas offered—so loyally and sincerely—she just got annoyed? Lucas was her boyfriend, and the past few months with him had been awesome. After Mona had died, Hanna had gone around in a numb haze until she and Lucas got back together. Once they did, they’d spent all their time together, hanging out at his house, playing Grand Theft Auto, and spending hours and hours skiing at Elk Ridge Mountain. Hanna hadn’t been to a mall or a spa once during the entire nine days they’d had off at Christmas. Half the time she spent with Lucas, she didn’t even put on makeup, except stuff to cover her scar.
