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“Bridget is actually very hot, Parks,” Henry concedes, fanning himself with his beige Maison Margiela shirt.
“Henry!” I wail.
“What? She’s—”
And then, “Oh my god,” says a familiar voice. Perry Lorcan stops us in the street. “Magnolia! Hi!” He stares at me, eyes big and wide.
As a knee-jerk response, I think about what I’m wearing in case there’s a photographer here hiding somewhere, or even for when this moment is inevitably regaled back to Paili.
The crystal-embellished mini skirt from Amen, black Maddy ribbed-knit sweater and the black Dolce & Gabbana spread-collar cardigan coat. I look good. Stupid that it makes me feel some relief, but it does.
“Boys. Hey.” Perry gives them an uncomfortable smile.
Jo nods his chin at him and I take a step backwards into Henry, who doesn’t say a word.
“Perry.” I blink a few times, glancing past him. “Are you here with…?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “She’s in Spain.”
The truth is, I know that after everything that happened last year, Paili and Perry’s lives changed rather drastically. And I do want to interject and say that I personally had nothing to do with it. Though it might sound as though I did, I, in fact, did not. It comes off personal and vindictive—and I can certainly be that—but what happened to them was not my doing.
After everything happened, it was so publicised, because it was caught on camera. I found out, and then a day later it was everywhere. Everyone instantly knew. It was splashed any which way you looked. FINALLY REVEALED: BJ Ballentine cheated on Magnolia Parks with her long time BFF Paili Blythe.
Paili wasn’t in the papers much before that. The public fascination was focused primarily on BJ and I, and then the others by association, but they were fascinated with her for this reason. They weren’t nice though. BJ made it worse.
Henry told me that he wouldn’t go anywhere that they’d go. Clubs and restaurants started refusing Paili and Perry entry because they’d rather have BJ. Everyone loves BJ, everyone wants to be loved by BJ. BJ has more clout, more pull, more charisma, more weight in his little finger than Paili and Perry do in their whole two bodies combined. To keep in BJ’s good graces, Paili and Perry (so Henry tells me) were unofficially dismissed from the upper echelons of British society.
“Right.” I nod. “No, I had heard that… I thought you both lived there now?”
“We do.” He flashes me a smile, extending it to the boys who are silent behind me.
“Together?” I ask. I don’t know why.
“Yeah.” He nods. “So, what are you doing here? I heard you were in New York.”
I nod uncomfortably. “I’ve just moved back.”
“Oh.” His eyebrows go up. “Why?”
“She got made Style Editor.” Henry tells him without a smile.
“Congrats, babe! That’s massive!” Then she looks past me to Henry. “It’s good to see you boys. What’s been happening?”
Henry doesn’t say anything, he just looks away.
“Really, Hen?” Perry blinks. “We’ve been friends since we were twelve.”
“Friends don’t lie.” Henry shrugs.
Very bravely and somewhat stupidly, Perry gestures at Jonah.
Jonah’s head pulls back. “You pointing at me?”
“Hey—” Perry sniffs an amused and confused laugh. “Is it true you’re both dating Taura after everyth—”
“Wouldn’t finish that sentence, Lorcs.” Jonah gives him a tight smile, shaking his head.
“Nah.” Henry’s jaw goes tense. “Finish it. Let’s see how it goes over…”
