Page 40 of While You Were Trending

Soulmates, a pesky mosquito buzzes in my head.

I mentally swat it away and order my heart to stop tap dancing too.

We bought similar cars.

Doesn’t mean anything.

Can’tmean anything.

“Ooh, that makes so much sense now.” Cricket keeps smiling at Freida. “Didn’t I hear that you were going on vacation? The wedding wassomuch work. I know you did a ton. You must want a few weeks on the beach somewhere.”

“I love her so much,” Heath murmurs as he joins Shade and me.

Definitely amused.

Fully appreciating the tale Cricket’s spinning.

Freida spent half her time Saturday before she got high talking about how Caro threw a surprise wedding, and it was just like Caro to be so thoughtful and have the exact gown that Freidawould’ve wanted to wear to the wedding waiting for her when she arrived.

She didn’t help plan shit.

“Oh, I can’t escape to the beach,” Freida says. “They’ll see me there, and since the news broke about Caro’s wedding?—”

“I’m sorry, the what now?” Cricket says.

“The tabloids found out about Caro’s wedding.” Freida says. “If I went anywhere in public, like a beach, the paparazzi would find me and pester me all about the wedding details. It wouldn’t be relaxingat all.”

The first time I met Freida Rhodes, she’d come to town for Ginny’s birthday.

Nine days late.

Not a week—notoops, I put it on my calendar for the wrong Saturday—but nine whole days, arriving on a Monday and demanding to know when the guests were arriving and asking Ginny why she’d be friends with people who forgot her birthday, completely oblivious to the fact that she, herself, had actually missed it.

Not just the party, but Ginny’s actual birthday.

I’d watchedOn the Rhodesas a teenager myself. I’d get up, go to school, go to hockey, get home, eat, do homework, eat, and then stream it as part of my TV lineup.

And there was something about Freida Rhodes that I’d never liked.

Reinforced a million times over when I met her.

“Oh, dear,” Cricket says. “I’m sure it won’t be relaxing here either. We’re almost to harvest, and you wouldn’t believe how much our crew gossips.”

“Me too,” I announce. “I gossip all the time.”

Freida gasps. “Tell me it wasn’tyou.”

Of the two of us, she’s the more likely culprit.

“You leak that?” Heath asks me.

Don’t know the guy well enough yet to know if he’s playing along or if he really thinks I’d break someone’s trust.

But I stick to my story. If making this place feel unsafe for Freida is what it takes to make her leave, I’m in.

“I only told friends that I trusted not to tell,” I lie.

I didn’t tell anyone.