“You’re back!” he cried out.
“Well, that’s a surprising change in attitude,” Zoey said suspiciously. “Do I owe you money or something?”
“You’re in with the Blood Oath pack!” He hurried over to her, aglow with eagerness.
“No, I’m not.” She shook her head decisively. “That’s over. It’s not happening.”
“It’s not?” He looked dismayed. “Can you call them back? Did you do something wrong? You can apologize, can’t you? This could be my ticket in!”
Andrea burst out of her door, wearing an apron, with flour on her hands. Stewart was right behind her. “Ticket in to what?” she demanded of her son.
“Nothing.” His face flushed and he glowered at the ground.
Andrea turned to Zoey. “So now you’re here recruiting children into gangs?” she said accusingly.
“Of course not!” Zoey said, appalled.
Andrea’s face flushed with anger. “My son was just about to go back to school again, and then that meeting happened, with those horrible criminals bursting in and taking over. And he has been talking about that pack of animals nonstop ever since. Bad enough that we had to pay protection money for nothing, but my son will not become a mobster.”
“In fairness to them, it was Jordan who was ripping us off,” Zoey protested. “The minute they found out about it, they addressed the problem.”
“So now you’re on their side?” Andrea screeched.
“Mom! Cut it out!” Lorenzo protested woefully. “Now she’ll never introduce me to the Capo!”
Andrea gave Zoey a look so harsh that it could have scorched her skin off, grabbed Lorenzo’s arm and marched him off. She paused long enough to flash a despairing look at Stewart. “Today’s not good for a coffee date, Stewart.”
His face fell. “Well, that takes the cake, doesn’t it?” He peered at her anxiously. “Get it, because you were making cake, but now you’re not?”
Andrea just looked at him blankly, and dragged Lorenzo back into his apartment. Stewart’s face fell.
“She always laughs at my jokes,” he muttered, and wandered off, shoulders hunched.
“I did that,” Zoey said, stricken. “That was all me. I ruined everything. I turned Lorenzo into a wanna-be thug, and I made Andrea hate me, and I ruined her and Stewart, and…” she trailed off, blinking back sudden tears. She loved to look on the bright side, but it was hard to see a bright side to ruining her friends’ lives.
She waited for Danielle to deliver the coup de grace, to say something crushing and sarcastic.
“It’s okay,” Danielle said weakly. “You didn’t screw up too badly. Everything will be fine.”
Wow. Things were pretty bad if Danielle was the optimistic one.
“Thanks. You’re not the worst friend ever, no matter what anyone says,” Zoey said, which earned her a laugh.
“You pretty muchare, but you’re my only friend who’s not super old like Andrea and Stewart, so I guess I’m stuck with you.” Danielle made a face. “Try not to die or anything, okay? I have a hard time making new friends. Lots of people say I’m bitchy and whiney.”
“I don’t believe that for a second. Because it implies that some people actually don’t think that you’re bitchy and whiney. All right, I gotta run. I’ll see you around,” Zoey said, and she left the apartment, hopped on her bike and headed back towards the east side.
And right away, she sensed an obstacle. Something was blocking her. Her map magic wanted her to take a different route.
Frustration welled up inside her. Obviously the obstacles were specific to her, and she was getting fed up with it. And then, she was struck by sudden inspiration. She pictured the obstacle as her destination instead, so she could locate it. And then she circled around and dodged through back streets until she was able to sneak up behind it – or rather, her.
Giuliana. Sitting in a van that was idling on a narrow side street, watching the road that Zoey would have taken.
Zoey hopped off her bike, stormed over to the van and banged on the window. “Hey!” She bellowed at her. “You want me? Come and get me!”
Giuliana, startled, scrambled out of the van, slamming the door.
“You do know I’m a wolf, right?” She marched up to Zoey. “I can literally make you into sushi and eat you.”
