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With a last warm smile directed my way, he left. I sat hunched over in my bed, as still as a statue. I couldn’t look at Beth, standing in my doorway in her black t-shirt with a baseball cap hiding her curls. I knew what she must’ve been thinking. That I’d messed it up, just like she’d warned. She’d been totally right.
“If you want to say I told you so, go ahead. I won’t stop you.” I bit down on my bottom lip, feeling the tears well up again. I’d cried so much in the past few hours, I was surprised I had any liquid left inside of me. “I deserve it.”
“Lexi, I’m so sorry,” Beth said, her voice full of emotion.
The amount of sorrow in her voice had me looking up at her in shock. What was she apologizing for? I was the one who’d fought back against her. Even after I’d asked her to help me stay away from Zane. She should’ve been gloating.
“You’re not going to say it?” I asked, trembling.
“No, of course not. We’re here for you. We’ll always be here for you.”
In a matter of seconds, both girls joined me on the bed and wrapped me up on both sides in a tight hug. This time, I didn’t cry. There really were no more tears left inside of me. Instead, I laughed and hugged them both as tight as I could.
“How bad is it at school?” I asked. Surely, by now, everyone knew my secrets. It was going to be like walking naked onto a land mine field tomorrow.
“We trashed all of the fliers,” Charlotte said, nodding firmly. “It didn’t take long. There was a lot of talk about you and Zane, but I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that much tomorrow.”
My gaze darted between hers and Beth’s. “Why’s that?”
“Because one of the freshmen accidentally plowed through the fence surrounding the stadium with her car.”
I gaped at her, wondering how someone could’ve done that. “Was she okay?”
Beth giggled. “She was fine, but the fence is mangled. Everyone is calling her the Fence Strangler now. It’s funny. So your stuff will already be old news by tomorrow, trust me.”
Relief rolled through me. At least there was one good thing about high school drama, there was always something new to take up the front page headlines. If only I could’ve been so sure that Zane’s career would bounce back as much as my reputation at Rock Valley High.
“I’m so sorry the way I talked to you,” I said, reaching for Beth’s hands. “I was awful. I didn’t mean any of it. You were just trying to help.”
She shook her head and smiled sadly at me. “No, you were right. When it comes to boys, I’m a coward. I can’t even tell the one I like who I am. I had no right to judge you. It’s clear that you and Zane really like each other.”
I smiled through watery eyes at her. “Well, then, after I figure out how to fix this mess, we’re just going to have to figure out a way to help you tell that boy, whoever he is.”
She laughed, throwing her head up. “Yeah, that’s a problem for another day. Let’s focus on this one for now.”
“Agreed.” Charlotte reached across to grab both of our hands. “How can we help, Lexi?”
My brain whirled and Dad’s sage words came back to me. No matter what, always try your best. That way, you’ll never have any regrets. I didn’t want to have any regrets about this moment of my life. And I also didn’t want to hide from it. I’d take it all on the nose, whatever life wanted to hit me with. I’d take it standing up, like a woman. And I’d do it with my two best friends beside me.
“I don’t suppose you girls feel interested in starting a movement?” I asked, arching my eyebrows. “Something for all the girls at our school who’ve been victimized by mean girls like Janelle?”
Charlotte rubbed her hands together and grinned. “Always. Anything for a cause. Let’s do it, baby.”
My gaze shifted to Beth and she nodded in anticipation. “Anything you need, I’m there.”
I smiled gratefully. These were my girls. Even when I’d messed up everything, they had my back.
“First things first, let’s get out a message to the Rock Valley Biz Instagram account,” I said, interlocking my fingers and stretching them in front of me. Excitement began to pulse through my veins. “I’ve got a plan, but it’ll require more of us. And they’ve got the reach. If they agree to join in, my plan just might work.”
We huddled around my computer, pulling up my account. And even as I typed out a message, hope blossomed in my chest. Maybe I couldn’t fix everything that I’d broken today, but this was a start.
And maybe, someday, Zane would forgive me.
Chapter Twenty-One
A gentle breeze sailed over Rock Valley, teasing at my loose waves I’d let fall around my face this morning. I stood facing the sleepy movie set, staring at the workers just starting to arrive. School didn’t start for another hour, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that a certain someone was scheduled to shoot a scene this morning on the soccer fields and that we were here to greet her when she showed up.
“Do you think the others will show?” I asked, turning toward Beth.
