“Ever heard of long-distance?”
“It didn’t work outfor you the first time.”
Nellie sucked in a low gasp, but it was Lydia who whispered, “Raelynn.”
She didn’t even have the excuse of a mimosa making her tipsy. Her eyes were sharp on me, color high in her cheeks—and, after another beat, I realized there was a sheen to her eyes.
I set my napkin on the table. “I’m going to run to the bathroom,” I told Nellie, catching her eye.Give me a second.
The Bestie Telepathy was working in full force. “Pop in and say hi to Jamie while you’re at it. He’s hiding in the library, and he’d probably appreciate it if you snuck him a snack.”
I plucked one of the cream puffs from the tea tower in the middle of the table, setting it into a new napkin. As I walked away, I could hear Ms. Jennings’s light, cheerful voice. “See,thisis what I’m talking about. It’s like watching a little soap opera, isn’t it?”
Nellie’s mom shushed her.
I hobbled down the cobblestones in the too-big heels Nellie had lent me, biting my lip as I did so, praying to God that I wouldn’t fall on my face. I was not used to heels bigger than two inches, and I was sure this pair was four. I strained, too, as I followed the rosebushes toward the building, listening for any sound behind me.
And if I guessed correctly, any second now?—
“Daisy.”
Just as predicted. I stopped walking, turning around to find Raelynn a few paces behind me. The wind stirred her strawberry blonde hair, and she tucked it furiously behindher ears. “Raelynn,” I began first, cradling the cream puff in my palm. “Listen, I know?—”
“Know what?” she snapped, blinking fast. I’d been right about the sheen in her eyes at the table—tears were building there, making them glassy. “Know that dating Jamie when I called dibs was a crappy thing to do?”
Dibs. On one hand, I felt for her. Ihadknown she’d had a crush on Jamie, but I hadn’t realized it’d been so strong. On the other hand, the entitlement to him—and the snotty attitude—was really starting to rub me the wrong way. “He doesn’t like you like that.”
“Did he tell you that?” A small, livid line formed between Raelynn’s eyebrows. “Did he tell you that we’ve been meeting in the library for every single ADP event for years now? Did he tell you we’ve been buddy reading a book together?”
“What?” I blinked, taken aback. “You’re… you’re reading a book together?”
I could kind of brush off her claim to meet in the library for every event, knowing how often Jamie complained about her seeking him out, but buddy reading a book—outside of book club? Did they text each other about the book? Call each other? Exchange notes? Jamie had asked me to read one of his books before, but they were so big and confusing. When he’d stopped asking me, had he started asking Raelynn?
“You don’t know anything. You think I don’t see exactly what you’re doing?” Raelynn stepped up closer to me, and with Nellie’s heels on, we were nearly eye-to-eye. Her tears still hadn’t fallen, but they made her blue eyesbright. “You’re only using Jamie to make Dalton jealous. You’re one ofthose girls. The ones who play with guys’ hearts.”
“I-I’m not?—”
“You shouldn’t lead Jamie on. Not when there’s someone who actually cares about him.”
“I care about him.” I shook my head. “Ilike him.”
“But do you love him?” Raelynn’s superior look was like a checkmate, at least in her eyes. “Because I don’t think you do.”
Do you like him the way you liked me?Dalton had asked last Friday at the park, his eyes searching mine.Because I don’t think you do.I stared at Raelynn, at the way her thoughts were written all over her face.You don’t love him like I do, she said without saying. I had to take care not to curl my hand into a fist and crush the cream puff.
“It’s none of your business how I feel,” I told her slowly. “I’m sorry that it worked out this way, truly, but… he chose me.”
“Because there was never achoice. You didn’t give him a choice. But you never do, do you?” Raelynn’s shoulders shook as she drew in a breath, her watery glare unwavering. “Not once in your life.”
You have me wrapped around your finger, Daisy, he’d said the other night, the words as soft as a confession.
We can unwrap you.
No, we can’t.
It suddenly became hard to swallow.
A tear finally rolled down Raelynn’s cheek, shiningin the sun, and my stomach clenched at the sight of it. “I thought you were cooler than that, Daisy,” she muttered, and with that, she trudged forward.
